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Hemmings

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lindz
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Lindz

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I am looking for a skeleton in our cupboard!. Apparently my great grandmother Catherine (Katherine) Hemmings was murdered in the Selly Oak area. Her last child was born in 1900, so i am assuming it was shortly afterwards. I have scoured everywhere and now wonder if the story is true. Could anyone help me please.

:(
 
Hello & Welcome Lindz :)

a Murder would have been in the Local Newspapers of that time 1900/1905?
Maybe you could contact the Birmingham Post /B,ham Mail,
now owned by Trinity Mirror Group ( i think?)
They do have Archives & its worth an enquiry,,
Cheers & Good luck JohnY :cool:
 
Have you searched the Death index Lindz, as the certificate will have the details of Catherine's death. I have searched FreeBMD from 1900 to 1910 and not found a death, there are deaths for Catherine in 1913 and 1915 but the ages were far too old for her. From 1910 FreeBMD is far from complete, so a comprehensive search of the GRO records is the way to go. We can help with that, if you have not already done that.

Is she the wife of Thomas, her last child a daughter Ruth, on the 1901 Census?
 
Tried a search in the Times on-line archives for a murder of Hemmings 1900 to 1920 and nothing was found.

Doug
 
Thank you all for swift replies and a lovely welcome. As a Brummie now living in Devon (sorry but the moors were too great a pull), i don't often get to Birmingham. Any ideas and help would be greatly appreciated,

Doug thank you for searching for me, thank you Di Poppitt, i have searched around for her death but as you found nothing fits. Yes she is the Catherine Hemmings married to Thomas in the 1901 census.

John that is a good idea, now how to go about it, by writing? or do you think a visit to the offices?

Once again thank you

:rolleyes:
 
I Had A Similar Problem, One Of My Relatives Died In 1923 In Mysterious Circumstances, I Contacted The Archive Section Of Birmingham Library And After Some Searching ,found All Of The Coroners Reports And Relevant Material Pertaining To The Death. I Was Also Able To Find Several Newspaper Reports In The Library Files From 1923.
 
Thanks Astonite, looks like i may need a visit to Brum !! a good pair of glasses and plenty of time, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end. :)
 
YOU CAN CONTACT THE LIBRARY BY PHONE,AND IF THEY FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR,FOR A NOMINAL FEE THEY WILL POST IT TO YOU.:cool:
 
Excellent. I will do this asap after the Bank Holiday. :DThanks again.
 
I looked at the Electoral roll for Birmingham 1920, Thomas and Catharine Hemming are still living at 374 Long Acre.
 
Well that puts paid to that story Di.!! :shocked:

Thanks very much, i will investigate further by contacting elderly relations and see if i can glean any further information.

How do you get to look at electoral rolls? Is there a site or does one have to subscribe.
This site is absolutely brilliant!!
 
Hi Lindz,

In light of the information from Di I checked the Times from 1920 to 1950. Still no joy.

Doug
 
I did find this Death:
Mar 1920
HEMMINGS Catherine 50 Aston 6d709

By the way Lindz, have you come across a John Joseph Himmings who had a sister Gladys (Husbands name unknown could have been Albert or Alfred something). Gladys had about 10 children one being a girl named Zoe, I know Gladys lived in Mount Pleasent / Mosley Rd area in the late 1950's. I visited the family as a child and Zoe and two of her children visited our family in Dymoke St around that time. John was known as Joe and there were many other siblings to him and Gladys one may have been Lousia.
If so we could have a connection....

Pom :angel:
 
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I think that one is too young Pom.

If it was the one I found in the 1901 census she would have been 65 in 1920 - though Lindz can probably confirm the age.

Doug
 
Thanks Procat for your research. My Catherine Hemmings (nee Harrison)was born in 1852, so its well justified she would have lived until and after 1920 and the address of the electoral roll of Long Acre, Aston is correct from the 1901 census. Amazing how these stories start, but there is usually no smoke without fire, and elderly relatives can get confused. I will indeed get to the bottom of this. :rolleyes:
 
Pom, i don't have anyone of those names on my tree, or remember family members talking about or visiting the Hemmings's you mentioned. Strange as i was born and bred in Kings Heath, so one would have thought the Mosely branch would be known to us. I will enquire with other members of the present family to see if they are known to them.
 
