Hi, this seems so welcoming!

Graemer · 01-02-2009, 1:52 PM

Hi all,

Before I begin with my questions, my name is Graeme in hot and sunny Sydney. I stumbled into family history by casually surfing the net and I think of myself as The Accidental Genealogist of my family (who on one side aren't very interested owing to a family split).

The thing is my dear old Nan's parentage was always a mystery not only to herself but her family and after she died I came into possession of a document she had carried all her life.

It is dated 1899 and was the official signing over of her into foster care.

Somehow she ended up in Australia, (Though I now know how).

She didn't know her parents and led us all into believing that her father must have been someone well to do in Bath who got someone into trouble.

Googling one day at work, and going to BMD, I was gobsmacked to discover her Father and Mother had in fact married after her birth. I had to walk around the block for a while as I contemplated the fact that no, she wasn't really illegitimate, but I was saddened by the fact she never knew this for the over 80 years of her life.

Which gets me into ethics. I have read as much of the threads as possible on this site before continuing and am very aware of the issues of this angle and am looking forward to being guided by you folk.

Recently I discovered (One again by googling and by the 1911 Census) that my Nan had a brother and a sister she never knew and also that her brother was sued for divorce in 1936 and from a simple google I obtained from the National archives more amazing documents.

So now I am getting close to 'living relatives' which is of course a dilemma, but I am hoping one that would be of interest to my British cousins. I will no doubt be asking you good folks for advice.

Initially my biggest puzzle is I can't seem to find a death for Nan's dad who on the above's wedding certificate is deceased by his wedding in 1930.

The saddest anecdote , but also humorous, was that a touring British ashes team to OZ in the 30's once had a player with Nan's father's name and she wrote to him asking 'Would you be my father?"

He was Walter Henry Brown.

Sorry it's been a long intro.Look out for my postings. Cheers Graeme

**Neil Wilson** · 01-02-2009, 2:01 PM

Hello Graeme and welcome to the forum
Have a browse around and post your queries in the relevant forum
Good luck

Jan1954 · 01-02-2009, 2:11 PM

Hello Graeme and a warm welcome to Brit-Gen

Well, you certainly have some discoveries there, don't you? Settle back, have a good old rootle round and post those questions of yours on the appropriate forums. I am sure that the good folk here will do their utmost to help.

Don't forget to enjoy yourself along the way!

Graemer · 01-02-2009, 2:14 PM

Thanks Neil, I'll be looking for the Browns who gave their kids the mum's maiden name of Summerfield as their middle names: ie Alfred Summerfield Brown and Constance Winifred Summerfield Brown. I have a Walter Henry Brown, a corporal of the Gloucester Regiment, Limington, as having been killed in WWI but don't know whether that's Nan's dad.

Cheers
Graeme

Graemer · 01-02-2009, 2:21 PM

Thank you Jan,
It's nice to think you can actually to talk to people, not automated responses about your quest.

Cheers

Graeme

**Pam Downes** · 01-02-2009, 2:28 PM

Originally Posted by Graemer

Hi all,
Initially my biggest puzzle is I can't seem to find a death for Nan's dad who on the above's wedding certificate is deceased by his wedding in 1930.
Graeme

Hi Graeme,
Welcome to the forum, though a little less of the 'hot and sunny' would be appreciated by those of us in northern climes.

(Looking out at it snowing as I type!)
Whoops - thought you meant your Nan's marriage certificate, but re-reading it I think you're referring to her brother's marriage certficate. Often, if there was a family split the father is listed as deceased - perfect excuse for the spouse not to meet the in-laws

- though often proved still to be alive and kicking two census later. (Though sadly the census which might help you are not available.) I presume the father's name on the brother's marriage certificate is the same as on your Nan's fostering document? So look for the death of the father after the wedding too. You are looking on the full GRO Index, aren't you, and not FreeBMD which, while an absolute treasure, is not yet complete.
Pam

EDIT: Who are all these people who manage to type so much, while I'm tapping away with my two fingers?

There was only Neil's reply when I started!

Geoffers · 01-02-2009, 3:05 PM

Welcome to the B-G forums

Originally Posted by Graemer

The thing is my dear old Nan's parentage was always a mystery not only to herself.....I was gobsmacked to discover her Father and Mother had in fact married after her birth. I had to walk around the block for a while as I contemplated the fact that no, she wasn't really illegitimate, but I was saddened by the fact she never knew this for the over 80 years of her life.

The best you can do for the memory of your nan is to find as much of the truth as you can.

Which gets me into ethics. I have read as much of the threads as possible on this site before continuing and am very aware of the issues of this angle and am looking forward to being guided by you folk.

Thanks for understanding, just as your discoveries have been a shock to you, so the long lost branches of your tree discovering about you by a chance search on the internet would be an equal shock. We have to tread carefully.

So now I am getting close to 'living relatives' which is of course a dilemma, but I am hoping one that would be of interest to my British cousins. I will no doubt be asking you good folks for advice.

We're here when you need us.

Initially my biggest puzzle is I can't seem to find a death for Nan's dad who on the above's wedding certificate is deceased by his wedding in 1930.

Several things to try:

1. CWGC - did he die in WW1?

2. Soldiers who died in the Great War database

3. The full GRO index (freebmd is not complete and contains transcription errors)

4. The probate calendar - to look for wills and admons, you should be able to access this cia a mormon church (LDS) record centre it might possibly be available in a large reference library.

5. Separate to the GRO index are a series of other indexes, some for war deaths and others for overseas deaths, it might be worth a browse

6. Check outward passenger lists available on the pay-per-view site findmypast - Could he have gone looking for his daughter?

7. Directories - if you know where this chap lived, directories available through the Parish Chest and those online (use a search engine to look for 'historical directories').

Good luck with your research, if you get stuck please ask

Wirral · 01-02-2009, 5:13 PM

Originally Posted by Graemer

Thanks Neil, I'll be looking for the Browns who gave their kids the mum's maiden name of Summerfield as their middle names: ie Alfred Summerfield Brown and Constance Winifred Summerfield Brown. I have a Walter Henry Brown, a corporal of the Gloucester Regiment, Limington, as having been killed in WWI but don't know whether that's Nan's dad.

Cheers
Graeme

You will find this site useful https://bathbmd.org.uk/ It has all the civil BMD references for Bath, including the mother's maiden surname for all births. Your family are listed there. I won't give the details as you will find it more fun to find those yourself!