Minnie Harris Born December 1911 Orphanage Kent Records?

[Hcdelion]

That's great thanks. Confirms it is not likely to be the Mignon I am looking for. .

[jonw65]

That death record makes Mignon older than she said she was in 1939.
But the age on it may be wrong of course.
June 1946 Birmingham 6d 262
Harman, Mignon D.
Nelson, Mickie
Age 38

It's the Mickie Nelson name that has been indexed on the new GRO death index.
Mickie Nelson buried June 1946, Lodge Hill Cemetery (index result)

[jonw65]

Evening Despatch, 24 June 1946
A verdict of suicide while the balance of mind was disturbed was recorded in Birmingham today at the inquest on Denise Harman (she was found gassed)
Miss Harman served with ENSA (in?) the war under the name Mickie Nelson was said to have been depressed

ADDED I think all that is known!!

Access to old inquest files
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50164/family_history_research/1560/coroner_inquests/3

[Hcdelion]

Thankyou. I think that the age was probably wrong and that she was 35, from past electoral roll and census information. She died using the names Mickey (presumably a nickname from Mignon,) Nelson and Harman . Nelson was an assumed name of the people who took her in when she was around 15 years old . Harman could be her original name, or maybe the name of the doctors who adopted her. Thankyou I had not seen the inquest report.

[jorose]

Looking at girls "Harman" who ware listed as "inmate"/"boarder"/"adopted*"/""foster*" on the 1921 census of above the right age.

Myrion Denise Harman, born 1913 Lewisham, residing Hastings.
This person does not exist, as far as I can tell, and it would be worth your time to look at the original to see how the name was written and whether the age is right.

From free search only, she is living with the Cannon family.
They also have two other boarders: Kathleen Mary Town (said to be born London, possibly the girl born Barnet 1907), and a Dorothy A E Campbell said to be born 1911 Bromley (possibly the girl born 1911 West Ham).  They may have been acting as foster parents for children boarded out by the authorities as an alternative to group homes.

[mckha489]

Yes, Jorose, well found. It is Mignon on the image.
8 yrs 6 months.
Interestingly it says both parents alive for Mignon & one other of those boarders
One other has “both dead”

Edited to correct re parents

[mckha489]

Dorothy M L Cannon, age 23, a daughter of the house is a Professor of Music on her own account

She gets quite a few mentions in the papers including

[mckha489]

CLEVER CHILDREN
CHILDREN DANCING EXHIBITION BY PUPILS OF MISS D. CANNON. The clever little pupils Mis Dorothy Cannon have given several very excellent exhibition* dancing behalf various charities, but all Miss Cannon's former successes were crowned on Wednesday when
20 December 1919
Hastings and St Leonards ObserveR


This fairly long piece (of which this is the abstract) names a Joan Harman & Edna Harman

Added. Unfortunately I don’t think Mignon is either of those girls.  I think they are these two regs
   
Name:   Mother's Maiden Surname:
   HARMAN, DOREEN  FLORENCE JOAN    FULLER 
GRO Reference: 1913  S Quarter in HASTINGS  Volume 02B  Page 62
   HARMAN, EDNA  KATE MARY    FULLER

And can both be accounted for later

[jorose]

Interesting! So perhaps the boarders in the house are all pupils - I see Kathleen Town pops up in the newspapers as a dancer with Dorothy Cannon also.

Edna appears to be Edna Kate Mary born 1911 and "Joan" is probably Doreen Florence Joan born 1913. They are children of David James Harman who married Florence Blanch L Fuller in 1904.

Neither of these girls is Mignon (they can be found on the 1921 with their parents, mother and girls are misindexed as Harmes). But perhaps they were linked somehow - she might have been fostered with them or have been a niece or other relative to the family.