RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Memories2bmade on Wednesday 24 July 24 18:23 BST (UK)
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I hope someone is able to assist. My grandmother lived in Emerald Street, Saltburn and in 1915, at the age of 6, her mother died & her father was presumed lost at sea. From what we have been informed, her elder siblings, took her & her younger brother aged 4, to a convent. I have contacted all Convents I can find within the area of Middlesbrough, Sisters of Mercy at Holyrood, Nazareth House, St Mary's at Tudhoe and the Faithful Companions of Jesus (although the latter apparently wasnt residential) None of these have any records of my grandmother at that time. Would there be anywhere else I could try? My nan definitely said she was sent to a Convent (although she was not from a Catholic background). Family research is so interesting but with a lot of stumbling blocks at times.
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If you haven’t already done so, I would suggest that you contact Teesside Archives and see what records they hold of places your grandmother may have been sent.
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Have you searched the 1921 census for your grandmother and her younger brother?
If they were still in a convent by June 1921 the census would indicate which one it was.
FindMyPast has the 1921 census, but you can search for free if you don't have a subscription.
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Thank you for the respones. I will contact Teeside Archives.
In respect to the 1921 Census, I found both children 'back with their father' as boarders in a property. Their father had been serving on HMS King Alfred as a stocker during the war and obviously came home and took them back into his care. Trying to find where the children were placed inbetween those years is proving a challenge.
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St Hildas of Whitby? This is the anglican convent. Very near saltburn. I don’t think they started until 1915.
Definitely look at the 1921 census
If you’re sure about the convent they should still show up on the census if they were still there then. Institutions listed all the inmates.
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The website is https://www.ohpwhitby.org.uk/the-priory/st-hilda-of-whitby/
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Two of the Middlesbrough convents represented in the 1921 census are:
1. St Mary's Convent, Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough
2. Holy Rood Orphanage Cottage Hospital, Children's Homes & Girls' Orphanage, Holy Rood House
Quite a few young "inmates" living at the above in 1921.
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Yes, best thing to do is look for them in the 1921 census. If she was 6 in 1915 she'd be about 12 in 1921 so likely she was still in the convent by then.
My great gran from Oxford was also sent to a London convent and was baptised at a nearby church in March 1910 aged 14 and was working in service by the 1911 census in Bexhill, Sussex. Not sure how long she had lived there prior to 1910 but her mother died 8 years earlier, but her dad lived to 1927.
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Welcome to rootschat
Maybe if you give us her name we can see if we can find anything for you
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Thank you - This is such a lovely website & I am so pleased to have discovered this for help. Nan's name was Elizabeth Gordon born 28.1.1909 & her little brother was Frank Gordon born in 1911. I did find both in the 1921 Census (but living with their father) My nan was then sent to St Albans in 1924/25 to work as a domestic.
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After months of further research I realised that I made an error & my grandmother was actually living in Emerald Street, South Bank. I have searched old maps and the closest convent to her was St Mary's in Abingdon Road. Would anyone on here have any information as to where I could start to look for admission records? I cant find much about it al all.
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The information may be available in Teeside archives.
Im wondering if you have your grandmother birth certificate because many records identify the person using their place of birth.
I have been researching my family from the north east and a lot were sent down south in the early 20th century due to being poor. You need to keep an open mind about where she may have lived.
As a first step I recommend you to get in touch with teeside archives and see what they say.