Greasborough mystery of 4 months old child in wrong grave

[peterw 10]

Because of the letter G I have spent more than one year trying to trace the history of a four-month-old Kathleen Parker, daughter of a “G”ertie Parker, who on 25 May 1918 was buried at Darnall Cemetery in the grave of my paternal grandparents who were Walter and Mary Ann Wright. Their names appear on the gravestone — but Kathleen Parker does not. So naturally I assumed that the child was buried in the wrong grave, especially with me being now 81 years old and never ever hearing a word about anyone named Parker.

 

But then, thanks to Sheffield Forumers, I find that the child’s mother, “G”’ertie, was living at 15 Bridport Road, Darnall (my birthplace) along with my paternal grandmother!

 

Thanks again to Sheffield Forumers, I now know that “Gertie” was in reality BERTIE and the husband of my father’s elder sister Doris, who because of family feuds in the 1920s I only ever met three times.

 

Now, still on the family trail I need to find a member of the Parker family because before I die I want to see little Kathleen’s short life acknowledged, and I need a family member to sanction this. Darnall Cemetery is vandalised and no longer the place to do it in, but if I can find where Doris is buried I thought a plaque or something, in little Kathleen’s memory, either on her stone or somewhere close by.

 

Doris, I recall, lived in a large terraced cottage immediately opposite a

church at which, I recall, a younger, female member of the family was married during the 1980s. Doris must have been a good reason for gossip because through no fault of her own she was well overweight (20-plus stones) and confined to her bed in the front room. I recall she wanted desperately to be carried or stretchered across the road to see the young girl (a member of the family) married, but needed her doctor’s say-so. Whether that happened I do not know because for family reasons I never saw her again.

 

Doris I understand had two sons who were older than me and could still be living, but I doubt it. They were the cousins I knew existed because my grandmother had a photo of them, but never saw until either the late 1970s or early 80s. The girl who was to be married at the church across the road could have been either the daughter of one of them, or their daughter-in-law to be.

 

Final info is that her doctor attended her every day, she had a budgerigar that knew more words and phrases than most because it was her constant companion. What happened to her husband “Bertie” I do not know, but if Doris had not stayed married to him, or perhaps continued to live with him?, her sons might not be Parkers. But at the moment I am hoping they are, and members of the family are still living in or around the area.

 

I only saw Doris three times. I drove my father over there to see her. He was not a nice man and had been estranged from her from before I was born in 1929! As a teenager I had lived at Deep Lane, Shiregreen, so I knew Grange Lane, then I turned right on the A629 with Keppel’s Column on my left, then drove down a long incline and took — I think — the second main road on the left for quite a distance before parking outside her home (on my left) which was unexpectedly large inside. The church, as I have said, was directly opposite.

 

My thanks for your interest and any help you can give me in finding the right Parkers. If anyone prefers to remain anonymous, please do not hesitate to send me a P.M. But I sill be coming on every day, looking for any sign of progress. I’ve been told my a quest is a bit OTT but despite the little girl’s age, she had been buried, obviously, with my grandmother’s blessing and I would think that the stone she might have wanted would have carried her name. It more than likely would have done so — but my father bought the stone on hire-purchase (poor as hell in those days) and any child of his sister’s would have been of no consequence to him. That’s about how nice a person he was.

[retep 68]

Was this the Church Peter,

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=church+street+greasborough+united+kingdom&aq=&sll=53.45663,-1.371421&sspn=0.000168,0.000684&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Church+St,+Greasbrough,+Rotherham,+South+Yorkshire+S61,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.45655,-1.371017&spn=0,0.043774&t=h&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.45663,-1.371421&panoid=OCBkqYOXbfsTZ-Cu1hJrSw&cbp=12,287.86,,0,4.91

[DUFFEMS 56]

Retep, Bertie's Attestation Papers are on Ancestry.

