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Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by George on 23/2/2024, 3:32 pm

Hello
I am trying to find my “lost” grandmother Adelaide Mary Veronica Hemmings born Bristol circa 1896.
She first appears in Birmingham when she married my granddad in 1917
Sadly, she died in 1922 when my father was 5 years old. My father is now deceased and sadly I never got to find out any information regarding his mother.
As part of my research, I have found an Adelaide Hemmings in the 1911 Ilfracombe census. She is listed as “pantry maid” at the Colligwood Hotel and shows her place of birth as Bristol.
There my trail ends, as I have not been able to find her whereabouts pre or post 1911, I have searched various ancestry search engines to no avail.
I am hoping someone may be able to point me in the right direction as to where Adelaide from Ilfracombe went!!
I appreciate this research may be outside of your remit, but any help would be most appreciated.
Kind regards
George

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by David Murrian on 25/2/2024, 9:14 am, in reply to "Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Often look at the Board at anything interesting (but nothing to do with me!!), and did so with your post Surprised to see it is not necessarily all Bristol as Adelaide Mary Veronica Hemmings was married to Albert James Osborne 1917 in Birmingham and her dewath, as Adelaide V.M. Osborne was registered at Kings Norton - again part of Birmingham - in June Qyarter 1922, when she was 25.

The 1921 Census is, again, as Adelaide Osborne, (born 1896, Bristol) at Birmingham with, as you indicated with Albert James, Charles William&6 others (presumably all Osbornes). That is all the info with the summary transcription but if you are sure this is the right one, you could do a one time purchase for £3.50 to get the full details for the entry.

All the above details I have found are consistent with what you said in your post, so I assume - as an Osborne - are correct for your enquiry.

I live in Birmingham so know you might find some useful information in the Registers held at Birmingham Library?? if you live in Birmingham?

Regards, David

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by George on 25/2/2024, 10:20 am, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Hello David
Well in fact I am also a Brummie and I have lived in Somerset since 1982.
It is my plan to visit the Birmingham Library and try and do some research as to when Adelaide came to Birmingham. She was 20 when she married my grandad Albert James Osborne in 1917, at the time he was serving in the Machine Gun Corps. I have followed various data leads which show my great grandparents were living at 32 Forster Street in 1917. This is the address on the wedding certificate for the wedding between Albert and Adelaide. I need to find where Adelaide was living before the marriage. I have a gap between 1914 and 1917 for addresses of my great grandparents. In 1914 my grandad living at 16 Vauxhall Road, this came from his war record.
The other reason to visit the library is to see if there are any records from the West Heath Sanatorium where she died of TB in 1922.
I believe Adelaide would have been a devout Catholic as the wedding was in a Catholic church, as my grandad was CofE. I have the church records and my father was Baptised in the same church.
I have copies of the relevant 1921 censuses for various leads I have been researching, which has been helpful. The Birmingham one is the first recording of Adelaide born Bristol. Hence my next port of call is going to be adoption- orphaned in Bristol.
Thanks for your post maybe you can throw some light on the Birmingham connection.
Regards
George

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by Deborah on 23/2/2024, 6:34 pm, in reply to "Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Have you obtained the marriage certificate which 'should' give her father's name and occupation? She is shown on the 1921 census with husband Albert James, a Charles William and 6 other people - have you viewed that record to see if there are any clues?

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by George on 24/2/2024, 6:40 am, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Hi Deborah
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
The 1921 census is my grandmother Adelaide. This is the first record I have of her Bristol birth. In her marriage certificate her father was William Hemmings deceased coach builder (master). I have been researching any William Hemmings who could have been Adelaide's father. I am awaiting two death certificates to arrive from GRO. Adelaide from Ilfracombe is the only Adelaide I have not been able to verify. My next route is orphaned or adopted in Bristol. Sadly I have had few brick walls!!
Thanks again

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by Karen Newman on 26/2/2024, 1:03 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

I can't help with the Ilfracombe connection, but wonder if I may suggest a possible Heming family.

You have probably looked at them and they may well be a red herring, but have you considered the Heming family of Wick (not far from Bristol)?

William Harrington Heming marries Lucy Hinton in 1873 (Bath reg dist).

In 1901, their 'son' Maurice is with them born 1896. The GRO reg reveals he was illegitimate (registered as Hemming, no mother's maiden name).

I believe Maurice is baptised in Wick but not until 1900. His mother is shown as Clara Annie (William and Lucy's daughter).

