Find Ancestors

I am trying to find my mother Brenda Blakesley. I Karen Blakesley was born in Blackpool 30/07/1953.I have lived in Australia for approx. 50 years and believe I came here a child migrant. Can anyone help me to fill in any pieces of my family.

Karen

Was your mother single when you were born, and how old was she?

I believe my mother was single and maybe gave me up for adotion. Father is not listed on birth certificate. Presume she may have been young.Can't help or be more specific.

Perhaps this could be Brenda's birth registration:

2nd quarter 1926:
Blakesley, Brenda mmn Arnold Pontardawe 11a 1811 (Pontardawe is in Swansea).

There aren't many Blakesleys listed, and this was the only Brenda I could find.

I've looked through marriages 1953-end 1960, and the only one I found was a Brenda C Blakesley, who married in Chesterfield in 1957. Will do a few more years, as you didn't mention that she had a middle name.

Have now looked for a marriage for her up to end of 1966. There was only the marriage I mentioned above.

my Mum now deceased, used to belong to a dancing school and danced with Brenda Blakesly who went on to have a successful dancing school on Newbold rd in Chesterfield. This is still a dance school but obviously another name now. My Mum was born in 1919 and Brenda was younger than her, they both danced at the Iliffe school of dance run by Marjorie Illiffe an her husband Clem Gullick. If the age fits this could well be your mother, hope this is helpful

If this is so I may have a picture of her in my Mums belongings

Alison.

This post is from 2007 so it would be best to click on Karens name and send her a message through GR who will notify her that she has a message from you,if she is still a member and has not changed her email address.

It would be a shame for her to miss this info that you may have for her.

I have also sent Karen a message to tell her that there is a message here for her from you,I hope she is still a member...

Hi Alison I have just seen your message after getting an email from Genes Reunited and Vivienne. I had been trying through a Australian Anzestry reseach guy called Jeremy Palmer. The last I was told was to contact Adoption Services in Blackpool and an organisation called NORCAP. He mentioned to me to maybe try to obtain more info on a Brenda Blakesley from West Bromwich or Brenda Cecilia Blakesley who married a Eric Dale Moseley in 1957. If you have anything you think might be relavant that would be fantastic as I feel I have hit a wall. The Brenda Blakesley from West Bromwich was born in 1922 District Pontardawe and Cecilia B Blakesley District Chesterfield. Hoping to hear more Carmen Ryan(Karen Blakesley)Bye for now

Hi Carmen.
Thank you for your message.
I am glad that you got my message and have seen this,
Have you been in contact with Alison by private message (PM)as you have me to see where that leads?

Also the advise to contact Blackpool Social Services/Adoption services and NORCAP is exactly spot on.
If you were legally adopted out it should have "adopted"on the side of your original full birth certificate,do you have that document?

I personally am quite willing to try and help you in any way that I can now that you have returned to this thread,as I am sure others will be too.

As posted by Lindy Lou earlier there is a birth for Brenda Blakesley in Pontardawe.

Births Jun 1926
Blakesley Brenda Arnold Pontardawe 11a 1811

And there is also this one.

Births Dec 1922
Blakesley Brenda E Jones W.Bromwich 6b 1490

Those would seem to be the only ones that could be her as all others would make her too young to have had you.

There are just 4 marriages of a Brenda Blakesley on Ancestry not allowing for mis transcriptions.

1944 in Staffordshire,Brenda E

1957 in Derbyshire Brenda C

1986 in London Brenda E

1976 in Glamorgan of Brenda (no middle name).

So not a lot of marriages that could possibly be her It seems.

If she did go on to marry that is.


Out of interest there is this birth where the middle initial may stand for Brenda.

Just to keep in mind.

Name: Cecelia B Blakesley
Mother's Maiden Surname: Gascoigne
Date of Registration: Jul Aug Sep 1926
Registration district: Chesterfield
Registration county: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire
Volume Number: 7b
Page Number: 1239

