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Hi.
I am searching for a Dorothy Annie Skinner born in Kent in 1896. I know that she died in Gravesend in 1932 aged just 36 with TB.
I cannot find her birth although I have sent for several certs. The thing is that although she was my grandmother, my mum knew nothing about her and she never married, so I have no maiden name, no ggfather or mother to be able to trace her.
I am now banging my head up a great big wall!
Please is anybody able to help?
Thank you!

Just to clarify - she died as Skinner?

If she never married, is that her birth surname, do you think?

That's where I'm getting confused -- she never married but you have no birth surname.

Had she adopted the surname of her partner, and was that Skinner?

Snooping in the indexes ... your mum had two middle initials. Was the second by any chance a surname? Just in case it was Dorothy's surname ...

have you sent for this one?:
Name: Dorothy Frances A Skinner
Year of Registration: 1901
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Medway (1837-1941)
County: Kent
Volume: 2a
Page: 684 (click to see others on page)

There is a family in kent in 1901, do you know if dorothy had any brothers/sisters?

Regards linda :)

Hi Dawn. You have to reply in the thread -- click the purple Reply button at the top and the invisible box opens. It makes us nuts getting private messages about threads. ;)

"Hi, she was born a Skinner and died a Skinner! "

Thing is, Dawn, since you haven't actually found her birth, you don't know she was born a Skinner. ;)

Can you give us the date of her death? It helps for calculating when her birthdate would be.

This Dorothy was born in Canterbury, Kent
1901
William H Skinner 32
Ellen Skinner 32
Bertha Skinner 11
Alice Skinner 10
Frank Skinner 7
Dorothy Skinner 5

"Hi Janey
My mums name was Iris Lily Kathleen- so no surname there!
I sent for a cert of a Dorothy Skinner in Canterbury because she had a sister with the second name of Kathleen, (it was on 1911 census) but it came back as Edith Dorothy Skinner. I honestly think that I may not be able to do anything with this until 1921 census because the she had a daughter called Bridget, and they would have been together, so I can pinpoint them
Many thanks for your interest"


Hopefully you've caught up to the request that you reply in the thread by now. I'm not copying any more PMs here!


I wonder whether she was born Annie and gave herself the Dorothy as an adult. In the early 1900s, it wasn't too uncommon for young women to trade in their old-fashioned names for fancier more modern ones.

Dorothy Skinner died 26th March 1932 aged 36 at 10 Trafalgar road, Gravesend Kent

Bridget and Iris were born in Strood (from index search). Useful to know.


Births Sep 1895
Skinner Annie Strood 2a 568

for example ...

Thank you. I will try Annie in Strood, I will send. for cert and see if that could be the one, at this stage I will try anything!

Interesting results in 1911.

Found Annie:

SKINNER ANNIE 1896 15 Strood Kent

and Skinners living with her:

SKINNER GEORGE 1900 11 Strood Kent
SKINNER GORDON 1902 9 Strood Kent
SKINNER JAMES CHARLES 1898 13 Strood Kent

Expected to find parents under another surname as a result of mother's remarriage or such. So I searched for "names beginning with A" through to Z, living with annie gordon skinner -- and got nobody. They were the only ones in the household.

Either the parents were not at home, or that Annie was in charge of a household of younger siblings.

This is the household in 1901 in Strood:

Charles J Skinner 37
Eliza Skinner 35
Emily E Skinner 12
Annie Skinner 5
James C Skinner 3
George D Skinner 1
Joseph Russell 49 (boarder)


The birth cert won't tell you much more than that -- but you might have some luck tracking down the various other siblings and descendants to see whether anyone knows of Annie.

However, there is an Annie Skinner marriage in Strood that might probably rule her out -- to Bearman, 1913, with three births, 1914, 1915 and 1920.


Just following all theories! ;)

thank you! will start investigating all the theories now. I will let you all know how I get on.
Many thanks to you all
Dawn

do you have her death certificate?

where was she living , exactly
and who registered the death?

Vicci: Dorothy Skinner died 26th March 1932 aged 36 at 10 Trafalgar road, Gravesend Kent

Meant to note for Dawn: if the age at death was correct (it depends on the informant's knowledge), this would mean she was born between 27 March 1895 (about to be 37) and 26 March 1896 (just turned 36).

So her birth could have been registered from Q1 1895 to Q2 1896 (if she was born March 1896 and the birth not registered until the next quarter).

thanks Janey


Dawn, who was the death informant????

anyone able to look up electoral role for 10 Trafalgar road Gravesend
around 1930???

Hi the death informant was her daughter Bridget

That's strange Janey, my 1911 search brought her up still with parents James + Eliza (+ the other children you found!):

Schedule type Last names First names Sex Birth year Age in 1911

District / other County / other Transcript Original page
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER ANNIE F 1896 15 Strood Kent
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER CHARLES JAMES M 1864 47 Strood Kent
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER ELIZA F 1867 44 Strood Kent
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER GEORGE M 1900 11 Strood Kent
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER GORDON M 1902 9 Strood Kent
HOUSEHOLD SKINNER JAMES CHARLES M 1898 13 Strood Kent

Dea x

Well phew, Dea! I have no idea - not even my leter-by-letter search got them living in the same household. Weird!

I do still suspect that's not our girl, but at least we have her sorted out for future ref. ;)

Very strange Janey,

I don't know how to a 'A-Z' search, except by putting each letter in one by one (a bit tedious so I never do it).

On this occasion I just put Annie in as the other person in the household and Skinner (surname) at the top and 'up they came' !!

As you say though, I don't think she is the correct one but just posted for your information!

Dea x