Lindz click on the link for some Electoral Rolls that have been transcribed. It is pay per view, but £5 worth has given me a lot of searches. One of the years indexed is 1918 absent voters which gives you men away serving in WW1.

www.midlandshistoricaldata.org

You will see the Electoral Rolls listed bottom left, you will need to register.
 
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Hi Lindz

I have a line of Hemmings in my extended family tree.

Andrew Arthur Hemmings b.1893 Aston
Thomas Hemmings b.1855 Radford Semele Warks
Richard Hemmings b.1820 Radford Semele Warks
John Hemmings b.1782 Banbury Oxon

Any connection?
 
Sorry Icarus for not replying sooner. Yes we have a link, my tree consists of Hemmings's from Radford Semele and Andrew Arthur would have been my great uncle!
 
Icarus, relatives of Andrew Arthur Hemmings have contacted me! I have also found out through the War Commisions office that Andrew jnr died in France WW1 in 1916. The family were under the impression he wandered off in France and took up with a french lady!!! amazing how stories start.
 
In my extended family is a lady called Fanny Goodwin married a John Allen. Fanny was born in c1894, she was born and lived in and around the Bilston, Wolverhampton area. Apparently Fanny was a singer/dancer performer. Relatives have found out a little information regarding the nature of John Allen, he tried to cut Fanny's throat in a jealous rage!!! After that she left! As to the approximate year of this "crime" i know she married John in 1914 and remarried in 1925, a wide window i know. Anyone out there have any ideas for me please. !! Would this have been reported in any newspaper or court papers?
 
Hi Lindz. Sorry, I missed your reply in May. Probably was away that week.

I will pm you regarding Andrew Arthur Hemmings. :thumbsup:
 
Unfortunately no one has replyed to my enquiry, am hoping someone out there may know something?
In my extended family is a lady called Fanny Goodwin married a John Allen. Fanny was born in c1894, she was born and lived in and around the Bilston, Wolverhampton area. Apparently Fanny was a singer/dancer performer. Relatives have found out a little information regarding the nature of John Allen, he tried to cut Fanny's throat in a jealous rage!!! After that she left! As to the approximate year of this "crime" i know she married John in 1914 and remarried in 1925, a wide window i know. Anyone out there have any ideas for me please. !! Would this have been reported in any newspaper or court papers?
 
Sorry me again: I have looked and looked and searched for the marriages of my Uncles Arthur, Eric and Harold Hemmings Arthur born 1917 Eric 1920 and Harold 1916 all born and raised in Birmingham around the Nechells area, anyone any ideas without me comming to Brum to look up? Father and mother of these boys were Raymond Hemmings and Fanny Gough.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!
 
Hi Lindz,

FreeBMD is slowly working towards the 1930s so if you don't mind waiting they should be there in the not too distant future.

Alternatively take out a free trial to Ancestry - they have the scans of the entries on line. Unfortunately they are not indexed except by the first and last name on the page so it requires examining them singly.
 
Lindz said:
Unfortunately no one has replyed to my enquiry, am hoping someone out there may know something?
In my extended family is a lady called Fanny Goodwin married a John Allen. Fanny was born in c1894, she was born and lived in and around the Bilston, Wolverhampton area. Apparently Fanny was a singer/dancer performer. Relatives have found out a little information regarding the nature of John Allen, he tried to cut Fanny's throat in a jealous rage!!! After that she left! As to the approximate year of this "crime" i know she married John in 1914 and remarried in 1925, a wide window i know. Anyone out there have any ideas for me please. !! Would this have been reported in any newspaper or court papers?
Click to expand...

Try Wolverhampton archives, https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/leisure_culture/libraries/archives (but they are moving soon and the archive will not be accessible during the move period.)
 
Thanks Procat i have wondered why i couldn't find anything of this era on FreeBMD i will await with patience. I am already a fully paid up member of Ancestry but can not find them on there either. I will relook. Thanks for your reply.
Best regards
 
Excellent LLoyd thanks. I will contact them with hope in my heart.

Best regards
 
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