Where do i start

[flyer]

Having been in an orphanage fm 39-1946 I have no idea of my fathers roots,my mother Florence Harding married Frederick Clarke around 1929(1st son born feb 31).Can this recent info be obtained fm Canada.Where do I start.
Thank You

[arthurk]

Hi Flyer (and may you be a high flyer too!)

The best place to start is with what you know for definite. From your message I'm a little unclear about some of the details, so please forgive me if these are inapproriate questions.

First, where were you born? I'm guessing that you're asking about researching in the UK, even though you're now in Canada.

Second, do you have your birth certificate, and if so, what does it say about your father? (Is your father Frederick Clarke, and are you the first child born 1931?)

Third, do you have any brothers and sisters, and if so, where were they born? This might give a clue as to how much your parents moved around, and consequently where to look for a marriage.

Finally (for now), do you know anything about the orphanage, as the records of these places can be invaluable.

Don't despair - there are websites where you can (for a fee) look at UK indexes of birth, marriage and death registrations, so finding information from Canada is definitely possible. However, Clarke and Harding aren't particularly unusual names, so it might take a bit of digging.

Anyway, if you can give us something a bit more definite to go on, we can probably give you a more focussed answer.

Arthur

[flyer]

Thank you Iwas trying not to bother anyone .My g-mother I'm almost certain was Alice Fullylove born Higham on the hill , my mother Florence Harden 1909-1910 Leicester-(shire). I have more of a problem with my Fathers roots Ihave my birth cert' Doncaster feb 4th 1934 I was #3. met and married I do believe in Leicester(just returned fm service in India) .My B.C registers him as coal hewer,just Frederick Clarke no middle in'.We must have a strong Sheffield ties , we moved there just after my birth and I remember my mother sending me with goody basket to the poorer relations.I would be glad to give any info that would help

[Geoffers]

Having been in an orphanage fm 39-1946 I have no idea of my fathers roots,
For adoptions in England and Wales, perhaps the best palce to begin is the General Register Office (GRO) web-site. It has numerous links, this one relates to adoptions
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/adoptions/
(look to the right of the photo and see the link 'Access to Birth records for adported persons')

If you have any queries, there is a link 'Contact us' which includes a section for adoption.

Good luck
Geoffers

[Mythology]

Hang on a minute - I don't think adoptions come into it Geoffers.

Flyer can (and, I hope, will) correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it:
Frederick Clarke married Florence Harding around 1929.
Flyer is their third child, born 1934.

So - we know who the father is, we just don't know much about him.

If that is so, surely the first thing to do is to locate that 1929ish marriage.
Clarke is a depressingly common name, but at least that will give Frederick Clarke's father's name and occupation.

[arthurk]

I don't know much about adoptions, but Geoffers is pretty knowledgeable. However - was there any formal adoption?

On thing I would suggest is that you try to trace your parents' marriage, for which you will need to look at the civil registration indexes. I know of three sites where you can do this:
bmd index
family relatives
1837 online
All have images of the printed register books, though they differ in their charges. Have a look at all of them before deciding which would be best for you - though many people use more than one.

Alternatively, if you can get to a Latter Day Saints Family History Centre (this page (http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp) has a facility for finding your nearest one) you will probably be able to view the same indexes on microfilm or microfiche for very little or no cost.

When looking for a marriage you need to check each quarter for possible entries for one of the surnames, and if you find one, note down the full reference, including the registration district named in the entry. You'll also need to check under alternative spellings - you've already mentioned HARDING/HARDEN, but there may be others, and of course CLARKE can be spelt CLARK. At that date the marriage indexes show the spouse's surname, which is a great help, but after checking under one name it's always wise to double check it under the other name as well.

When you have the reference, you can then order a copy of the certificate here (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificate/index.asp#0) - and with any luck it should give your parents' full names and ages, plus the names of their fathers, and you'll have made a good start in your research.

Another thing which occurred to me - you mentioned that you were in an orphanage. Does this mean that one or both of your parents died while you were very young? If so, you should be able to find their death(s) indexed in the same way.

Hope this helps - keep asking if you'd like to. (There's plenty more, but it's probably best not to overload you!)

Arthur

[Pam Downes]

Hi Flyer,
I appreciate that you're still fairly new to this family history lark, but the most important thing to remember is that when you post information you *must* make sure that it is correct.
On the basis of Florence Harding marrying Frederick Clarke I looked for a marriage in 1929 and 1930, but knowing that Clarke could also be spelt Clark and I would therefore be looking at two pages instead of one I decided to look for Harding instead. Lots of Florences, but none marrying a Clark(e).
So thought I'd try to find a birth registration in 1931. Though because I didn't have a first name I had to look through all the Clarkes/Clarks. Didn't find one where the mother's name was Harding, but did find a Harden, so made a note 'just in case'.
So I'm sorry to sound like a ratbag, but after having to cope with 1837online being s----l----o----w (first time ever, but I nearly had time to knit myself a scarf while waiting for it to shift into gear each time I changed the page :) ), only to find that you're now saying that your mum's surname was Harden so I've just been totally wasting my time (plus my stupid computer crashed when I was halfway through the original version of this message) I am not exactly in happy bunny mode :D
However I will relent enough to tell you that in the March quarter 1931, at the bottom of the page, there is a hand-written addition under the name of Clarke
Peter T.J. ,
Harden (under the heading of Mother's maiden surname), Leicester 7a see M'32
I haven't looked in 'M'32' - which is obviously March 1932. I would presume that this means that for some reason the birth wasn't registered until that quarter, unless the GRO made a complete mess of things and for some reason filed it in the wrong year.
Note that Leicester is the registration district and not necessarily the place of birth.
From the GRO Index you will be able to find not only your parents' marriage, but also your mother's birth registration, so you will be able to send for her birth certificate.
For info on the details you find on BMD certificates
http://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/indexbd.htm
Pam Downes

[Geoffers]

Hang on a minute - I don't think adoptions come into it Geoffers.
Oh....golly gosh. Yes you're quite right I'm an idiot.


For very basic information on how to look for certificates and orer them, see message numbers 6,7 and 8 of this thread:
http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10729

Apologies for not reading the message correctly in the first place.

Geoffers

[flyer]

Big thank you for all your help. Pam (my wife's name ) was right on target,Peter T J was Thomas James ,deceased in the 90s was my brother ,sorry about my Harding Harden mix up I start getting a little thick at 3am,I will start doing a little tracking. Aside from that,Fullwood cottage homes Sheffield only the odd child got adopted ,most went to sea training school or farms around the world,I don't have an idea where the girls went.