Genealogy Chat

I am trying to validate some family stories, and to see whether I can find any more details. (I have birth & death certs already)

Name: George Gilding. Born 1/2/1913 in Brentford, mother Ethel Gilding. Died 3/2/2003 in Edinburgh. He was apprently given up by Ethel, not sure if it was into care or if he was adopted. Is there anyway I can find out where he was living from 1913 -1950 and what happened?

He married in 1952 in Galashiels, Scotland and on his marriage cert is listed as 'divorced'. How can I find out about the first marriage? It must have been sometime between 1932 and 1950 but no idea where or to who.

He also told me he was in the merchant navy. Are there any archives that I can search to find out when, what job he had, where he sailed etc? He moved to Scotland about 1950 so Merchant Navy must have been sometime between 1927-1950. Thanks!

Ethel's marriage perhaps?

Marriages Mar 1917
Gilding Ethel M Brentford 3a 297
Hilles John M Brentford 3a 297

Rose

Although adoption and fostering have taken place informally for centuries, it was only in the 1920s that adoption became legally recognised in Britain, so sadly you may not trace any adoption records for this person

merchant seamen service records are held at the National Archives in Kew, Richmond on Thames.

Fourth Register of Seamen 1913-1941 (Central Index Register)

If a man served between 1913 and 1940 his details were recorded in the CIR, also known as the Fourth Register of Seamen. Surviving records have been transferred to the Public Record Office from the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. The records are filed in a card index, now viewed on microfiche. There are several series of cards within this series (CR1, CR2, CR10), each compiled slightly differently and comprising slightly different information. You should be able to find discharge number, vessels noted (normally by o.n. only), a physical description, sometimes a photograph.

Index cards in CR1 CR2 for 1913-1920 have been destroyed, but there is a separate index covering part of that period (CR10).


Use this link and search the archives

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/searchthearchives/default.htm?source=searcharchives

The only way to really check for a prior marriage is to start at the date of the second marriage and working backwards, check every quarter, of every year, for a possible marriage. His name is not too common so it's not as bad as Smith or Jones !

Good luck with your research

Yes I think so. I found this one too and have ordered the marriage cert. I couldn't find a death cert for Ethel Hilles so maybe she married again? Not sure how I can find any births from this Hilles marriage?