Researching the 1940-1950's

[v.wells]

How does one go about researching Post War 11 in the 1940-50's?
I have uncovered an uncles marriage and subsequent children. Of these children, I have been able to find a marriage in Shrewsbury, 1946 between Louie E. Wells and Thomas A. Smith. Louie would be my cousin. No one in my family has any knowledge of these people, this lack of knowledge apparently caused by a rift in the family at that time. I am now at a loss as to how try to find them and any subsequent children.

Vanessa

Louie was born in Lambeth, London, Surrey 1921 (as were the rest of her siblings) and I am assuming that she may have been in the war effort and that is why she married in Shrewsbury.
Any ideas?

[v.wells]

Does anyone have any ideas?

As usual when I get to posting a query I just miss the cut off time and it gets bumped to some other days post, so I'm replying to my own post in the hope that soomeone will read it and have some suggestion that won't cost a fortune in taking out blanket ads in every newspaper in UK or hiring a detective!|help|

[Geoffers]

How does one go about researching Post War 11 in the 1940-50's? I have uncovered an uncles marriage and subsequent children. Of these children, I have been able to find a marriage in Shrewsbury, 1946 between Louie E. Wells

Do you know her dad's name? Search for a will and see if he mentions his daughter/grandchildren


and Thomas A. Smith

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhh!!!!!!

This could be a l-o-n-g job

1. Search the find living relatives section of 'findmypast' and other similar sites. If you can find them, are they in the 'phone book?

2. Search the GRO deaths index, which is a searchable database 1984-2005; before then you have to trawl the records the old fashioned way.

3. If either has popped their clogs, try hunting for a will

4. Search the GRO index of births for SMITH (a grim job, but someone has to do it) where the mother's maiden name is WELLS. Pray that the parents gave their children unusual forenames and not just 'John' or 'Mary' (with apologies to anyone so named).

5. In your next life, chose relatives with more care and ensure they don't marry anyone called SMITH

[v.wells]

Geoffers

You are so funny and sooooo right! I have trawled thru so many Robert, Elizabeth and Thomas's to make my head spin!! At least in the 1900's people broke the custom and began using common sense. I always hated my name and thought how strange my parents to give us Cherry, Kim and Vanessa as names And to include my mother's maiden name to boot. I am eternally grateful to them now. I have searched the birth indexes and that's how I found the children who should be alive today. I have tried the GRO marriages but too many popped up to order up certs. Deaths I can't order as I don't know whether the rest married or not or even where they lived. It was the custom to usually marry in the brides parish as most of the cousins are male - a forbidding task!

Thank you Geoffers, I will try the living rellies section on findmypast. I don't even know if any one immigrated - good G - they could be living down the street - since the shipping manifests are not done anywhere near the 40's. As you say, it will be a nasty nasty road I'm going to take. At times like this I hate my hobby, which has become an obsession!

Are all wills kept at NA?

Vanessa

[Geoffers]

Are all wills kept at NA?

No, they're kept by the Probate Registry
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm

The Calendar has been copied onto mircofilm and I understand can be obtained at mormon church (LDS) record centres. The calendar is very useful in that each entry records:

Name, when and where died, sometimes an occupation, if they died away from their home address, you sometimes get the home address as well; to whom probate was granted sometimes a relationship, sometimes a town where they live(d), value of the estate, when and where probate was granted.

You can pay the probate service to search for you, but the charges can mount up if you are not able to narrow down the search period. They charge a fiver for a three year search and if a will is found they include a copy in the price.