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PEARCE FAMILY - 1945 1950 St Andrews

  • Thread starter Thread starter derekwigan
  • Start date Start date
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derekwigan

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Hi all, rather belatedly at the age of 61 I am trying to trace my fathers family - I last saw dad in about 1958 when my parents got divorced
Dad was Donald born circa 1920, Mum was gwendoline Horton (Liverpool)

Mum never ever mentioned dad from the day they split till she died, and we had no idea where he lived - then time took over!

They had five boys born between about 1940 and 1948, Donald, Roger, Derick (me), and two who died young (I think memengitis) Bernard and Nigel (I think.) We think all the boys were born in 35 back Greenway St, we later moved to Erdington while Mum was very ill in hospital - Dad did not tell Mum we had moved!

Mum and dad were not married at the outset, dad got done for Bigamy we think, but they must have got wed, to get divorced!

We think dad had a brother Frank

Any offers / links - thanks, derick
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Hi Derek,
Sure to have someone on the Forum who will give you a leg up and get you started.:)
Have you any Certificates Birth, marraige etc.
 
Drawing a blank so far, except:
Gwendoline W Horton, mother's maiden name Williams, birth registered 1st quarter 1917 Toxteth Park, vol 8b page 260.

Also just found, electoral roll 1935, 35 Greenway Street: Pearce, Henry Edward and Pearce, Frederick George.
Only Henry Edward Pearce is listed for 1939.
 
Hi Derick,

Gwendoline W Horton married Donald W Pearce
Apr/May/Jun quarter 1942 Prescot ,Lancs

If you get the marriage certificate it will have ages ,addresses etc,fathers names etc.which will help in your search.

You can order from General Register Office.

You can order online at www.gro.gov.org

but I find it quicker to get certificate by telephone 0845 603 7788
8am-8pm Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Sat.
 
Re: Gwendoline W Horton married Donald W Pearce
Apr/May/Jun quarter 1942 Prescot, Lancs

If you are ordering a certificate you might need to know the registration is in Volume 8b page 1605.
 
Donald W Pearce born 2nd quarter 1916, mother's maiden name Bentley, Wandsworth, London, had a brother Eric J Pearce born 2nd quarter 1921.
Can't find any Donald Pearce's with Frank as a brother.
 
Pearce births mothers maiden name Horton.

Donald b. Oct/Nov/Dec 1942 Birmingham

Bernard T b. Apr/May/June 1944 Prescot ref 8b 1168

Bernard T died Jan/Feb/Mar 1945 birmingham ref 6d 725

Roger b. Jul/Aug/Sept 1945 ref 6d 381

Derick W 1947

Unable as yet to find Nigel.

Your original posting gave me the idea that your parents married after having children,was it that the Prescot marriage was a bigamous one and that they had to marry again.
 
It could be - we think they 'married' again, maybe B'ham - say '48ish

thanks for your work
 
Thanks again for the previous info. My brother Roger thinks are last missing brother was Edward or Edwin - it was a popular family name including my Gfather (mothers side)

derick
 
ERDINGTON CHILDRENS HOME 1951

My brothers and I were there. two of in the house run by the mcDonlads I think - ring a bell with anyone
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Hi, do you mind me asking what site/s you found the info one. the ones I have been using don't seem to have as much info

thanks
 
Hi Derek

If you follow this link to another page on this site you will find some info regards Erdington Childrens Homes --

https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=829


As for information regards Births, Marriages, Deaths, Electoral Rolls and Census, a number of members subscribe to various sites and help other members with these resources to find this information, some are pay as you go or 6/12 month subs


bren
 
Thanks for this

Your tag is very apropriate. I sing with two choirs (a local church) and a choir called Cantique - we sang at Liverpool cathedral for a wedding on 8/8/08, and are singing in York minster in november - we also do normal gigs and sing things from 1500 right up to Beetles
 
For family tree I subsribe to Ancestry.co.uk and also use BMD sites - however i found both poor in having Birmingham stuff

thanks
 
Hi Derek

Just noticed your a local

Ancestry is probably used by most on this site, including myself, but it can take a bit of getting use to, some sites hold certain records that others don't but Ancestry is no worse than the others.
If you are on about FreeBMD, this is a work in progress and is constantly being updated, i think at the moment you won't find much past the 1920s but the earlier records are quite good.
If you have already subscribed to Ancestry i can only suggest you perservere with it, you will get better at it, honest. I find on there i get better results with putting into the search just the essentials, too much info and the results are not so good. If you need help with any look ups you only have to ask and someone will jump in, put them in Surname Interests and they will get picked up soon enough.
Can i suggest you have a read of this, you will find a lot of information, especially for a newbie

https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12911

So you sing in a choir, very nice, what church is that, there are a few in Erdington, my nearest is St Margarets

bren
 
Firstly, thanks for the advise. I actually live in Wigan now, but started Greenway St, got fostered out to Newark (Notts) for a year, then at five folks split up and I went abot three foster folks - think one was called Rice with a son derrick - ended up in Erdnington about 53 - 54. Then mum recovered from TB and took us back to Liverpool (Grandparents) and she never either spoke to my dad or told us anything about dad till the day she died.

