Welcome to this weeks Scavenger Hunt......This one is sure to get you thinking.
Good Luck and Good Hunting.
Barbara
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My Scavenger Hunt entry -
Kate Philadelphia Gerrard married Frederick Ebor Swales on 24 April 1905 at Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot. She gave her age as 26, her condition as spinster, her address as 6 Arlington Terrace, Queen's Road Aldershot and her father's name as George Gerrard, a labourer. Frederick was a lance corporal in the Royal Engineers. She was recorded as Gerard here but her name usually appears as Gerrard. The witnesses were Maurice Percy Biddle and Grace Daisy Springate, not otherwise known
Their son Frederick Thomas Swales was born on 7 April 1907 at 2 Western Terrace, Queen's Road, Aldershot.
The couple marry for a second time on the 14th October 1907 at the Register Office, Elham, Kent. Kate's age is given as 29 and her father as George Gerrard, farm labourer, her condition as spinster. She is living at 13 Morehall Avenue, Folkstone and Frederick at Shorncliffe Camp, he is still a lance corporal in the Royal Engineers. The witnesses this time were A A Joyce and Edith Joyce, again not known to have a family connection.
In the 1911 Census Kate & Frederick are living at Brompton Barracks, Chatham, Kent. Frederick is now a Corporal. Kate's age is given as 33 and her place of birth as Brede, Sussex
By 4 March 1920 when Frederick was discharged at the termination of his second period of engagement he continued to work at Kempston Barracks, Bedford as a civilian employee and the family were living at 11 Whitbread Avenue, Bedford.
Kate died of bronchial pneumonia in Sunny Lodge Hospital, Newport Pagnell on 20 January 1962, her age was given by her son as 85. Her residence at the time was 12 Lovat Street, Newport Pagnell.
The problem? There is no trace of Kate before her marriage. As the marriage was by banns presumably she was at least nominally living at Arlington Terrace for 3 weeks before her marriage but that is it. Attempts to find her birth in Brede as given in the 1911 census can be found at
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,353330.0.html - not found there
She always insisted that her name was Kate not Kathleen, Katherine etc and was proud of the Philadelphia, but this doesn't mean that these were facts. We have wondered if she could be an immigrant from America, but two people have said that she did not have a distinctive accent. We have looked at both Gerard and Gerrard and all the variants on Kate/Kathleen/Katherine we can think of, to no avail.
There were thoughts that the Kate Mary Gerrard christened 6 July 1872 might be the missing lady, her father was George Gerrard, a farm bailiff. In 1881 she was living with her mother & stepfather, Caleb Chapman (RG11 1222 89 16), in Milbrook, Hampshire, but she seems to have married at South Stoneham in Q3 1905
Please, can anyone find Kate before April 1905?
