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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: planehome on Friday 11 September 15 12:04 BST (UK)
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My mother-in-law was born at 'The Grange', 53 Wake Green Road, Moseley in October 1925 to an unmarried mother from Rochdale. It would appear that the Crozier family at this private address helped out women in such a situation. My mother-in-law's subsequent adoption was authorised by May Crozier at the above address.
Looking for any information/pictures about the property, the Crozier family or the adoption process, as she is now approaching 90 and desperate for some closure on this part of her life.
Thank you.
Pete Lane
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Hi
When typing the place into google it came up with this thread with lady's speaking about there time there and also people having been born there might be worth a look.
http://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7054&page=3
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What information do you have on the Crozier family. Have you found a street directory/electoral register for the property in 1925. What evidence suggests that at the time of the 1925 birth this was a private residence.
The link posted by Lisa mainly refers to children around the 1960's and after the address mentioned is also different 42 Park Hill Moseley.
Rosie
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The information on the Crozier family that I have is from two sources:
1. The informal letter of adoption for my mother-in-law is signed by May Crozier, The Grange, 53 Wake Green Road, Moseley and dated 22 October 1925. Even with my healthily cynical genealogist head on, I can think of no reason why any of this would be a lie.
2. There is then the information in the Birmingham Family History group thread. I do not have access to electoral rolls and local Birmingham documents, so just trust the people who have responded.
The one lack of clarity appears to be over who was actually resident at 53 Wake Green Road Moseley on electoral rolls in the 1920s, especially 1925 and 1926.
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There were no legal adoption orders until 1927.
Jennifer
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The one lack of clarity appears to be over who was actually resident at 53 Wake Green Road Moseley on electoral rolls in the 1920s, especially 1925 and 1926.
Not helped by the fact that most women did not have the right to vote until the late 1920's. Presumably there are no male Croziers mentioned.
OK answered my own question 1927 has Wilhelmina, David & Ronald Godfrey Crozier & Robert Paul Scott Mason
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The 1927 Electoral Roll has Wilhelmina, David and Ronald Godfrey Crozier at that address.
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The 1927 Electoral Roll has Wilhelmina, David and Ronald Godfrey Crozier at that address.
Thanks jayywit I just found them :)
Looks like they were taking in a 'Nurse child' in the last census and maybe two young expectant Mums
Rosie
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Looks like the Crozier family were originally from Ireland and arrived in Birmingham via Manchester.
I suspect they were the type of people who did 'good works' by helping unmarried women and their babies.
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It certainly looks that way :)
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Interesting family, aren't they. In Manchester, David Crozier was clerk at chemical works. Blackley (not Beackley) had a number of dye works and eventually became a big centre for the ICI chemical company. Not sure what would bring them to Birmingham, however !
Maybe this was Wilhelmina's good works whilst hubbie David went out to the office ?
If the Crozier family were at 53 Wake Green Road in the 1927 Electoral Roll, but I have them placed there in October 1925, are there any records or directories that might cover the 1924/5/6 period ?
Thank you all - nice having a bit of help on this one.
Pete
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Just found likely Crozier marriage - Q4 1893 in Belfast - index only but the names of David Crozier and Wilhelmina Mann M'Iver appear on the page listing.
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Just found likely Crozier marriage - Q4 1893 in Belfast - index only but the names of David Crozier and Wilhelmina Mann M'Iver appear on the page listing.
This baptism confirms you have the right marriage
Vida Jeannie Crozier
Birth 1 June 1904
Baptism 22 June 1904
Cheetham, St Luke
Father David Crozier
Mother Wilhelmina Mann Crozier
That answered one question in my mind as I was wondering whether they were C of E or RC.
Maybe the C of E church had something to do with the young Mums being looked after.
It looks as though the 1927 electoral register is the only one for this area online
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The following extract about (Sir) Barry Jackson who founded the Birmingham Rep, appears to mention a property in Moseley called The Grange !
Along with his friends they christened the company, The Pilgrim Players. This was to be the amateur foundations for the future Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company. Jackson alongside his friends, John Drinkwater, H S Milligan and C.R Dawes had been performing their own productions at the Jackson's family home of the Grange in Moseley, from around 1902 to family and friends.
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I am getting more confused now ...
