Seaman's Orphanage Hull

[kaydoubleu27]

In the 1970's my wife, who now suffers at a severe stage of Alzheimer's Disease, tried to get information  about her father but came to a "dead end" by being told that it was likely that records had been destroyed in the blitzes on Hull in WW2 - which, incidentally I remember so vividly from the bedlam-type noises we heard on most nights from the relative safety of an underground shelter in my case.

Hi everyone

I responded to a survey at Hull Archives a few weeks ago and said that I was very interested in seeing the new centre because I wanted to see if there were any records for Newlands Orphanage and got an e-mail reply saying:
 "We’re really looking forward to the opening as well, and the Newland Orphanage records are certainly one of the many collections that we will be improving access to in the new place."

So hopefully they and the other orphange records are still on one piece!

Kind regards

Kim

Sorry Bernard - I don't seem to have quite got the hang of this quote thing   

[JoberG]

Hi Kim,

I don't quite understand why you made your last comment.   Was it about my use of the term "dead-end"?  Maybe the following will help.  The facts are simply these. 

My wife, while attending an extramural writing course at Hull University about 1977/8, tried to obtain information while she was in Hull about her father who had been in the Seamen's Orphans Home about 1904-1909.   She was informed then that there appeared to be no records available; this was the "dead-end".   It was suggested to her that personal records might have been destroyed in the air raids on Hull during WW2 (1940 -1944).  Since then, and right until last week, I have never pursued our quest further in this area - but then I found these current contributions about the Hull Seamen's Orphans Home on Rootschat.  This has opened up a possible new avenue for us to find out something about William Percy Collins, her father.

William Percy Collins, died in 1961 (unfortunately my wife was even unable to go to Hull to attend her father's funeral because she giving birth to our first child in Edinburgh at exactly the same time).  I knew him well after 1954.  Surprisingly, or possibly not surprisingly, we can never now know about his life , and also that of his brother and sister, at the Home.   Although I learned a great deal about my father-in-law between 1954 and his death in 1961 he said NOTHING at all about his early life in those years between 1904  and 1909.   Moreover neither of his daughters knew anything except that he was an orphan in that home when he was a boy.    His son (the eldest of his three children) died in 1974 (Parkinson's disease); he might have known more than his two sisters!

Regards,
Bernard

[kaydoubleu27]

Hi Bernard

I'm so sorry for confusing you ( sometimes I manage to confuse myself  )

I was referring to the fact that I had quoted your post but whereas other posts have qoutes in blue boxes - mine didn't and I wanted to apologise for that! All things technical are not my strong point!

It really would be great if the archives relating to the orphanages did survive so that you can find out something about your father-in-laws early years. My G Grandfather , along with his two brothers were listed as being there on the 1911 census BUT their mother was still alive and listed herself as married not widowed on the 1911. Also I have never been able to find a death record for my gg grandfather (although from his mothers entry on the 1911 she states that she had 9 children - 4 still alive which would point to him being deceased)  so I would love to know how the boys came to be in the orphanage.

Fingers crossed that when the new centre at Hull opens later in the year we will be able to solve a few mysteries.

Sorry again for any confusion.

Kind regards

Kim

[Treetotal]

Hi Bernard and Kim...
If you read my two earlier posts...one has the link for the archives.... you will see that according to Hull City Archives the records do still exist and will be available to the public on the opening of the Hull History Centre in Mason Street in September.
Bernard..maybe the records weren't available in the seventies due to the 100 years rule.
I will watch  for the opening date and will post on here when a date is set.
Carol

[JoberG]

Hi Carol,

Many thanks for your messages - the story and the website for the archives.  Regarding the 100-year rule we are exactly 100 years and 1 month on as far as Lydia's father is concerned.

Earlier today I emailed the archives office asking for info. about re-opening times at the Hull History centre.  I've just read your posting which s suggests September.
Much now will depend on when I can get a day across in Hull; my time being so limited these days..  I ought really to spend quite a lot of time at the Hull records offices just searching for info. from certificates, etc.  Neither of us now has any relatives in Hull.  My one remaining 97-year old aunt died in Hull in April severring the last remaining link both Lydia and I have with Hull; all our grandparents families moved into Hull between 1870 and 1905.

