Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

IN 1945 WERE PEOPLE STILL ADMITTED TO LUNATIC ASYL

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 20:00

can anyone help had no success finding a matching remarriage or death for a friends mother.
as she walked out in some distress in 1945 from the manchester area, leaving a family.
I begining to wonder if she didnt end up in some institution. were they still going then or were they closed down.
If they were still in existence, how could I find if her name was included, thanks

Janet 693215

Janet 693215 Report 26 Apr 2008 20:10

There were still mental institutions around in the eighties. As for your friends mother she may have just left, moved to a different area and started a new life. Does your friend know for certain the circumstances leading to her mothers disappearance? How old was your friend at the time?

I am not saying that this was the case but many women have been told to leave if their husband, family had found they had been unfaithful. The children were told Mum had upped and left or in some cases they were told they had died when in fact they had been forced to leave and any attempt to contact their children were prevented.

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 20:11

Hi Janet, yes the person concerned had been found unfaithful, however even so she was never heard of again in any form, so no letters or anything, which seems very final to me.

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Apr 2008 20:12

I tend to agree with Janet. At the end of the war years many marriages broke up because one or other of the couple had been unfaithful during the time they were forced apart by circumstances.

Kath. x

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 20:14

hi, in this case her husband was had just gone to visit his mum, and he came home early.
she only wants to know what happened to her mum, wonder if she remarried under a false name did that happen a lot, or died under a false name

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Apr 2008 20:17

You can call yourself anything you wish as long as it's not for fraudulent reasons - so she could have changed her name or gone back to her maiden name. Without any other information about her, I think your friend is going to find it hard to find any information. Did this person have any brothers or sisters that your friend could try to find?

Kath. x

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 20:21

hi kath, Ive traced the death of two of her relatives, and written to their last known address and sent sae s but no answer feel no one wants to discuss her to be honest.

Victoria

Victoria Report 26 Apr 2008 20:38

Have you checked all the quarters of all the years?

Do you want to give us the name and we'll have a look for you

Best Wishes

Jane

Kay????

Kay???? Report 26 Apr 2008 20:43


Have you checked Divorce records @National Archives UK.....so advance search from the homepage.

Janet 693215

Janet 693215 Report 26 Apr 2008 20:57

Perhaps she was told to leave while her husband was out. Quite often the mother would try to contact the children by letter but the family would intercept mail from her and withold it from the children.

I have heard of cases where each item of mail was returned to the mother and kept by her only to be discovered upon her death.

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 21:08

Janet this could be true.
kay never heard of that site, many thanks will give it a whirl

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 21:12

Jane, I can give you her mothers details, but dont want to bore anyone so many have tried so many times, its sat night lets give it a go.

at birth she was mary graham born 13th april 1914 prestwich, in 1938 she became mary o'donnell on her marriage to john in manchester area.
In 1945 she walks out. the trouble is Im looking for someone either dying under the name o'donnell or graham with the matching birth date, and they cant be found, or remarrying with the brides father as herbert graham, both times were depending on the truth being told.
thanks to everyone for being interested x

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 21:19

I should have added she had no middle name

leesle

leesle Report 26 Apr 2008 22:05

flash of inspiration if I send for the divorce papers from her first marriage it may cite the gentleman she went off with, or give her last known address