When he marries in 1921 in Wales, he gives his father as William Harrington Heming.

William H H's occupation varies but any of them could be connected to coach building e.g. carpenter. He dies in 1911.

Could Adelaide be an illegitimate daughter of Clara? I have not found anything to substantiate this, though.

Clara marries in 1907 and dies in 1909.

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by George on 26/2/2024, 2:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Hello Judith & Karen
Judith I was on the same track as you and I thought I had cracked it. Sadly, not so. I have traced Wiiliam back to his pre marriage.
He married Jane Fear in 1873 and I have followed them through to 1901 census which shows Nellie. Sadly, William dies in 1902 and Jane dies in 1910. In 1911 Nellie appears with John and Elizabeth Hemmings. John is William’s brother and Nellie was their ninth child. Nellie subsequently becomes a Green. So ended that line of research. Although I would add that William could have fathered an illegitimate child.
An interesting bit of info William’s father at marriage was Peter Hemmings who was a Coach Maker.
This brings me up to my latest lines of enquiry.
Adelaide according to the 1921 census was from Bristol. She was married in a Catholic church to a non-Catholic (my Grandad). My father was Baptised in the same church. I have just discovered that when she died in 1922, she was buried in a Catholic cemetery, St Josph’s Church Nechells Birmingham. I am waiting to hear from the Birmingham Archdiocese archivist to see if there is any reference to her parents and exact date of birth.
I am thinking that maybe Adelaide was orphaned or adopted. I am now researching records to see if this may have happened. At sometime I will visit all of the Bristol Catholic churches circa 1896 to see if there are any Baptism records for Adelaide. A further thought is that her third name Veronica was in fact a Confirmation name. Which goes back to my thinking that she was a devout Catholic.
Another thought is whether she came from Ireland, but I am unsure of the name Adelaide.
Karen I will do bit of research on your suggestion.
Sorry for the ramblings
George

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by Karen Newman on 26/2/2024, 1:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

There is the possibility that she adopted some or all of her names if she were baptised in the Catholic faith and was of an age to do so.

I know someone who converted as an adult, was registered at birth with one 'Christian' name but adopted a 2nd and a 3rd on baptism.

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by Judith on 26/2/2024, 12:56 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

I found a William Hemmings on census, in 1901 living at Willsbridge with wife Jane and Nellie 5.
He was 52 and she was 48. His occupation given as carriage painter.
No children other than Nellie at home.
going back 10 1891 he is 42, Jane is 57/37 (tanscription error), no children, she says she was born Wedmore,
1881 census no children again, ages 32 and 27
free bmd gives a marriage in 1878 at Barton Regis (Bristol), Jane Fear and William Hemmings.
found a birth reg at Axbridge (reg district for Wedmore), for Jane reg 1853.
Looks to me as if this couple did not have children, unless the menapause produced a miracle.
His occupation is the significant thing, as carriage pain)ter/builder (all involved in the railways?
Might be worth getting the marriage cert for this couple to confirm the occupation.
Quite possible they took in a child from another member of the family,
there is a Nellie Hemmings registered 1896 mother maiden name Shepherd.
So we need to look for Adelaide without a surname!!
or she wanted a fancier name and changed it from Nellie.

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by Judith on 26/2/2024, 2:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

William Hemmings and Jane, both died before the 1911 census. Death cert for William would give his occupation. If he was a railway worker, then that would be a clue.
Possibility that Adelaide was a member of the Fear family and "adopted " because William and Jane had no children, perhaps another member had a lot!
It did happen that unofficial adoptions took place.
Jane was the daughter of Charles and Mary Ann, he was a tailor, and there was a brother Fred, and sisters Sarah and Elizabeth. all at Wedmore.should you decide to go down that route.
(Adelaide could have been a granddaughter of one of the siblings)
Jane is on the census at Wedmore until her marriage.
Hope this helps.

Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911

Posted by George on 26/2/2024, 2:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Collingwood Hotel 1911"

Firstly sorry for not thanking you and Karen for helping me.
Would you believe that Jane was born in the next village to me in Somerset.
The adoption idea does have merit, but sadly nothing shows up in the 1901 census apart from Nellie. By the time we get to the 1911 census, both William and Jane have passed away. Now by 1911 Adelaide would be 17. Hence my Ilfracombe Adelaide, which may well turn out to be a red herring!!
George

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