Hi Alison, I have no idea whether you recieved my first reply as I had to rejoin and pay for a further 6 months to Genes Reunited and by the time tried to send my reply it wouldn't go back. First thank you after all this time trying to give me info. I had been researching through a Jeremy Palmer from Anzestry.com. I had no further information since 2008. It appears the 2 most possible candidates for my mother are Brenda Blakesley from West Bromwich and Brenda Cecilia Blakesley who married Eric Dale Moseley in 1957.Brenda from West Bromwich was born in 1922, and Brenda Cecilia was born around 1926/1927 Mothers maiden name Gascoigne District Chesterfield which I gather is not that far from Blackpool. I have a copy of the marriage certificate that claims she was 30 when she married Occupation listed as Dancing Teacher Address 80 Hawkesley Avenue,s Edwin Blakesley. Unfortunately to date have not gone any further, as I really don't know where next to go. My researcher here has advised for me to contact adotion Services at Clifton Road Blackpool Lancashire re adoption records and also NORCAP contact register was also mentioned. If you don't mind me asking was the Brenda your mother danced with a close friend, do you know her, is she still alive. Unfortuately being a different country and so far away this is not an easy exercise but I dearly would like what any info you can partake. Thank you once again. By the way if you are wondering why I go by the name Carmen now it is because my Foster Father changed my name from Karen to Carmen. Hope to hear from you again.

Carmen.
Thank you for your Pm.

If you click on Alisons name you can send her a private message as well.

PS.
As you have the marriage cert of one possible Brenda then a search can be made for any possible children and her through Electoral rolls and death refs .

I will look when I get back
viv

FBG has asked me to take a look here -- and we're agreed on one thing, Carmen: you need to use the "Enter" key frequently to break up your posts with some white space! It really is much too hard to read all in a block like that. ;)

I wondered about tackling the foster/adptive family to see whether we could find family in England who might know of them. What I'm not clear on is: you are not in contact with them? Quite likely the parents are deceased; what about the child, and any other children?

If any of this seems inappropriate for the open boards, tell me and I'll delete it. It is just so much easier to follow than doing it by 3-way email, let alone PMs.

Joan was born in 1925, the daughter of John and Margaret A. (There is one other Joan birth that could be her, but the birth I refer to was in the same district as her marriage.)

She had 3 brothers. It could be possible to trace them / their children. What I'm wondering is whether family in England might be in touch with the couple and child who left the country.

Her husband's name was more common and there's no obvious candidate for his birth. Their marriage certificate would give their ages and their fathers' names, which should make it possible to identify him and any siblings.

And just to note -- clearly the Brenda whom Alison's mother knew is the Brenda/Cecelia who married Moseley.

Unfortunately, it seems there were no births to that marriage.

Both the Moseleys have now died and I have sent Carmen a PM with the refs as I thought it a start to maybe finding anyone who knew "that" Brenda well, through any scrap of info on it..

I also could not find any children for the marriage.

And Brenda /Cecilia would seem to have been an only child herself.

This would be her parents marriage.

Name: Thomas E Blakesley
Spouse Surname: Gascoigne<<<<<Mabel
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1926
Registration district: Chesterfield
Registration county (inferred): Derbyshire
Volume Number: 7b
Page Number: 1067

And their births ?
I note that as Janey pointed out earlier on an Edwin,we have the name Edwin popping up again?

Births Dec 1898
Blakesley Thomas Edwin Burton 6b 397

2 Mabels in Chesterfield

Births Mar 1909
GASCOIGNE Mabel Chesterfield 7b M/37

Births Sep 1902
GASCOIGNE Mabel Chesterfield 7b 824

There are 4 more births of a Mabel Gascoigne between those 2 with and without middle initials,but I put these 2 here as they are in Chesterfield.


There are no results for those names on trees on here.

There is a public tree on Ancestry with Thomas E Blakesley on,but no spouse assigned to him,so prob a distant relation.

And no one has a Mabel Gascoigne that would be her.

Hi Carmen, I really dont know much more. But I think Brenda will have died by now, Hawksley Ave in Chesterfield is 10 mins walk from her dance studio,she was well known in Chesterfield and this was the top dance school at the time. Blackpool is 2 hours ride away but is also one of the places where people from my area go on holiday its a seaside town.My Mum was friends with her when they were young at the dance school, my Mum was still dancing in her late teens, so she and Brenda were the principal dancers. They danced at the hippodrome which is now the pommegranite theatre. Dont know if Chesterfield library have any archives. If anything else comes to mind I will let you know. regards Alison

Hi Alison, yes, Brenda has died, FBG sent the info to Carmen.

I'm sure your memories and info are wonderful for Carmen to have, if it turns out this Brenda was her mother, as it seems.

Hi Alison.

You also mentioned that you may be able to find a photo of her for Carmen.

Maybe a resemblance would show to try and help towards finding out ?

Hi Alison

Thank you so much for your reply, I can only continue on with my search to ascertain as to whether the Brenda Blakesley your mum had known is my possible mother.

Thanks Carmen (previously Karen)