In 1925, the electoral roll lists Barry Jackson at 177 Victoria Courts, Birmingham, but then in brackets after has [abode - 53 Wake Green Road] - his family home !
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Can anyone tell me what 'SJ' means after someone's name in the Electoral Roll.
SJ is after Wilhemina Crozier's name in the 1927 register and she appears first, even though David Crozier is also at the same address.
Thank you
Pete
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SJ is Eligible to vote as special Juror
J is Eligible to serve as Juror
http://www.electoralregisters.org.uk/codes.htm
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I am getting more confused now ...
In 1925, the electoral roll lists Barry Jackson at 177 Victoria Courts, Birmingham, but then in brackets after has [abode - 53 Wake Green Road] - his family home !
I think he may qualify for an extra vote in the district of Wake Green Road as he probably owns the house as well as where he is resident. Things were different then ;D
So 1925 is online, I could not see it ::) - I see Barry Jackson is the only one registered at that address. The electoral register for 1925 would have been canvassed before your MIL was born.
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I agree with Rosie, electoral rolls are and were usually completed in the year before people actually voted, so the 1925 roll would have in all probability completed in 1924.
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Thanks Rosie
I guess that the Croziers may have moved into the property during 1925, between the Electoral roll being taken and the October birth of my MiL.
I only found the 1925 register by following up on Barry Jackson - it didn't come up under Crozier initially. My MiL has had a life-long love of theatre, so at least she will appreciate the Barry Jackson connection to the house in which she was born.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I suspect the Croziers had just moved in. If they had just moved from Manchester it may explain why someone from Lancashire was with them.
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Good point - thanks, jaywit.
Pete
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Hello,
I have been reading your threads re May Schofield and wasn't sure where to post this - decided on here.
I had wondered who May Crozier was who signed the papers.
May W Crozier married Michel J Broeders in 1917 and had a child David Crozier Broeders in 1918 who died soon after birth. Info from BMD.
In 1918, Wilhelmina Crozier and May Broeders were charged and found Not Guilty of 'wilfully exposing a child'.
The circumstances are reported in the Manchester Evening News, April 29th 1918. 'Foster Child's Death. Maternity Home Owner Prosecuted.'
Briefly, following an arrangement, May had taken a baby from a home in Ashton on Mersey to Derbyshire to be 'adopted'. £10 was handed over. The baby had died soon after and the charges were connected with exposure of the child to the journey in cold weather.
The adoption followed a reply to an advertisement by the Derby woman and MrsCrozier had said that the child referred to in the advert was now settled but there was an unborn one whose mother was agreeable to adoption so in February 1918, the journey occurred.
What could be relevant to you, is that the birth certificate showed an address in Rotherham and there was no evidence that the mother in question had lived there. It does continue to say that the mother now lived in Blackpool and had given full consent. (I don't understand why there was no explanation re a possible 'false address')
Also, of importance, is that the baby was well kept and clothed.
The article states that the Croziers were acting out of kindness and not reward.
The court register implies that Wilhelmina had twice been fined for taking a child to nurse without informing the Guardians.
regards
Heywood
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That is very interesting Heywood, an excellent find. ;D It does look as though
Rotherham ** Rochdale could be a complete red herring though and May Schofield could have come from anywhere.
I had seen that May Crozier had married before the 1925 birth that we are looking for and wondered why she was using her maiden name on the birth certificate.
** see reply 25
Rosie
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That is very interesting Heywood, an excellent find. ;D It does look as though Rotherham could be a complete red herring though and May Schofield could have come from anywhere.
I had seen that May Crozier had married before the 1925 birth that we are looking for and wondered why she was using her maiden name on the birth certificate.
Rosie
HI Rosie,
Rotherham is in the article and Rochdale is the subject of this query. It could be that addresses etc were fabricated for the birth certificates, according to the newspaper report.
On the other hand all information re May Schofield may be correct. :-\
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Hi Heywood, Thank you I had just been reading the two newspaper reports and realised I had Rotherham and Rochdale muddled so had come back here to rectify my mistake. :)
I think it is still worth chasing up information on the Rochdale thread. It was good to see that the family were not mistreating the babies. :)
Rosie
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Yes I agree.
I am going to try to get to Rochdale at some point to check if no one else can get there.
