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Field, Joan Mary Of St. Edward's Road, Bournbrook (b.1918-20)

ChrisM

Super Moderator
Staff member
Clever as many of our family history research members are, I am pretty confident that nobody will be able to enlighten me as to why I, as the oldest surviving member of two or three family lines, have in my possession a delightful little autograph album belonging to a young girl in Bournbrook of whom I have never heard. But perhaps someone might be interested enough to look up the family and see if it tells us anything.

Early in 1932 a young girl was given an autograph album for her birthday by "Marjorie", presumably a friend. The girl was Joan Mary Field of 3 St. Edward's Road, Bournbrook. I would guess that she was 12-14 at the time and that would put her birthdate somewhere before 1920.

The album contains the usual pieces of doggerel verse and one or two more rather more worthy quotations from Shakespeare and so on. I suspect that the latter were inserted by two of her teachers, D. Gilbert (29.iv.32) and Elsie Baxter (13.11.32). Also contained are various sketches and watercolours, of varying quality and so typical of that time. It looks as though quite a lot of people had some sketching talent at that pre-telly, pre-iPad period. I'll post a few of the images.

Chris

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Joan Mary Field was the daughter of Harry Capel Field and Ethel May Goodliff, birth registered Mar qtr 1919, Kings Norton.

Her parents marriage was registered Jun qtr 1916, Nottingham.

There are a number of marriages for a Joan M Field in Bham after 1935, which if any is hers is anyone's guess. There's one to a Wilfred A Allkins and there's a death for a Joan M that ties in in 1967 but she doesn't seem to appear on the 1939 register which she should do if that was her.

They are lovely pictures. My dad acquired a couple of old school books from a neighbour when they passed away, so they're might be no family connection.
 
Thanks very much, MWS. Obviously Dad did a couple of the pictures and as another one is signed by "Ethel", perhaps Mum contributed also.

Would it be possible to quote a few of the other post-1935 Birmingham married names, please - is that fairly easy or am I asking for a lot of work (in which case, please ignore)?

Chris
 
These are all Bham...

Ronald C Currier, 1948, possibly re-married Ernest R Lidington, 1954.

Alfred W Luckcock, 1954.

Edward J Baker, 1966.

Allan Joyce, 1973
 
This little autograph album has resurfaced again (it always does whenever I have a tidy-up) and so, following the very helpful comments from MWS at the time, I'll revive this thread by asking a couple of further questions and adding a bit of information.

Would anyone have any idea of the secondary school which it is likely that Joan would have attended, bearing in mind her home address? (The two worthier quotations mentioned previously have a bit of a grammar school feel about them).

And amongst any of family data, is there any hint at all of a later, out-of-Birmingham connection, in particular Cannock/Hednesford or nearby?

Surnames of contributors in addition to family - no doubt local or school - include D. Gidley, Elsie Baxter, - Putsman, G. Parramore, D. Gilbert, - Lamping(?), W.M. Wood, B. Stevenson, D. Faulkner, M. Thompson. - Beech, J. Bywater.

Wish I could find an appropriate home for this before my next tidy-up (scheduled for May 2023).

Chris
 
On the 1937 map the schools have no names. On the 1964 map the 2 closet schools appear to be Tiverton County Primary and St Edward's (not sure what that is).

A little further afield was Selly Park Secondary Modern Girls' school about a mile from St Edward's Road.
 
Can't see any obvious Hednesford/Cannock connecton but not easy to trace.

Joan, her parents and 2 brothers are all in Bham on 1939 register. Her parents deaths appear to be registered in Bham.

It's possible Donald was in the navy, there's a record for a likely Donald Field arriving in Baltimore in 1945. John M Field is a little too common to trace with any certainty and obviously not totally certain what happened to Joan.
 
I'm very grateful to you, MWS, for maintaining an interest in this. It's just that I should like to give this little thing a home where it belongs after it has survived for 88 years. I personally shall never throw it away but it becomes increasingly meaningless as the generations pass and I see the dreaded black binbags looming! (It never ceases to amaze me how little treasures like this escape from their real families).

I've a couple of final ideas to look at before putting this to bed. If anything comes of that I'll of course report back. One involves a family called Mottram (the Cannock/Hednesford connection, I think). I don't think that name has cropped up, has it (as a possible married name for Joan)?

Chris
 
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Just seen the 1945 Service Register electoral roll and it's seems pretty certain that Joan married Wilfred Allkins because he is listed on it at 3 St Edward's Road as well as Joan's brother John.

So it's possible that John and Wilfred were in the army together and that's how Joan met him. Wilfred's birth was registered Croydon, so he wasn't local.
 
On the 1937 map the schools have no names. On the 1964 map the 2 closet schools appear to be Tiverton County Primary and St Edward's (not sure what that is).

A little further afield was Selly Park Secondary Modern Girls' school about a mile from St Edward's Road.
St Edwards was a Catholic Primary School, The nearest Girls secondary school would have been Selly Park. Lived in this area 64 - 74 and cannot think of any other options.
 
This little autograph album has resurfaced again (it always does whenever I have a tidy-up) and so, following the very helpful comments from MWS at the time, I'll revive this thread by asking a couple of further questions and adding a bit of information.

Would anyone have any idea of the secondary school which it is likely that Joan would have attended, bearing in mind her home address? (The two worthier quotations mentioned previously have a bit of a grammar school feel about them).

And amongst any of family data, is there any hint at all of a later, out-of-Birmingham connection, in particular Cannock/Hednesford or nearby?

Surnames of contributors in addition to family - no doubt local or school - include D. Gidley, Elsie Baxter, - Putsman, G. Parramore, D. Gilbert, - Lamping(?), W.M. Wood, B. Stevenson, D. Faulkner, M. Thompson. - Beech, J. Bywater.

Wish I could find an appropriate home for this before my next tidy-up (scheduled for May 2023).

Chris
Hi Chris, I am working on the family tree for my partner and both Lamping and Faulkner feature within it. Lamping is the surname of his greatgrandmother, and her sister (also a Lamping) married a Faulkner. I have only just joined this forum so do not know anything about your autograph book. I would love to hear more.

Many thanks,
Claire
 
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