Gertrude Ayton, actress of some renown?

[RedMystic]

Many thanks Ty. 

I think I have the engagement announcement for Jack, but not the wedding one. Brilliant!

As for Jessie, that's a wonderful find as well! I've discovered that her husband Robert ran off to Canada in 1907 never to return.  To make matters even stranger, another of Jessie's son's took off for Kenya in the late 1920s (where he died in 1938) & one of Jessie's daughter's had a husband who took off to Canada in the 1920s & died there in the 1950s.

It seems that the family wasn't very good at marriage.

[RedMystic]

Hi experts. This is the response I got from the local library re Gertrude's obit request. Will the register entry they reference give me anything more than date of death? Would there be any benefit to ordering this for £11?

This office is only able to supply you with a copy of the register entry for Gertrude Hanson. If you wish to apply for this you can do so online at www.blackpool.gov.uk following the pay for it instructions. The fee is £11. With regard to any obituary I can only suggest you try any local newspapers to see if they keep any records going back to that time. Our local newspaper is the Blackpool Gazette.

Back to the drawing board with the obit search. No response as yet from the actors union.

Happy Friday

[mshrmh]

Not exactly helpful, I think, that response. 

The death certificate, which I'm assuming is what they're referring to, would give you date & place of death, its cause, and as a female her status (wife of/widow of + I think his occupation).

The library does have some of the local papers according to their PDF listing:
http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Services/A-F/BlackpoolLibraries/FamilyandLocalHistory.htm

As they're mentioning the Blackpool Gazette, perhaps you could try them direct. Areas differ around the UK with what local papers carry, but full obituaries as I've seen in Canadian ones are a rarity. You may find an "announcement" of the death with details of where & when the funeral would take place. In some areas there is still a tradition of funeral reports which may give a line or two about the deceased and then concentrate on a list of mourners (handy for picking up family).
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/

[RedMystic]

Thank you mshrmh.

I appreciate the link to the Blackpool newspaper. They don't seem to have a General Inquiry e-mail address, but hopefully the person who receives my inquiry will forward it appropriately. Fingers crossed.

TX again.

[MonicaL]

My genealogy wish list....I know it is not Xmas, but who knows 

I would love to confirm that the 1950 marriage we suspect is her remarriage is the correct one...

I would like to confirm that the Harry Hanson (a comedian) we have seen on play/musical billings through the 1920s, having joint billings with Gertrude, is the Harry T Hanson she married in 1950, the year after Jack's death in Edinburgh...

I would like to confirm whether the Harry Hanson who was a local/regional theatre empressario in the 1940/50s (harry hanson's court players) has any connection at all...even though he was also known as the Duchess of Warlingham...

And...just for you (and us), we want to find a photo of Gertrude who I am guessing was gorgeous!

Monica 

[RedMystic]

My wish exactly Monica, with one addition: that I confirm her mother & father. At least that answer should come with the certificate that is "in the mail".

Thanks to you and others who have helped along the way.

[mshrmh]

Monica - I'll second the wish list.

RM - a tip that may help if you're getting into more general UK research for wider family is to use a UK search engine. There's a ".co.uk" version of Google & one of the options is to restrict search results to those from the UK. I've used the equivalent for Canada & South Africa & had some luck (photos of graves in both countries, for example) on the more extended branches of OH & my families. It amazes me sometimes what is out there (and what isn't).

[RedMystic]

That sounds like a great suggestions mshrmh. I'll give it a try. Thank you very much!

[RedMystic]

Hi to all who are following Gertrude.

I don't have much new of consequence, but MonicaL  forwarded an Apr 1927 ad that promoted Gertrude & what may have become Gertrude's second husband, Harry Hansen. It specified that Gertrude was a Top C Soprano. Not familiar with that, I asked Mr. Google to help.

It appears that a Top C Soprano may also be referred to as  "coloratura", which, when used without further qualification, normally means soprano coloratura.

A coloratura soprano role, most famously typified by the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute, has a high range and requires the singer to execute with great facility elaborate ornamentation and embellishment, including running passages, staccati, and trills. A coloratura soprano has the vocal ability to produce notes above high C (C6) and possesses a tessitura ranging from A4 to A5 or higher (unlike lower sopranos whose tessitura is G4–G5 or lower).

That's my wee find for tonight.

mshrmh, I seriously thinking of order that certificate the library suggested  for Gertrude. If you're correct & it includes wife of/widow of +  his occupation it may tell me which Harry Hanson she married. (It appears that the theatre Harry died in London in 1972; obit generously provided by Monica.)

I will let you know as other bits unfold.