Barbara Mary GAUNT b 18 May 1938 Living in Oldbury in 1939 census Help please

[wyrleybart]

Hi all.
Seeking a little help / guidance / advice with a work colleague's tree.  P D was the son of Barbara Mary Gaunt and was born in 1950's to Roy G Davies and Barbara Mary Davies nee Gaunt. P remembers her passing away while he was a youngster, and his father subsequently married another lady and a stepsister to join Paul and his two full sisters from his mum.

The 1939 census shows Barbara with her father Joseph Gaunt b 1870, her mother Laura Gaunt nee Walker b 1876, sister Hilda Gaunt b 1905 and sister Nellie Gaunt b 1913.  The census states Hilda was a Municipal midwife and Nellie was a shorthand typist.

All sounds OK so far but..... if Laura Gaunt was born in 1876 she would have been 62 when she had Barbara in 1938. Now I know nature is a strange thing but could a 62 year old woman bear a child ?

Admittedly the 1939 census doesn't actually say Laura was the mother of Barbara, but it lists Joseph and Laura as married husband and wife and the three daughters in descending age.

We considered the fact that Hilda was a municipal midwife and was age 34 when her sister Barbara was "born".

Really interested in hearing other people's thoughts and should add that on the census Barbara's surname has been overwritten Davies which went on to be her married name when she married Roy G Davies and had son Paul and his sisters.

I have been trying to locate Roy G Davies' father who was apparently Roy Davies and who married a lady with the surname Ainge.  Records show a number of that surname in the Bromsgrove, Kidderminster / Worcester / Evesham area, being quite plausible, but I don't seem to locate that particular marriage.

Welcome any help or guidance with this one please

Many thanks
Phil   

[Christine53]

I think it is possible that Barbara was the daughter of either Hilda or Nellie. I couldn't find a birth registration for Barbara M Gaunt with mothers maiden name Walker but there is this registration which may be of interest :

Barbara M Gaunt , mothers name Gaunt , 3 1938   Bournemouth Dorset 2B 993.

You would need to buy the certificate to check.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

should add that on the census Barbara's surname has been overwritten Davies which went on to be her married name when she married Roy G Davies and had son Paul and his sisters.

Just to note there's nothing odd about this - the register was a living document and was continually updated for many years after 1939 to record changes of surname on marriage. So in Barbara's case Davies was noted when she married Roy

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I suspect this is Roy's parents' marriage. The first child I can see was b 1932

Edward Davies
Elsie M Ainge
Q4  1930
Birmingham South  Vol 6d, p 291

They're in Oldbury in 1939 with two redacted entries which would be Roy and his older sibling

[wyrleybart]

I think it is possible that Barbara was the daughter of either Hilda or Nellie. I couldn't find a birth registration for Barbara M Gaunt with mothers maiden name Walker but there is this registration which may be of interest :

Barbara M Gaunt , mothers name Gaunt , 3 1938   Bournemouth Dorset 2B 993.

You would need to buy the certificate to check.

Thanks Christine
Yes.  I think we need the birth cert to be sure
I had wondered about Hilda and Nellie, but with both living at home and not being married, it led me back to mummy Laura.  But then she couldn't surely have conceived at the age of 61 or 62. 

Thanks again

[wyrleybart]

should add that on the census Barbara's surname has been overwritten Davies which went on to be her married name when she married Roy G Davies and had son Paul and his sisters.

Just to note there's nothing odd about this - the register was a living document and was continually updated for many years after 1939 to record changes of surname on marriage. So in Barbara's case Davies was noted when she married Roy

Thanks Mabel.  Everyday is a school day as they say.  !! I have seen notes on records before but didn't realised they remained live for subsequent notes.

Thanks also for your next reply about the marriage
Much appreciated

[aghadowey]

New topic here-
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=858746.new#new

[wyrleybart]

Hi all
Just to box this one off
Just received Barbara's birth certificate and it held no surprises.
Barbara was born in the Royal Victoria hospital in Boscombe and her mother was Nellie Gaunt, the shorthand typist from Oldbury who was recorded as living in Poole on the birth certificate.
Sadly the father's details are missing on the certificate so we will never know who Barbara's father was.

Thanks all for your help with this one