Family disappear from every record.... HELP!!!!

[ChrissieL]

Those newspaper snippets are really interesting. I wonder what happened to the children while their parents were in prison for two months. Did they go to foster parents or to the workhouse 

[pinefamily]

That era was common for children to be sent to live in Canada. I have one family where a widowed mother couldn't look after all of her children, and put some into care. One was sent to Canada when he was old enough.

[heywood]

I wonder if this is Lucy. Home Children
The age is about right.

[heywood]

Possibility for Lily Wray 17 yrs born Hull - a servant in Darwen, Lancs  1901 3921/ 181/ 44

A marriage in 1909, Blackburn -  Lily Wray and James Whitehead.

1911 index Lily Whitehead b Hull

John Wray's WW1 paper shows mother Mrs Annie Wray, Hull but there is an arrow and Mrs A Whitehead, 1 Lilly Street, Darwen, Lancashire is also written.
John's sister, Lily Whitehead is in Darwen in 1911 index.

Possible entry for John in Home Children records for 1903.

[halhawk]

This follows up a number of the previous posts.

A newspaper report from Taunton, Somerset, 10 May 1899  about a tramp Annie Wray exposing her children William 8, Lucy 5 and Albert 4.   Also similar  one from Derby, 30 Nov 1898, but children not named in the excerpt available. Both from the free search on BNA.  If FindMyPast ever gets its newspaper feed back, I'll try to find them there.

A John Wray went to Canada Sep 1903 as one of a party from Barnardo's - Anc'y has the Outward Passenger manifest for this.

The Home Children lists show a 10 year old W Wray sent out in 1900 - might be William?

On the 1901 census there is a 14 year old Elizabeth Wray in Hull Workhouse

Hope this might help fill in a few gaps?
halhawk

[pinefamily]

What a sad tale has been uncovered. It explains why the family is "missing" in the census records.

[heywood]

What a sad tale has been uncovered. It explains why the family is "missing" in the census records.

I agree. It is so sad.
They certainly tramped up and down the country. I am sure that Annie is in Oldham in 1911.

[jorose]

Following up on William:

"William Jamison Wray": died in California (mother listed as Leeman)
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VP2H-HK5
1940 census (divorced, inmate of some sort of institution - highest grade of school completed "4")

His war records are also in Canada (at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-100.01-e.php )  - William Wray, dob 05/06/1892.  His next of kin is listed as "Miss A Whitehead" in Darwin, Lancashire.

I should note that both William and John were in Calgary when they signed up for WWI.

In 1942 he also is on the "old men's draft" for WWII - lists his daughter as next of kin:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V48T-RJR

Linking the rest of this family:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K826-6VK - first marriage of daughter
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8KG-Y8J - second marriage of daughter
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9WS-7DT - 1940 census, his ex-wife and kids
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9WS-7DT - 1930 census, wife "married" and kids.


A descendant of this family is searching (see here).
Here is an obituary for a son of Lucy Carlberg nee Wray:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?pid=161188029
And for a daughter of hers:
http://www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com/obituaries.php?o=71

[halhawk]

More follow up

The W Wray from the Home Children list was sent out by Middlemore Homes in 1900.

On the UK census 1901, Albert Wray aged 6 is in the Children's Emigration Home in St Luke's Road, Birmingham. (The CEH was set up by John Middlemore, and in 1925 renamed the Middlemore Emigration Home.)  The only problem is that Albert's place of birth is given as Tipton, Staffs, not Hull.  However, I doubt Albert knew where he was born, so maybe the authorities were making a 'best guess'. 

The records of the Home are in Birmingham Archives, and presumably access will be limited.  However it should be worth contacting them to ask if this Albert is the son of Alexander and Annie.  As a direct descendant, you might be able to then see his records. Just looked up the Archives, and they're moving to a new site which opens on Sept 3, so they may be slow responding to enquiries, but the general email is  library.of.birmingham@birmingham.gov.uk

A possibility for Lucy in 1901 is East Grinstead, Sussex as a Nurse Child, pob not known. 2 other nurse children in same house.  Since Barnardo's practice was to place out young children in homes, this seems a strong possibility (the Home Children site says she went to Canada with a Barnardo's group)