RootsChat.Com
Census Lookups General Lookups => Census and Resource Discussion => Library and FHS Lookups => Topic started by: jettejjane on Saturday 27 August 16 22:08 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find details of a death in Hampshire 1962. Due to nature of death I feel sure it would have made at least the local papers.
I am unable to visit library and have tried online archives with no luck. I have so tried every search I can on google, name, date, location got a big fat zero.
Would be thrilled and grateful if anyone could help.
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What date in 1962, please?
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What date in 1962, please?
2nd September.
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Why not go for the 14 day Free Trial on Findmypast Jane.
Carol
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The BNA currently only goes upto 1959
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Have you contacted Hampshire Archives and requested a free search to see if they have newspapers or a quote for their paid research service?
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/archives/enquiries-hals.htm
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Thanks Carol and Dawn. No I hadn't thought of any of those options, what a dummy. I only discovered the details of death this afternoon and have not thought anything through logically. Your suggestion is good Dawn will try that.
The gentleman in Question is John Greest husband of grandads sister. I posted o Sussex board in hope of finding relative who may know about death. From probate info found out he was found dead on Southsea beach. Then I posted here.
Would love to find out more.
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For ohers following, the related topic is here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=754699.0
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For ohers following, the related topic is here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=754699.0
Thank you dawn thats brilliant. Fingers crossed for favourable reply from hants gov.
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Hi Jettejjane,
I made a couple of trips to the British Library this week and, while there, checked out the September and October 1962 editions of the Portsmouth Evening News, the Hampshire Telegraph and the Gosport Journal. (Which I’d pre-ordered after researching what local newspapers covered Southsea in 1962.)
I discovered two small pieces in the Portsmouth Evening News and I’ll pm you about those; I found nothing at all in the Hampshire Telegraph, nor in the Gosport Journal.
Have just discovered another Hampshire newspaper that might be worth a look, the Hampshire Chronicle, and I’ve ordered it for my next BL visit, this coming week. Will also be checking out two others I’ve ordered: The Wembley Observer and the Wembley News. (Because, as you’ll see from my pm, Portsmouth police said the deceased was thought to be living in Wembley - and you mentioned that connection too.)
Have you heard back from Hants Archives yet? Their online catalogue suggests they do hold inquest records for 1962…BUT apparently they’re not publicly available and you’d need to write to the coroner to get permission to view the file. (The coroner’s address is on their website.)
Also, are you aware there are several trees featuring John Greest on Ancestry (and one on Genes Reunited)? Perhaps you could contact the tree owners to see what they know about Mr Greest’s demise? (If, like me, you’re not presently a subscriber to Ancestry or Genes Reunited, maybe some kind Rootschatter with an Ancestry/Genes Reunited subscription would pass a message, on your behalf, to the tree holders.)
I’ll let you know how I get on with the other newspapers mentioned above…please check your messages inbox now for my pm!
Best wishes,
theirchild.
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I made a couple of trips to the British Library this week and, while there, checked out the September and October 1962 editions of the Portsmouth Evening News, the Hampshire Telegraph and the Gosport Journal. .........
Thank you so much for your help. I have replied to your P.M.
I had no luck with the Hampshire Libraries or Hants archive. I didn't try the coroner but will do so. I had actually put this on a back burner so was surprised to receive two messages from Rootschat this morning.
It goes without saying how much I appreciate your doing all this for me.
Jane :)
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Hi again,
You're very welcome. :)
Thanks for your pm - the first one I've ever received! ;D
I was moved by Mr Greest's sad demise...a while back, I was fortunate enough to discover detailed newspaper reports about the coroner's inquest that followed my gt grandfather's suicide; I was also lucky enough to access the actual coroner's report at East Sussex Record Office (The Keep, at Falmer). So I wanted to see if it was possible to help you do the same.
I found it a bit odd that the Portsmouth Evening News doesn't seem to have continued coverage after the second small piece. There must have been an inquest and I saw several articles about inquests relating to other people. :-\ ::)
So I'm hoping the two Wembley papers will provide more info. (Keep your fingers crossed!)
theirchild
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I do wonder at cause of death. Was it an accident, suicide or something more sinister. When wife died I wonder where he went. Family lore has it he moved to Portsmouth and was a bit of a rogue, although at time of death he was in Wembley. Was wondering if £700 was lot of money in 60's.