There are other exciting things however in my Family Tree work;  which has become my area of reseach since Lydia began to suffer with her rotten disease for which I have to be around much of the time.  E.g., I've manged to trace  one line back to 1559 at Fewston in the Washburn Valley; lucky because it's close to where we now live and I'm now sittting with the Fewston Parish records on hard disc which I have recently transcribed (1555-1812) together with a friend in Otley.


Best regards to you,
Bernard

[JoberG]

Hi  again Carol,

As I sent the last post I noted that you have a Perry in  your listing of names.  Perry in your tree is not by any chance associated with the Brain family in the Bristol/Bath area is it?  If it is we are probably distantly linked somehow.  One of the Brain branches went to the Cheshire/Liverpool area.  My mother went to one of their funerals there in the 1920's; her uncle's. 

All the best,
Bernard

[penligen]

Hi everyone interested in the Hull orphanages/childrens homes. Thought I'd add some more about my Dad's life in the orphanage. He was Reginald William Penligen born Hull 1906 (spent 6 yrs in the orphanage 1912-1918) he never said a lot either about his time there, except snippets  and the fact that it was strict , he was taught the three R's and got three meals a day. I often wonder (however sad) if it had been the best place for him during war time in the circumstances that unfolded. He got polio when just a few weeks old, he was left lame and was never a robust person, slightly built and thin but he had a great brain and did quite well in business in hull and lived till 80.  His father/mother were Cecil Avant Penligen and Ada Verney, Ada (as far as we know) was the housemaid for the Penligens. They were well off and had other staff. Ggrandad had been a sea captain born DArtmouth 1849 and  came to Hull as he sailed for the Wilson Line from about 1865 to 1901 (the year of his death, he was only 52).  I have the names of several of the ships he was captain, there is an oil painting of one, the SS China, in the Hull Town Docks Museum. So dad never knew his grandad. When his dad (Cecil) married Ada (the skivvy) it did not go down well with my ggrandmother. Sadly Cecil died very young at 28 of TB (Dad was 6). Ggrandma never took my dad and Ada in, in fact she saw my dad go into the orphanage. I often wonder if she arranged it ( it appears she was very mean) and because of the sailing history he was able to get a place. So dad spent 6 yrs there (his mother had to go back into service), but in 1918  his mother re married and he came home. He knew little about the Penligen side and its only since he's died that I have found out so much, he would have liked to have known some of his history as despite the story he was never bitter.   Early in the 1970's I worked for Sunblest Bakery on National Ave and a lady who worked there  had been in the home too and  remembered by Dad,  and she remembered especially well (with envy) the day he was allowed to go home. Unfortunately I cant remember her name but she lived near National Ave. So just a bit about dads time there - seems the children were well clothed/fed and taught the three R's, just hope they were also treated lovingly but I have no reason to believe they were badly treated. Best wishes and regards KiwiJane 

[vancouver]

I have just found my great aunt and uncle on the 1911 Census.  Both were residents of the Seamen's and General Orphans Asylum.  According to the 1911 Census, their mother was a widow and living in a four room house on Crowle Street. The children also had several siblings who were married and living in Hull.

I have several questions:
1. Why would these children be in the orphanage?  Could they have been removed from their mother?
2. What were the conditions in the orphanage at this time.
3.  Have any members of the forum accessed the records of the Orphanage at the Hull Archives?  What information did you find?
4.  As I live in Canada what is the best way for me to obtain the records of these children?

Thanks
Wendy

Thanks

[penligen]

Hi Wendy I have similar questions especially 2,3 and 4. If their mother was widowed thats the probably the reason - just like my father's situation, his mother was left and had no option but to go back into service which I guess provided her with a home. As fathers grandfather had been connected with the sea i presume that was the reason he was eligible for the sailers home, so like you I am looking forward to the new History centre opening so that we can get to work. How did you search the 1911 census it is on line somewhere? Hey, sounds like your rellies were there at the same time as my father. regards KiwiJane