Another lovely old photographic postcard that I found recently, as below, showed a girls baton group that was based in Bournemouth – the card was posted in 1914 from Bournemouth to a Miss E BORER in Wealdstone in Middlesex – as always could I possibly discover more?
I started by looking for the address of 124 High Street in Wealdstone on the 1911 census and struck lucky finding the record and discovering that the BORER family had been living there – the 1911 census, as below, shows Ernest Alfred and Clara Beatrice BORER and their children Evelyn Clara aged 8 and Reginald Ernest aged 6. Ernest BORER was aged 36 born in Gravesend in Kent and Clara was aged 34 born in Corsham in Wiltshire – Ernest’s occupation was a Clothier.
Source Citation:The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
I then looked for the marriage of Ernest Alfred BORER to Clara and found, as below, that he married Clara Beatrice MERRETT on 24th June 1901 in Corsham in Wiltshire – could the postcard link be through the MERRETT family?
Source Citation: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre; Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; Reference Number: 1157/23 Source Information: Wiltshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1916 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.
Following Clara Beatrice MERRETT back through the census records I found her on the 1881 census living at Pickwick Road in Corsham with her parents and a sibling Ethel M MERRETT – my postcard had been signed by an ‘E’ so was that Ethel?
Source Citation:Class: RG11; Piece: 2031; Folio: 47; Page: 8; GSU roll: 1341489 Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
I then found that Ethel Mary MERRETT had married Arthur John LIGHT on 17th September 1901 in Corsham in Wiltshire, as below, and using this information I then found her on the 1911 census, as below, living at 116 Nortoft Road in Bournemouth with her husband Arthur and children Kathleen Mary LIGHT aged 8 and Reginald Arthur LIGHT aged 3.
Source Citation:Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre; Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; Reference Number: 1157/23 Source Information; Wiltshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1916 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.
Source Citation; The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
There was an address at the top of the old postcard that was hard to read, but after finding this 1911 census address and looking at the postcard again it definitely says 116 Nortoft Road in Bournemouth – also the message on the old postcard mentions that Kathleen is in the photograph on the front and again confirms the family links between the MERRETT family.
This research confirmed that Evelyn Clara BORER and Kathleen Mary LIGHT were cousins – I then discovered that Eva Clara BORER aged 23 married John Seaton Guy COMFORT aged 24 on 15th July 1925 in Harrow Weald in Middlesex, as below.
Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers Source Information: Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Do you have a connection to the MERRETT or BORER families as it would be great to reunite this old photograph of Kathleen LIGHT with a family member if possible – if you do please send me a message via this blog or send me an email.
Also if anyone has any further information about the female Baton Group in Bournemouth shown in the old photograph in 1914 it would be fantastic to hear about that too.
Many thanks
Simon LAST
charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com
charnwoodgenealogy 