Trying to trace my nan's sisters....

[mrs.s2012]

Hey all,
Am working on my mum's side of the tree now and am already a bit stuck one generation in!
My nan was Barbara Marina Douglas (1934-2015) and her parents were Herbert Edward Douglas (1905-1940) and Emily Hales (abt 1905 - ??).
My mum remembers her talking about 4 sisters, Rose, Peggy, Dolly and Pearl.
When I look on the BMD I can find 5 daughters born to a Douglas and Hales, Rose, Mary, Margaret (assume this is Peggy) Pearl and of course Barbara.
Rose was quite an easy one to trace, I found plenty of records for her, Margaret and Pearl I can't find much at all. Dolly I can't find at all, I assume she must have been a Dorothy.. My mum remembers that she married a Frank Baker and I did find a marriage record from 1942 between a Frank Baker and a Dorothy Douglas.. I don't know how to link this Dorothy to my nan though as I have no other information?
Just wondered if anyone can turn anything up on any of them before I go down the route of ordering certificates etc.
Hoping this long rambling post makes sense!
Thanks :-)

[Lesley Robertson]

The most reliable thing to do is to get the certificates for the marriages you think you’ve found. That way, you can check that the fathers match. Try looking for deaths for those you haven’t found. And of course check the 1939 register..
Good luck!

[christanel]

Using FreeBMD there are 5 female birth registrations for Douglas mmn Hales births. You say there was a Dolly/Dorothy born to them but there is no birth registration of a Dorothy 1921 - 1935. There is however a Mary L Douglas 1925 islington reg dist. which is the district where Barbara and Margaret's births were registered. Pearl and Margaret also have the middle initial L. There is no Dorothy Douglas/Hales birth registration until 1972 so was Mary known as Dolly? Like you the only marriage I can see to a Frank Baker is the one Dorothy F Douglas in 1942. There are half a dozen or so marriages of a Mary L Douglas in varying registration districts but none of them are to a Frank Baker.
There is the birth of a Dorothy F Douglas Dec 1/4 1911 reg dist Colchester Essex mother's maiden name Foreman so this is likely to be the one married to Frank Baker. BUT there is another twist - a Dorothy F Douglas married a Clement S Smith March 1/4 1936 Colchester essex reg dist. It could be a second marriage for Dorothy but then she should be remarrying with the surname Smith.
As Leslie says you need the marriage certificates to sort this out.
Christina

[christanel]

Herbert Edward Douglas and wife Emily are on the electoral rolls in Islington 1939 at 6 Miranda Rd so why can't I find them on the 1939 register on ancestry? I think Herbert died 1940 age 35.
Christina

[Mona]

There is however a Mary L Douglas 1925 islington reg dist. which is the district where Barbara and Margaret's births were registered.

There is a death of Mary L Douglas age 0 the Sep quarter Islington, 1925,

[Megan Roberts]

I can't find any of the family in the 1939 Register which is most strange and frustrating. However if you do an address search you can find all the different households in Miranda Road, Islington, so it might well be worth going through each one to see if you can find them.

I did, I think, manage to find a bit about Pearl. Assuming I have got the right lady I have found 4 marriages for her. I haven't found a death for her and therefore it's possible that she or one or more of her husbands are living,and so I won't mention their names as that would breach the rules of this forum. However I can give you the years and locations:

1953 Hertford
1969 Hertford
1972 Sutton Coldfield
1976 Birmingham

Each subsequent marriage was done using the surname of her previous husband, but she is always listed as Pearl L, and she seems to be the only one with that middle initial.

[christanel]

There is a death of Mary L Douglas age 0 the Sep quarter Islington, 1925,

Thanks Megan.
So which one of the 4 girls was known in the family as Dolly or was she not of the same family?
Chrstina

[christanel]

There is the birth of a Dorothy F Douglas Dec 1/4 1911 reg dist Colchester Essex mother's maiden name Foreman so this is likely to be the one married to Frank Baker. BUT there is another twist - a Dorothy F Douglas married a Clement S Smith March 1/4 1936 Colchester essex reg dist. It could be a second marriage for Dorothy but then she should be remarrying with the surname Smith.
As Leslie says you need the marriage certificates to sort this out.
Christina

This Dorothy Florence is the child of Archibald Stanley Douglas and Alice Foreman. She is mentioned on the WW1 service records for her father. She married Clement S Smith in 1936 and died 21 May 1988 as Dorothy Florence Smith so who is the Dorothy F who married frank Baker?

Christina

[mrs.s2012]

Herbert Edward Douglas and wife Emily are on the electoral rolls in Islington 1939 at 6 Miranda Rd so why can't I find them on the 1939 register on ancestry? I think Herbert died 1940 age 35.
Christina

Yes Herbert did die in 1940, my mum could confirm that.

[mrs.s2012]

Thanks Megan.
So which one of the 4 girls was known in the family as Dolly or was she not of the same family?
Chrstina

Mary I'm pretty sure died so my nan never knew about her, She only ever mentioned Rose, Pearl, Peggy (Margaret) and Dolly.
Found something else... In 1928 there is a newspaper article about Herbert (her father) getting arrested for theft. In the article he says he has no job and four children, one of whom is not expected to live. In 1928 Mary would already have been born and died and my nan didnt come along until 1934 so there was another child? No record though.. very confusing!