I find this the frustrating side of research, we find dates and addresses but filling in the gaps is impossible, a lot of guesswork. Unless our a ancestor kept a journal.
It is strange the story was not followed up Once again your help is gratefully received.
Jane :)
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Hello again Jettejjane,
I’ve pm’d you about my findings in the Wembley News and the Wembley Observer & Gazette. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t see anything relevant in the Hampshire Chronicle.)
I’d also like to try and address a few of the points raised in your last post:-
“When wife died I wonder where he went. Family lore has it he moved to Portsmouth…”
Perhaps you could try accessing the Portsmouth phone books for that period: Ancestry has British Phone Books 1880-1984; BT has an archive in London; and Hampshire Libraries are very likely to have all the local phone books from that time as well. (Maybe someone at the library could check the phone book for you, if you email them. Or why not try posting a request on the Hampshire board here at Rootschat?)
“Was wondering if £700 was lot of money in 60's.”
£750 9s. 6d…yes, Jane, I think that’s quite a large amount for a carpenter back then…although if he was a homeowner a significant chunk of it might have been related to the value of his property.
“I find this the frustrating side of research, we find dates and addresses but filling in the gaps is impossible, a lot of guesswork.”
I understand what you’re saying but perhaps we’re fortunate to be able to discover whatever we can about people who are long since departed. And isn’t that meant to be the captivating thing about our hobby - hunting down all those elusive facts? It’s not always impossible either: More and more information is being added online all the time and archives are constantly adding to their catalogues…so the impossible sometimes suddenly becomes possible! We can never tell what new fact is lying just around the corner. As my dear late Mum used to say, “what’s worth having is worth waiting for”.
“It is strange the story was not followed up.”
The Portsmouth Evening News doesn’t seem to have maintained their interest in the incident – but, as you’ll see when you read my pm, the Wembley papers did pick up on the coroner’s inquest. So that back burner you previously mentioned can probably be turned off now!
Don’t forget to read the pm I’ve sent you.
Regards,
theirchild
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Hi their child,
Have just read PM. How can I ever thank you? What you have found for me is fantastic, far more than I could ever have hoped for when I made this post.That you have gone out of your way to help a complete stranger is much appreciated.
I will try the phone books and a post on Hants board, good idea.
I have address of wife but not sure it was her house or if he inherited. Would need to see will. Her sister lived with her and lived at property until she died in 1960. I do not think John was with her. This is worth looking into electoral registers if available should help.
My uncle who remembers Aunt May seems to think John ran off to Portsmouth before she died. He is last of Redman elders being dad's baby brother 85 years young, and a mine of information as was dad. Sadly uncle very poorly so I can't bother him.
I do agree with your last comment. I am indeed fortunate to know as much as I do and yes it is very exciting hunting down relatives. I am totally hooked after only 4 years of this. I have so many original documents, letters and artifacts, I am one of the lucky ones. All this has been passed down since 1828 and I am the keeper at the moment.
I have a lot to get my teeth into tomorrow.
Jane
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Greetings, Jane
Glad you're pleased... ;D
Yes, you're very lucky to have become the minder of all those documents and artefacts...right back to 1828, wow! :o
And fortunate to have started this hobby/addiction while relatives in the know are/were still around.
I have only a few such items and began too late, sadly, to have my parents and relatives enlighten me very much about past family members.
Well, you seem all fired up and ready, once again, to pursue new lines of enquiry so good luck with it all.
theirchild
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Hello! I;m rather late to this conversation but I feel like I might have some slithers of inofrmation to offer you as a Greest myself. I've recently been doing a lot of research on ancestry covering my fathers line, the Greest's, quite in depth. I will say I haven't quite covered the John Greest you are in reference to, however, I think it might be important to mention the significance of Portsmouth within my family. The majority of my Greest relatives currently reside in Brighton and upon tracing further back through the lineage, I have seen that many ancestors came from the Hambledon area and Portsmouth. It would be interesting to find out the true reason for John Greest's move, I do think its possible that maybe he knew of distant relatives there? I'm almost certain that we would all be connected, the Greest name itself is very rare and originated from the french last name Griste, the spelling of it changed periodically throughout the ages to fit into the English standard. In conclusion, I just wanted to add to the conversation that the spread of the Greest family covered a lot of the South East, I believe a few very distant cousins of my grandads great-great grandfather ended up in the Sussex, Surrey and London areas too.