I also wanted to point out re the travelling aspect which bothers Pete. It was very possible.
The Croziers possibly had a bit of a business going.
Another interesting thing is that May's child was born April quarter of this same year when all this was happening.
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Thank you so much, Heywood, for this fascinating information - some great research done there.
Can I access these newspaper reports easily online ? I obviously have a lot of learning to do given the information from yourself, Rosie and others.
This raises so many more questions about the whole adoption process in this instance. I can see that this may have been a regular occurrence for the family - as you say, maybe run as a business or as good works.
It is interesting that the family moved from Northern Ireland to Manchester and then to Birmingham when the father, David, was employed only as a clerk (in Manchester, at any rate). I wonder what the driving force for these moves actually was ?
Wilhelmina and May - they did seem to keep getting themselves into problems with their activities, even if it seems that they were well intentioned.
I will think about this further tomorrow ! There is more to learn here, I am sure.
Thank you so much.
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The newspaper reports are on British Newspaper (BNA) website or FindMyPast. A lot of libraries in England have access to these databases
Rosie
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So, a bit more time spent looking into the Crozier family and some interesting findings - funny how a thread like this becomes intriguing, even if its doesn't directly help to solve the original problem !
So, Wilhelmina Crozier ....... I read the two accounts on the 1918 Derby incident (whilst Wilhelmina was based in Manchester) with great interest and carried on searching within the newspapers. Lo and behold, 4 more instances appear of newspaper reported court appearances relating to the emotive term of baby farming (at worst) or failure to abide by adoption notification purposes (at best)!
All the incidents were in 1911 and 1912, whilst Wilhelmina was based in the Blackley area of Manchester (same location as the 1911 census). The reports are in the Manchester Courier (23/3/1911), Sheffield Daily Telegraph (10/8/1911 and 30/9/1911) and Yorkshire Telegraph (1/2/1912). All confirm that arranging adoptions (formal or informal for babies) was regular business for Wilhelmina ... and she seemed to make quite a few mistakes around this period. The Sheffield Board of Guardians were especially peeved about failure to notify them of arrangements.
Clearly, these reports pre-date the 1918 reports and I can't find anything in-between or after. Surely these cases (and fines) must have had some impact on their activities ! There is a location move of only a couple of miles from Blackley (1911) to Moston/Harpurhey (1918) and, in fact, some attempt at formalisation of their activities into the Ashton-on-Mersey Nursing/Maternity Home.
So, why the move to Birmingham ? Any thoughts ?
Does anyone know whether how property transfers were recorded in 1925 ? The Grange in Moseley seems to be connected to the Croziers in October 1925 but in the 1925 Electoral Roll to the Jackson family. The Crozier's may have been tenants, of course, not buyers.
Ok, that's my synopsis for a film script about illegal adoption practices in the early 1900s !
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The newspaper reports are on British Newspaper (BNA) website or FindMyPast. A lot of libraries in England have access to these databases
Rosie
Thanks Rosie - I took about a 1 month sub to FindMyPast to view them.
Pete
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The newspaper reports are on British Newspaper (BNA) website or FindMyPast. A lot of libraries in England have access to these databases
Rosie
Thanks Rosie - I took about a 1 month sub to FindMyPast to view them.
Pete
Make sure you untick the box - My Account - Personal details - Auto-renew my subscription or they will take more money
Rosie
ADDED I must have a look at the other articles sometime.
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Thanks again, Rosie, and Heywood.
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Hi Pete,
It's very easy to get distracted! We do it all the time. :)
Good luck with the searching.
Heywood
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I have now read the other newspaper reports, they certainly make interesting reading. How things have changed. I keep coming back to these posts ;D
Rosie
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I have found this fascinating - even outside of the desire to search for some context for my MiL.
Even more interesting because many of the newspaper articles I mentioned were from Sheffield and that is the city that my MiL has lived in for the past (almost) 90 years ! How strange.
She will also love the fact that 'The Grange' was previously owned by the creator of the Birmingham Rep Theatre and my MiL's adoptive father played piano in Sheffield theatres, including the wonderful Lyceum Theatre, and they 'took in' theatrical folk as boarders !
The world does indeed turn in circles , or as they would say in The Lion King ... 'The Circle of Life'.