Other thing was that Ancestry and BMD were very good for looking up Liverpool / Cheshire and Wales - tree has 350 entries, but with not even knowing dads birth year it was difficult even to start

This site is brilliant, and I'll use it and post back as much info as i can

PS I sing in Hindley near Wigan. A church with a very famous organ built by Shultz who build the one for the great exhibition at crystal palace - alas it is turned off awaiting a local to have a big lottery win!
 
Lloyd said:
Drawing a blank so far, except:
Gwendoline W Horton, mother's maiden name Williams, birth registered 1st quarter 1917 Toxteth Park, vol 8b page 260.

Also just found, electoral roll 1935, 35 Greenway Street: Pearce, Henry Edward and Pearce, Frederick George.
Only Henry Edward Pearce is listed for 1939.
Click to expand...
Hi any chance of looking up Vicarage road, Harbourne for PEARCE 1950ish, by brother thinks thats were grandmother lived

thats wheter you find anything or not
 
Can't get post war, but:
1939 Vicarage Road Kings Heath: Samuel Henry Pearce, Harold Edward Pearce, Donald William Pearce, Nellie Pearce (the elder) and Nellie Pearce (the younger).
 
you are a hero - not vital but do you happen to know what number they lived at?
 
Lloyd said:
Can't get post war, but:
1939 Vicarage Road Kings Heath: Samuel Henry Pearce, Harold Edward Pearce, Donald William Pearce, Nellie Pearce (the elder) and Nellie Pearce (the younger).
Click to expand...
PS to my last message, Donald William is my DAd!
 
OK, I forgot the number for that one - it was 31 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath
All except Donald William are there in 1935, as well. (because he won't be 21 until 1937)
 
Lloyd said:
Donald W Pearce born 2nd quarter 1916, mother's maiden name Bentley, Wandsworth, London, had a brother Eric J Pearce born 2nd quarter 1921.
Can't find any Donald Pearce's with Frank as a brother.
Click to expand...
Hi Lloyd, through great work by everyone in the Forum I has established that m grandmother Nellie (guess Isobel), my father Donald William, what might be two brothers Samuel Henry and Harold Edward, plus maybe a sister Nellie lived in 31 Vicarage Road Kings Heath in 1939. At some time i think Nellie lived in Eastbourne Ave, ward end

This might not be the pearce's from Wandsworth you found for me, so any help appreciated
 
Lloyd said:
Donald W Pearce born 2nd quarter 1916, mother's maiden name Bentley, Wandsworth, London, had a brother Eric J Pearce born 2nd quarter 1921.
Can't find any Donald Pearce's with Frank as a brother.
Click to expand...
Hi lloyd, sorry if you got a similar message yesterday - I have just done my daily check of the Forum, and can't see a record of my sent message.

What i said in the message was we have now found a PEARCE family group living in 31 Vicarage Road, kings Heath, in 1939. Group is Nellie (Ellen) Senior and Junior, Donald Willaim - fairly sure this was my Dad, as my brother remembers visiting this address, - then Samuel henry, and Harold edward

Before this i this Ellen lived in Eastbourne Ave, Ward End.

On Ancestry I can find births that might be Samuel, Harold and young Ellen, all in Aston, but not Donald W, and wonder if he may still have been born in Wandsworth, and maybe a cousin of the other people

If you stumble across anything that might help - i will be again very grateful
 
Alberta said:
Hi Derick,

Gwendoline W Horton married Donald W Pearce
Apr/May/Jun quarter 1942 Prescot ,Lancs

If you get the marriage certificate it will have ages ,addresses etc,fathers names etc.which will help in your search.

You can order from General Register Office.

You can order online at www.gro.gov.org

but I find it quicker to get certificate by telephone 0845 603 7788
8am-8pm Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Sat.
Click to expand...
You may remember we think the marriage in 1942 was anulled.

Well we have just found a piece of the divorce paperwork whic states they were married in Birmingham register office on 26th March 19.. -it has been altered by hand to say 1941, but we think it could have been 1949

Any chance of looking it up?

derick
 
Can't find anything in 1949, i will work back through the records and see if anything turns up


bren
 
You are a star

To recap. we think they got married in Liverpool (Prescot) in 1942, but this may have been anulled.

They did get divorced in 61, and I know they had split up by late 1952, so I suppose they could have got 'married' in birmingham anytime between 1942, and 1952

thanks

If it was not my mum and dad I would think it was something off tv!
 
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