Percy Platt - Illegitimate/Adopted Bolton 1898

[Ruskie]

Mum remembers visiting Margaret in an asylum around 1950 and she died around that time.

Was this Margaret definitely Percy's mother (and not another relative?)

I don't suppose you know whereabouts this asylum was? (Or why she was in the asylum?  )

As this is a factual event I wonder if we can work backwards - maybe try to get some admission records? There can't have been too many asylums in the 50s (could there? )

One more thing, have you spoken to your brother to see if he has any further memories of Percy's family? Sometimes family members pick up different snippets of information.

[Ruskie]

I have just looked for deaths for Margaret Knowles from 1948 to 1960. Presuming she died in Lancashire, there are a manageable number.

If you can narrow down the years that the Margaret your Mum visited died, and if you know the area the asylum was located (if she died in the asylum), then there are not really too many with the middle initial A. (but of course her death may not be registered with the middle initial A  ).

Even if you find the death of the Margaret who was married to John Knowles, you still need more proof that she is your Margaret Ann Platt. 

[heywood]

Ruskie, I am going round and round 

Just a bit more snippets I have seen and am now stopping. I won't give great detail!

The published trees give Maggie's mother as Elizabeth Oldfield - deduced, I think from a child having that middle name.
I think she is Elizabeth Atherton - marriage certificate states she is illegitimate.

Mary Hughes, single woman, is adoptive mother of Thomas Percy. Her age varies.

A Mary Hughes is visiting,in 1861, a John and Ann Lloyd. I can't see a marriage  but he is a widower in 1851.
There is an Ann Atherton in 1851!  Ann and Elizabeth Atherton and Mary Hughes are all born in Flintshire.

Now of course this is insufficient to link all together.

Waterloo said earlier that Mary Hughes' estate went to her brother - how do we know this? It just says administration granted to Edward Hughes, formerly a collier 

[Ruskie]

Gosh Heywood, that is complicated - but you've made some very good possible logical connections. Your head must be spinning! 

PS. Good point about Edward Hughes perhaps not being Mary's brother.

[Waterloo24]

Good Morning 

You are all so clever and so thoughtful for working on this for me.

I had a chat with dad this morning ... a bit difficult as he is still grieving and mum talk can be difficult. I asked him about the brothers and he remembers visiting one in Bolton to tell him Percy had died. This would have been in 1955. The bad news is he thinks his name was George ( but he admits it was a long time ago).

Mum said she visited Margaret in the Asylum when she was about 18 so that would have been around 1948/9. She thought it was in Bolton ( but mum thought everywhere was Bolton). However it would have been in that area. As Margaret died whilst Percy was alive she must have died between then and 1955. Mum said she died not long after the visit so I am guessing that's why Percy went. Mum has no memories of Margaret prior to that day or afterwards.

 I did try to research Asylum deaths but could only find one and she was too old (I was searching for Margaret Ann Platt though).

As for the will ... I deduced that from the will record and the census I found from Mary Hughes in Wales. I am sure Edward was her brother. She was listed as a spinster from 1901 so didn't think about marriages for her.

I will have a read through and digest all the ideas that have kindly been posted overnight

Thanks again, it really is appreciated

[heywood]

Hi again,
When you have read this and gathered your own information, will you post the census information you have for Edward and Mary Hughes please.
If Percy definitely had brothers, then it looks as though  Margaret Platt Knowles isn't the one 
Thanks
Heywood

[Waterloo24]

Hi again,
When you have read this and gathered your own information, will you post the census information you have for Edward and Mary Hughes please.
If Percy definitely had brothers, then it looks as though  Margaret Platt Knowles isn't the one 
Thanks
Heywood

Hello there

I was always leaning towards John Knowles but it was only an inkling 

As you know I am rubbish at copying stuff but I thought this was her on the 1851 Wales Census :

Name:   Mary Hughes
Age:   10
Estimated birth year:   abt 1841
Relation:   Daughter
Father's Name:   William Hughes
Mother's name:   Elizabeth Hughes
Gender:   Female
Where born:   Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
Civil Parish or Township:   Ewloe Town
County/Island:   Flintshire
Country:   Wales
Registration district:   Great Boughton
Sub-registration district:   Cathedral Division
ED, institution, or vessel:   20
Piece:   2172
Folio:   764
Page Number:   53
Household schedule number:   213
Household Members:   
Name   Age
William Hughes   47
Elizabeth Hughes   45
Edward Hughes   20
Edwin Hughes   12
Mary Hughes   10
William Hughes   8
Edmund Hughes   5
Thomas Hughes   2

[heywood]

The difficulty is that Hughes is a very common name - we will try to look that family up later. Fancy having Edward, Edwin and Edmund in the same family 

It may be that if it is Maggie, Mary Hughes may not be a family connection at all - although I have remembered as I type, there is a Mary Hughes visiting that Lloyd/Atherton household and they have a David Robert Hughes as a nephew. I have traced him I think and his father was Robert Hughes!
If you recall Maggie's mum is an Atherton.
It's best to forget all that for a while - too confusing!

[Waterloo24]

The difficulty is that Hughes is a very common name - we will try to look that family up later. Fancy having Edward, Edwin and Edmund in the same family 

It may be that if it is Maggie, Mary Hughes may not be a family connection at all - although I have remembered as I type, there is a Mary Hughes visiting that Lloyd/Atherton household and they have a David Robert Hughes as a nephew. I have traced him I think and his father was Robert Hughes!
If you recall Maggie's mum is an Atherton.
It's best to forget all that for a while - too confusing!

At least you understand why I was struggling ... dads side was far easier !

I was looking at Elizabeth Atherton and William Platt when Percy was born which shows nothing interesting excepts for their 30 year old neighbour ... John Thomas Hughes ... the mind boggles