Pomgolian
Kiwi Brummie
:angel: Post made on behalf of Ken Blake...
Hello to you all
My name is Ken Blake ...
The reason I've join you all, is because my family roots, start in Birmingham, Erdington actually. My Dad (Anthony Blake b1925) lived in Ryland road, Erdington with his Mum & Dad (Sidney Blake and Kate Annie) as did his Uncle (William Henry Blake and Aunt Sophia) & also on the other side of the road lived (Aunt Vinnie (Alvina Blake) & Charles Faulkner.
They have all pasted on now, and only my Dad survives aged 82.
I've been tracing my family history, (The Blake's) right back to 1796ish, to a Joseph Blake, b c1796 in Sutton, & Mary Gent b c1797 in Appleby Magna. I will have to make a trip up to Birmingham sometime in the summer (this year 2007), so as to try and trace back beyond the 1790's...
I have come across a stumbling block in my research, and was wondering if anyone here could help me with a family problem that has arisen.
(There is more than one problem, but this one is a very important one, that I really do hope we can solve)
Her name is "EVA BLAKE" b1900 W. Bromwich...
EVA - had a poor start in life, with a cleft mouth. She was with her mother a great deal. Lillian was upset about her, when she discovered, "she had fallen from grace" (Aunt Rhoda's words not mine!). A son arrived eventually and her mother Emma saw to it that,
"The father Paid for the child into the courts".
(She [Eva] is the sister of Percy, Lillian, Sidney, Walter, & Vinnie Blake)
What I know so far ;
Dad has told me he remembers the boy always outside playing football, or kicking a football around with all the other kids in the street. He told me that [the boy] would have been between 13 & 15 years old, as my Dad was about 5-6 yrs old at the time?
My Dad's, Dad (Sidney) didn't know what was going on until all the paperwork was signed sealed and delivered to the Council, and were powerless to stop these events. Remember EVA, had a Husband who was now in control of things, and EVA, didn't want to loose him, and most probable trusted him??
.
As the years went by, my Dad said "the family were told he, [the boy] would write to them to let them know what was going on, and how he was doing", well !!! that was a bunch of lies, as I've discovered through the history of the BHC's.
All BHC's have had obstacles thrown in there way, when trying to discover there true identities, from, Missing files, Changed Birth certificates, Changed names, Family names changed and addresses.
My Dads memory is very good at his age 82, and he has only just given up playng Golf.
He has been diagnosed with Cancer in December 2006, My sister Shirley died on 13th January 2007 of Cancer, aged 44
It would be nice to end this dark chapter in our family history, within the liftime of the generation where it began, and if possible to find another family in our midst, in Canada.
So that is why I'm here, to see if you guy's & girl's with a wealth of knowledge in the History of Birmingham, and Erdington, can give help and advise on where to go, and most importantly, where do I start.
I do hope someone can help Ken, thank you (Pom)
Hello to you all
My name is Ken Blake ...
The reason I've join you all, is because my family roots, start in Birmingham, Erdington actually. My Dad (Anthony Blake b1925) lived in Ryland road, Erdington with his Mum & Dad (Sidney Blake and Kate Annie) as did his Uncle (William Henry Blake and Aunt Sophia) & also on the other side of the road lived (Aunt Vinnie (Alvina Blake) & Charles Faulkner.
They have all pasted on now, and only my Dad survives aged 82.
I've been tracing my family history, (The Blake's) right back to 1796ish, to a Joseph Blake, b c1796 in Sutton, & Mary Gent b c1797 in Appleby Magna. I will have to make a trip up to Birmingham sometime in the summer (this year 2007), so as to try and trace back beyond the 1790's...
I have come across a stumbling block in my research, and was wondering if anyone here could help me with a family problem that has arisen.
(There is more than one problem, but this one is a very important one, that I really do hope we can solve)
Her name is "EVA BLAKE" b1900 W. Bromwich...
EVA - had a poor start in life, with a cleft mouth. She was with her mother a great deal. Lillian was upset about her, when she discovered, "she had fallen from grace" (Aunt Rhoda's words not mine!). A son arrived eventually and her mother Emma saw to it that,
"The father Paid for the child into the courts".
(She [Eva] is the sister of Percy, Lillian, Sidney, Walter, & Vinnie Blake)
What I know so far ;
- Eva had a cleft mouth, ( My father said "She was a bit simple" )
- Lillian was upset when she discovered, (Lillian emigrated to USA in 1923)
- "She had fallen from grace" and a Son was born.
- "The father was made to pay for the child through the Courts" by Mum!!! (He must have kept the Blake name)
- Living at "Fern Road" would that make it easy to trace a court case, or not?
- Mum then looks after the boy, until she dies. d c1932
- Eva then marries. (My dad say's "She married a Bargee Boy", they sailed the boats up and down the canal)
- She has another son. (I believe that the Husband refused to look after someone else's child, and that is where the boy dissapears into the "Children's Home".
- What home would he, [The boy] have been placed into ?? and could I find it, and any records, that may exist ?
- He [the 1st boy] is then sent "when old enough", off to Canada, to work in the Forestry Commission, where he became a BHC. The stories I've been reading about the (British Home Children) is, in most cases "A very dark side of Canadian history". They had their names changed, and were then given numbers, beaten until they excepted the fact that they were no longer wanted by anyone in England, and it just goes down hill from there?
Dad has told me he remembers the boy always outside playing football, or kicking a football around with all the other kids in the street. He told me that [the boy] would have been between 13 & 15 years old, as my Dad was about 5-6 yrs old at the time?
My Dad's, Dad (Sidney) didn't know what was going on until all the paperwork was signed sealed and delivered to the Council, and were powerless to stop these events. Remember EVA, had a Husband who was now in control of things, and EVA, didn't want to loose him, and most probable trusted him??
.
As the years went by, my Dad said "the family were told he, [the boy] would write to them to let them know what was going on, and how he was doing", well !!! that was a bunch of lies, as I've discovered through the history of the BHC's.
All BHC's have had obstacles thrown in there way, when trying to discover there true identities, from, Missing files, Changed Birth certificates, Changed names, Family names changed and addresses.
My Dads memory is very good at his age 82, and he has only just given up playng Golf.
He has been diagnosed with Cancer in December 2006, My sister Shirley died on 13th January 2007 of Cancer, aged 44
It would be nice to end this dark chapter in our family history, within the liftime of the generation where it began, and if possible to find another family in our midst, in Canada.
So that is why I'm here, to see if you guy's & girl's with a wealth of knowledge in the History of Birmingham, and Erdington, can give help and advise on where to go, and most importantly, where do I start.
I do hope someone can help Ken, thank you (Pom)