Bradford Family Mystery

[Falconer66]

Calling all hardened, experienced family history hunters, I wonder if I might ask for some advice?

It concerns my BRADFORD family history and is a mystery I have been trying to solve for many years.

My father John William BRADFORD was born in Bedford in 1916. His two older sisters were also born in Bedford.  Evelyn May BRADFORD (b1914) and Florence Cecelia BRADFORD (b1915)

I have copies of birth certificates for them all and all show a John Bradford as the father.

There are really two mysteries -

1) Whilst on Evelyn's birth certificate (The eldest child) and my fathers birth certificate (The youngest child)
The mother Margaret BRADFORD states her maiden name as GREEN, on Florence's birth certificate (The middle child)
she gives her maiden name as DAY.

2) In 1918 all the children are sent to the Lodge childrens home in Kempston, Beds. (The entry book for the date they arrive states "Deserted by mother) They never have any further contact with their parents and no-one knows what becomes of them.

I only have 3 official records of John BRADFORD the father. (No marriage between BRADFORD - GREEN or BRADFORD - DAY having been found)

He appears on all three birth certificates (As horse keeper, Carman, and Waggoner)

He appears on the 1912 electoral roll for Bedford together with his wife Margaret residing in Bell Court, St. John's, Bedford. (Unfortunately not there on the 1911 census!)

He also appears on the Bedford Union Relief records on 26th September 1916 as being given two shilling and sixpence. On this record he gives his age as 60. On a similar record in 1914 when Margaret is discharged from the workhouse with her new born child Evelyn, Margaret gives her age as 35. (Quite an age gap for a married couple?)

After 1916 I can find no record of either of them. I do have a few death records in later years but no way of connecting them to my family.

So two problems really -

What happened to my grandparents, and why did my grandmother have two maiden names!

I just wondered if some kind soul may be able to suggest any further avenues to explore?

Thenking you in anticipation .........

J

[nickgc]

Hello - Here is an interesting bit:  in 1904 (FreeBMD) there is a marriage for a John William Bradford in Greenwich (don't know how close that is).  If you look at the volume and page number, there are 2 men, but only one woman listed.  This implies that one of the men marrying does not have a wife recorded.  Could it be him?

Have you found them individually or together on any censuses?

Nick

[Gaie]

Hi Falconer & Nick 

Nick, the marriage reference that you found, Dec Qtr 1904 Greenwich Vol 1d Page 1686, has the following four people listed, according to A******y:

John William BRADFORD
Margaret Elizabeth BROOKS
Rose DAWSON
Henry George SMITH

So a tantalising John-Margaret match, but is this them?  Did they ever actually marry?

Greenwich is in south-east London, so about 35 miles from Bedford as the crow flies.

Kind regards
Gaie

[Gaie]

The IGI has John William Bradford (father Elijah Charles Bradford) marrying Margaret Elizabeth Brooks (father Lazrus Everard Brooks), and Henry Smith marrying Rose Dawson, both 25/12/1904, Greenwich (Batch No: I028610).

Kind regards
Gaie

[hiraeth]

I looked on the 1901 for John Bradfords born c1856 with a similar occupation

There is this one in Croydon
ref RG13/639/26/44
John Bradford, age 45, head, Carrier Carman, born Berks., Sunningdale
Caroline Bradford, age 44, wife, born Dorset, Fontmell Magna
Frederick B Bradford, age 9, son, born Surrey Croydon

now the interesting thing about this  is that there is also this entry on freebmd
Death  Jun Q 1908 Croydon
Caroline Bradford, age 51

I found this marriage Sep Q 1906 Lambeth 1d 824
Between Margaret Alice L Green 
To either Henry DAY  or  John Vinecombe

In 1901  there is this lady In Lambeth
RG13/413/45/18
Margaret A L Green, age 22, female servant, born Welborne Norfolk
Birth ref Dec Q 1879  Forehoe 4b/181

It might be worth discovering if the marriage in Lambeth was to a Henry Day? One of my great great grandmothers kept forgetting which name she married under.  She alternated surnames with every child!

Hope this of some use.
Heather

[Falconer66]

Hi All,

Thank you for your ideas and comments.

It has been suggested to me that because of the age gap the mother Margaret Green/Day might in fact not be the wife of John Bradford (b1856) but his daughter in law.

As this was around the time of the great war, the younger Bradford father may have been away on active service, or previously killed in action? Althogh the discharge book for the workhouse when the mother Margaret leaves with her 2 week old daughter Evelyn states 'Discharged to husband'

As regards the circumstances regarding the children being sent to the childrens home, unfortunately all the case notes for that period have been lost.

It is all very frustrating....especially as many of you can trace your ancestors back hundreds of years and I can't get past 1916 !!

J

[winston]

HI

Not sure that this helps or not but have found John and Carolines son Frederick Bertram Bradford bn 1892 Croydon visible on the 1911 census living with his now married sister Mary Louise Wakerell nee Bradford who was also born in Croydon in 1884

I looked for him as I thought it might help find at least his dad.

Wendy

[jorose]

There is also this of possible interest:
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=30736

This John was born in Bishop Stortford around 1879 and is on the 1881 census with his father - I think he is in Essex in the 1911 census, in Saffron Walden but he doesn't seem to have married there.

[Falconer66]

Bit of a bump on this thread - I have found a Frederick John Bradford Born Cambridge 1919. Baptism shows father John Bradford. Mother Margaret Bradford. FreeBMD shows mothers maiden name DAY. The birth certificate gives mothers name as Harriett Bradford formally DAY. Father occupation horse keeper and army pensioner. Mystery again is that I cannot find either parents or son anywhere again after this date! Any ideas anyone? bearing in mind this man be unconnected to original query....