Genealogy Chat

hi im not sure what it was called but there was a fever hospital in biggleswade around that time im going in to biggleswade town libary in a few weeks i will have a look and see if i can find any thing there that may help in the mean time you can try the biggleswade history society. there is alittle about them on the web www.biggleswade.org/history that may be able to help you jayne

The witnesses at Edith's marrage was her mother Eliza Haynes ( it acually says the mark off )and a Henry Smith. Which is great. lol. Thanks for the interest though. Ian Stanford

I've been through the Southwark connection to great depth. What was a shame was my grandmother didn't fit. I was even able to pick them up on the 1901 census.Eliza had become Elizabeth and there were several James of different generations living in the same area. There was an another daughter of exactly the same age, unfortunately not Edith, who was married in Hackney.

I think Biggleswade may be a red herring - it may simply have been where Eliza lived/moved to with her second husband. If Edith was born in around 1884, and her mother Eliza in around 1856, then James and Eliza Lewis may well have been married at the time of the 1881 census which you can access online. A search on LDS for Eliza Lewis born 1856 +/-2 years where the head of household is James Lewis throws up a possible family in Southwark with 6 children (although it looks as if this was a second marriage for James). This James is described as a hawker which may be dressed up as commercial traveller Where was Edith married? Any Southwark connection? Who were the other witnesses - any other Lewis's? If there is a Southwark link then you may find this family, including Edith, on the 1891 census.

I meant Arms House, sorry.

The workhouse theory fits in nicely with my aunts memory of an Aim House. I wonder if records were kept of the people who passed through their doors, and where they might be kept. My problem is that my father and his siblings were taken into care in the 1930's. My father aged 11 and his younger brother age 9 were sent to Milloak School, Brighton. and his sister age 5 and other brother age 2 to Shirley Oakes in Croydon. Both my father and the youngest brother are now deceased. My problem is I'm dealing with vague memories of early childhood of elderly aunt and uncle one over 80 the other nearing it. As i don't know the GGM maiden name of place or birth, her fathers name, or her seconds husbands first name, I am struggles to pin point the right Lewis. There are countless Edith, James , and Eliza's. I had thought of the electrol role for Biggleswade but I didn't think women had the vote before 1933. I do know Eliza was a Haynes before 1918. As she was a witness at my Grandmother marrage. Yours Ian Stanford

Ian, Where was Edith's marriage? I assume James is listed as deceased? Have you tried to find them in 1891. They might still be under Lewis then. Crista

It was certainly biggleswade, she is also described as a widow. The informant is described as the occupier. the address above, 'widow of Haynes occupation unknown', is the southend address. In the colume Occupation. Yours Ian Stanford ps thanks for all this help

There is a St Andrew's hospital in Billericay - see webaddress below. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/Billericay/Billericay.html I may be wrong, but I believe that the address in Occupation refers not to where the dead person lived, but where either they or often in the case of widows, their husbands, worked. A better clue to their address is where the informant of the death lived. Helen

The former workhouse in Biggleswade was known as the Great North Road House, then in the 1930's it was renamed The Limes and provided accomodation for the aged and infirm (one of my great uncles died there in the 1930's). St Andrews Maternity hospital occupied part of the premises from the 1940s, so it is quite possible that the place of death could have been described as St Andrews Hospital Biggleswade. Are there any other known Biggleswade connections? But the writing would have to be pretty bad to confuse Biggleswade with Billericay - the clincher should be the County quoted on the certificate, which should either be Bedfordshire or Essex!

Ian, I have just read your message and Ann's reply. Are you sure it was Biggelswade? There is a St. Andrews Hospital at Billericay, Essex, which is not that far from Southend. It may have closed now, but was certainly there until the 1990's. Rosemary(Essex)

My GGM was Eliza Haynes, (death Certicate) her second marrage, her daughter Edith Louisa Lewis married George James Stanford , 6th of May 1918 aged 34. her father a commercial traveller was James Lewis. Thats all i know As for the Southend connection I have no idea. But it was war time, perhaps she was evacuated, or taken in by a relative.

Biggleswade (Beds) is a long way from Southend (Essex). Unlikely that she would have been taken to hospital in Biggleswade if she lived in Southend. Unless she was visiting someone else in Biggleswade. just a thought. Ann Glos

Ian, What was your Great Grandmother's name and when was Edith born? Edith's marriage should give the occupation of her father and her age. When and where did she marry and to whom? Crista

A little puzzle. I have a death certicate for my maternal Great Grand mother, died 29.of August 1942 in St Andrews hospital Bigglewade aged 86. How do i know she was my GGM, quote 'well she married a coal man named Haynes and moved to Bigglewade' I don't know the coalman's firstname. On the death certicate under 'occupation' I have an address 71 Essex Street, Southend. any suggestions, please. On my Grandmotheris marrage certicate, her daughter, Edith, maden name Lewis, father James, GGM was a witness. named Haynes. hence i have know idea of her maden name or where to go from here. and grandmothers Birth Certicate hasn't proved easy to find. please Help Ian Stanford