Genealogy Chat

Help please. On my husbands birth certificate his mothers name is Elsie May Hall formerly Poulter. There is no fathers name on it.
He was fostered from a small baby and never knew anything about her. Have found out from another source that she was a Miss and a spinster. Could this mean that she had been adopted and if so where could l start to look.
Have been trying to find out something about for the past 2 years, and on the verge of giving up.
I have no idea of her age.
My husband was born in 1944 and l know from the electral roll the she lived in Lambeth in 1945, and then disappeared.
Am l looking for a needle in a haystack?

It's usually her maiden name. How reliable is your other info?

If she was adopted would she have known her birth name?

Ozi.

There is the possibility that she was adopted by a stepfather or she could have just changed her name for another reason. You are unlikely to find any info of a change by deedpoll as this is generally just a statement of intent registered by a solicitor.

Hi ozi
Please forgive me if you give this message twice, but still learning and could have pressing the wrong button!
I managed to trace my husbands father through a letter that the foster mother had His surname was Staples and he was unmarried. l sent for his army records, and on them he has named Elsie as his N.O.K. and she is down as a Miss and a spinister. He address was the same one as hers in Lambeth so l think that they had a stable relationship.Dont know why they didn't marry though. He was 38 in 1944.

Have you tried electoral rolls to search for her earlier than 1944?

You've been very good at sleuthing so far.

Ozi.

hi Patricia,

this may be a silly question but is his mother's name exaclty the same on the army records. Is she down on both as Elsie May Hall Formerly Poulter or do they differ slightly. incase that has any bearings on things. also what date are the army records?

Lee.

What surname did she give your husband? Hall, Poulter or Staples?

Edit: Looks like Hall but he was born in Yorkshire? Why did she go all the way up there?

Rose

Elsie May Hall formerly Poulter would imply that she was married to a Mr Hall and her maiden name was Poulter, have you looked for a possible Hall/Poulter marriage?

It could be that the source that said she was a Miss and a spinster, thought or assumed that because she was not married to your husbands father.

Roy

Hi Patricia
when I read your enquiry it just seems that Elsie , a married woman met Mr Staples and had a child by him, remembering it was wartime and that, like now, did happen.They had the child adopted possibly because she was going to stop with her husband. Change of plan, decided to stop with Mr Staples but she was entered down as Miss as that was one stage better that admitting that she was a married woman. Sometimes if a woman commited adultery she had her children taken off her by the Social Services of the day .Divorce in those days was very difficult and her husband could have prevented her ever marrying Mr Staples. I would say the scenario was quite a normal situation . I can remember my mother saying in 'hushed tones' that a couple were not married. It was a big deal in those days, but again its over 60 years ago and thankfully society is a bit more tolerant of human failings.
I don't think for one moment your mother in law was adopted and I would follow the advice of Porkie Pie and check out her marriage then concentrate on her maiden name.-JLe

Hi Janet, l thought of having a stepfathers name too, but was'nt too sure how to go about looking it up. l suppose l would have to order birth certificate with Elsie May Poulter on them, from about 1900 up to about 1920 and then cross check the mothers name to see it she had married someone called Hall, Could take me a while to do!
Patricia.

Hi Ozi
Have looked back as far as 1931 until 1960 when l think the buildings were demolished. There were no entries during the war years 1940 to 1944. Elsie was there in 1945 with someone called Lilian K Woodman, From then all just Lillian Woodman and George Woodman, whoever they were! Is it possible to search for a person on the electral roll even if you don't know an address?

Hi Ozi
i have searched the electral rolls from 1931 until 1960, when i believe the buildings, called Burdett Buildings, were demolished.
The only time she was there was 1945 with someone called Lilian K woodman There were no entries during the war years, 1940 to 1944. Is it
possible to search for a person on the rolls if you dont have an address?

regards Patricia.

Hi Lee
On the army records her name is just Elsie May Hall, no mentioned of Poulter. It said on the form that in the case of a widow or divorcee, the maiden name is to be included, but there is not mention of it.
H is father enlisted the day after he was born! prior to that he had served in the A.F.S. from 1939 until 1944.
I have contacted the archives section of the Fire service to find out if any service records are available, but so far nobody have bothered to get back to me.
Patricia.

I appear to have submitted the same answer twice! sorry, but l dont know how to correct it. still learning. By the way, what does 'nudge' mean l keep seeing on here.
Patricia.

Hi Rose
my husbands surname is Hall, same as his mothers.
He was born in Westow Croft, a maternity Home in Westow Yorkshire. I dont know if she had family up there, or was evacuated there, or perhaps just wanted to go where nobody knew her. The maternity home closed in the 1970s, and is now l believe a residental home for old people.
I did run an advert in the local paper asking if anybody knew the name, but nobody came forward.
patricia.

HI Roy
Have looked for a marriage between a Poulter and Hall but couldn't find one that fitted. Not knowing her age makes it harder,
patricia.

Could Lilian K be her married sister? There is a Lilian Kate Poulter b 1909/1910 on the 1911 census.

... or I suppose with 34 years between 1910 and 1944 Elsie might be Lilian's daughter? (That is, if Lilian Poulter becomes Lilian Woodman)

Hi Janet
Yes l see what you mean.
He was never adopted just fostered, and going by a letter that was passed on to us, it seems that his father kept in touch with the foster mother until about 1947. But no mention of his mother.
l might never get to the bottom of it all, but thank you very much for your advice.
Patricia.

Hi Ivy,
Yes i wondered about that when l saw the entry for lilian Poulter. l have looked but cannot find a marriage between a Poulter and a Woodman.
l have looked on BMD. at the Elsie Poulter Births from 1900 and after 1911 when the mothers maiden is given, but can't one of Woodman.