Smiths of Mitcham in Surrey

[missjano]

Hi Chellin

I have the image of the 1901 census. Brothers John & Josiah actually lived next door to one and other in Sibthorpe Road, Mitcham. If you do not have image I can send it to you.

[Lemmey]

Dont want to sound stupid but how do I find out the folio number to order one of the childrens birth certificates?? 

You need to search for the birth registration either on Ancestry or through Free BDM.  If that year's births are transcribed by Free BDM you can search by name and year (link below).  If not its a trawl through by year which you can do on Ancestry on Complete BMD index http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rectype/vital/freebmd/bmd.aspx. 

You then get a reference number which you use to order the certificates. 

Could this be Noah?  Noah Henry Smith.  Birth Registered Jun 1900.  Ref is: Croydon 2a 333.  http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

I started with Vanslow thinking he would be the easiest but couldn't find him with a name and year search   

Ooops just realised I've been searching for the wrong family - that's one of Josiah and Lemintina's children 

How about this:
Frederick Smith Sep 1859 Wandsworth 1d 406

[doorwoman]

Hi Chellin 2

Can't help much with the family part but Half-Acre Row was a line of houses at the back of Love Lane in Mitcham. These houses have long since gone & used to stand on a now empty plot called Fieldgate Lane. If you view a map its between Love Lane & the Gas works at the back of Westfield Road & Taffys How.

The Sibthorpe Road link would also fit in as this was the other side of Western Road, the main road that the gas works stands on. This is no longer there also. It would have been where you'll see Holborn Way.
This area of Mitcham had & still has a strong gypsy presence. Mitcham town centre used to be 'known' as redskin square & the Phipps Bridge area as redskin village by the locals in the late 1800's.

Best of luck with the research.

[Lemmey]

I'm sure Chellin will thank you also but seeing as the information is also relevant to me thank you from me also.

Very interesting and links a few addresses I have together plus gives me some information about the area about which I know very little 

[doorwoman]

Hi Lemmey.
No problem. My husband & I were both born & bred in Mitcham, so have looked into the history of the village quite a bit.
If there's anything else I may be able to help with Mitcham-wise, just give me a shout.

[missjano]

Hi Chellin 2

Can't help much with the family part but Half-Acre Row was a line of houses at the back of Love Lane in Mitcham. These houses have long since gone & used to stand on a now empty plot called Fieldgate Lane. If you view a map its between Love Lane & the Gas works at the back of Westfield Road & Taffys How.

The Sibthorpe Road link would also fit in as this was the other side of Western Road, the main road that the gas works stands on. This is no longer there also. It would have been where you'll see Holborn Way.
This area of Mitcham had & still has a strong gypsy presence. Mitcham town centre used to be 'known' as redskin square & the Phipps Bridge area as redskin village by the locals in the late 1800's.

Best of luck with the research.

Hi Lemmy/Chellin & hello Doorwoman

Just goes to show, lived in Mitcham over half my life, I have been looking for Half Acre Row for years, and it was on my doorstep. Love Lane is off Western Road in Mitcham. Fieldgate Lane is listed in some of the census we have as well. Thanks Doorwoman

[chellin2]

Hi doorwoman

Thanks so much for that information and I think I know now exactly where Half Acre Row was.  I lived in Mitcham until I was 4 in Sibthorpe Road and my Dad had a waste Paper Yard down there.  Im sure if you have lived there so long you have heard of the Lyon family.  There were 10 brothers and sisters and they all lived and worked there.
I had also heard the term Redskin village.  We used to walk down an alleyway to Phippsbride where my other grandmother lived in a place called Rocky, have you heard of that???  When they pulled down Sibthorpe Road my Nanny Lyon was put into a block of flats there.
As you walked out of Sibthorpe Road down away from the town to Western Road there was a pub on the corner and a sweet shop, I suppose that is long gone now and if you walked the other was up to Mitcham town they had Woolworths on the corner.  Although I moved out very young I was always down that way visiting my nan of my Dads yard.
That has brought back so many nice memories for me thanks again for posting.

Chellin

[doorwoman]

Hi all.

The alleyway you used to walk down was more than likely Fieldgate Lane. Its actually only a path now unlike its name suggests. This would have came out in to Miles Road.
I'll have to ask my hubbie for the actual name of the pub which stood by Sibthorpe Road, his mates who he plays darts with, often talk about old Mitcham as quite a few of them have deep roots in Mitcham. I know they refer to it as the original blood tub! There is a tiny part of Sibthorpe Road left, just an alleyway now, its the part where Woolworths would have been on the corner of. This is now just offices & the other corner the same, but until recently was the job centre. The rest of what was Sibthorpe Rd would cut across the car park at the back of here, cross Holborn Way & end up being the road in the middle of the 'red flats' that now stand there.

The Rocky you remember is so called because of Rock Terrace Rec, which is the park at the front of the flats at Phipps Bridge. There used to be Bath Rd, Queens Rd etc here along with New Close which is still there.

Hopefully the attachment will come through of a pic of Half Acre Row houses for you to see.

Best of luck with the research!

MODERATOR COMMENT: Image Resized

[chellin2]

Oh thanks sooooooooooo much for that lovely pic.

I can just picture it all now at the back of my mind, tell your husband I used to stand outside that pub with my packet of crisps and lemonade when I was a kid.

I remember Bath Road too, cant picture it but know the name.  Rocky had no flats there years ago and I remember we could walk through from Morden too, through like a park which I think was where Nelson lived.  My grandmother used to live over a corner shop there.

I live in Australia now too so I cannot go back to see these things so I am very grateful for the pic.

Thanks so much doorwoman

Chellin