Doris May WRIGHT married Bertie PARKER at the Parish Church Darnall 04.10.1914

Their son Fred was born 19.04.1915 Sheffield

Their daughter Kathleen was born 10.01.1918 Sheffield

Regards,

Duffems

Edited February 19, 2011 by DUFFEMS

[Rivelin6 11]

Hi Peter,

I'm again looking into this for you and will try and go down to the Sheffield Local History Library to look at the cemetery records for Greaseborough in the next couple of weeks. Glad to hear you are still moving forward with this even though it's been a bit tough going.

[peterw 10]

Thanks Rivelin6, all help is appreciated and I have to say that despite its relatively small percentage of really despicable people, Sheffield Forum and the vast majority of its users are the Bees Knees at offering real help.

 

Apologies for the small rant but I have just opened up a posting that I thought might be interesting. No names, but someone who had chosen to supply information had either spelled one word incorrectly or simply made a spelling error in his/her reply.

 

Amid a small mountain of real help, one typically unhelpful individual decided to take the helper to task by calling him/her a “dumbass”. That was followed by a Forumer who suggested banning that offensive person.

 

Good idea, but I would much prefer giving that person a spelling challenge that I have used over the years to partially test budding young reporters. Just five words in everyday use — easy enough for a person who can spell “cemetery”.

 

So, how about someone giving that person those words over the telephone and recording his/her immediate, off-the-cuff spellings, then giving all forumers the result? If her/she gets them all right, I will give £100 to that person’s choice of charity if he/she will do the same if he/she fails. The money to be held by a third, trustworthy person.

 

Sorry, but I am so angry. The challenge stands. If the person refuses to accept we will know that ‘cemetery’ is probably the only real word in his/her vocabulary.

Edited February 24, 2011 by peterw

[Rivelin6 11]

Well I'm off to the Local History Library tomorrow to see what I can find but I think I have already trace one of Bertie's brothers burial to Tinsley Park Cemetery

PARKER Thomas Frederick 22 Oct 1949 64 362 Dunlop St/Royal Infirmary Sheffield N140c

 

He was his eldest brother and the only one I'm fairly sure about as he took his father's name as his middle name. I have managed to trace his line up to the 1940's when his son of the same name married Lillian Sheldon

Marriages Sep 1938

Parker Thomas F Sheldon Sheffield 9c990

Sheldon Lilian Parker Sheffield 9c990

 

After that it gets more difficult as one possible son in Rotherham and one daughter in Sheffield but if it's the right daughter they are in the up to date electoral register. PM me for more details.

Maybe Tinsley would be a good place for the memorial. I went there a couple of years back and it seemed well attended.

[Rivelin6 11]

Well I went today to Local History Library but unfortunately all the records for Greasebrough, Masbrough and Rotherham have been moved over to Rotherham Archives in Oct 2010. I presume this is due to the Archives being closed till later this year. If you Pm me I will try and arrange a visit sometime.

[harvey19 541]

Well I went today to Local History Library but unfortunately all the records for Greasebrough, Masbrough and Rotherham have been moved over to Rotherham Archives in Oct 2010. I presume this is due to the Archives being closed till later this year. If you Pm me I will try and arrange a visit sometime.

I would have thought a possibility would have been a common grave.

What was the religion ?

I found an R.C. in St Budes Church graveyard at Rotherham after looking here after searching all Sheffield cemeteries for someone.

[Rivelin6 11]

I would have thought a possibility would have been a common grave.

What was the religion ?

I found an R.C. in St Budes Church graveyard at Rotherham after looking here after searching all Sheffield cemeteries for someone.

It's Doris Parker we are looking for but she could have remarried so not sure if she was still Parker on death.

[harvey19 541]

It's Doris Parker we are looking for but she could have remarried so not sure if she was still Parker on death.

She could have remarried using her maiden name if she had been divorced.

[Rivelin6 11]

Very true some when did, need to check that out. Thanks.

[Rivelin6 11]

I think I have found her death date. I tried around the date given and a death in Doncaster showed up. When I entered her maiden name as requested it lead me to the exact record of her birth. Found from 1901 census. Now we are getting somewhere. Doncaster Family History Society are very good with helping people.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Rivelin6