General Chat

It is not a query about a relative, but just generally interested as my parents moved into a house in the 70’s and when renovating found a bundle of letters written around the time of the first world war hidden under the floorboards in a bedroom. We heard stories about a Doctor living at the address with is house maid. I would love to find out who the residents of ‘Whitfield’ 64 Wadham Road Portsmouth, Hampshire around 1905-1920 ?

Hi Jason have you had a look at the 1911 census?

1911 there was a Donald Maxwell Perkins, civil service writer living at no 64 with his wife and children.

Name: Donald M Perkins
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Male
Age: 1
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Portsea Island
Sub-District: Landport
Parish: Portsea
County: Hampshire

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
John Perkins Self M 29 Sheerness, Kent
Henrietta M Perkins Wife F 24 London, Middlesex
John H Perkins Father M 59 Gosport, Hampshire
Samuel Perkins Brother M 21 Portsmouth, Hampshire
Edmund Perkins Brother M 16 Portsmouth, Hampshire
Donald M Perkins Son M 1 Portsmouth, Hampshire

Name: Donal M Perkins
Age (Original): 11
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1870
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Scholar
Address: 30 Sydenham Ter
Event Place: Portsea, Hampshire, England
Record Type: Household
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 1160 / 102
Page Number: 6

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
John Perkins Head M 39 Sheerness, Kent, England
Henrietta M Perkins Wife F 34 Stepney, Middlesex, England
Donal M Perkins Son M 11 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Florence H Perkins Daughter F 8 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
May B Perkins Daughter F 4 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

GS Film number: 1341284

Name: Henrietta M Perkins
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 31 Mar 1901
Civil Parish: Portsmouth
Ecclesiastical Parish: St Bartholomew
Sub-District: Portsmouth And Mid Southsea
Registration District: Portsmouth
Residence County: Hampshire
Gender: Female
Age: 53
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Birthplace: Stepney, London
Record Type: Household

Does anyone know if there were any reported deaths in the house and if Henrietta or any of her daughters lived in the house there whole life?

Jason this is the 1911 in full


Name: Donald Manwell Perkins
Age in 1911: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Civil Parish: Portsmouth
County/Island: Hampshire
Country: England
Street address: 64 Wadham Road, North End, Portsmouth
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Senior Civil Service Writer
Registration district: Portsmouth
Registration District Number: 90
Sub-registration district: North End and Buckland
ED, institution, or vessel: 30
Household schedule number: 63
Piece: 5508
Household Members:
Name Age
Donald Manwell Perkins 41
Lizzie Norah Isabelle Mcthail Perkins 26
Ella Norah Massy Perkins 5
Maxwell Edmund Massy Perkins 3
Duncan George Massy Perkins 1

It says on the image that they have been married 8 years,

From probate records it appears the family moved, as Donald died in London 1946 ( probate to his wife as named above)

They were living in Chiswick from at least 1937.( from electoral roll)

There are several trees on Ancestry for the family that suggest Donald's wife Lizzie was from Jamaica ( as it has on the census image) and that the marriage took place there.

I don't think it's likely that he is the person who wrote the letters, so I think you would probably need to look at the electoral roll for that address , they are not online as far as I know so you would have to find out where they are held in Portsmouth

I have been searching bmd record to find Henrettia Perkins but every search
I have done under her name etc has come back as no results. I am trying ti assertain what year she died and where as it looks as if the house passed to her son Donald in the 1911 census. Any info would be appreciated. Mant thanks.

well in 1901 Henrietta was living at 122 Victoria road,

and here in 1911

Name: Henrietta Maria Perkins
Age in 1911: 65
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relation to Head: Wife
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Stepney, London, England
Civil Parish: Portsmouth
County/Island: Hampshire
Country: England
Street address: 5 Gladys Avenue, North End, Portsmouth, Hants
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 45
Estimated Marriage Year: 1866
Registration district: Portsmouth
Registration District Number: 90
Sub-registration district: North End and Buckland
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Household schedule number: 236
Piece: 5511
Household Members:
Name Age
John Perkins 69
Henrietta Maria Perkins 65
Stella Evans 8

This is from incoming passenger lists

Name: Mr Donald Perkins
Birth Date: abt 1870
Age: 66
Port of Departure: Kingston, Jamaica
Arrival Date: 13 Apr 1936
Port of Arrival: Bristol, England
Ship Name: Ariguani
Search Ship Database: Search for the Ariguani in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Messrs Elders and Fyffes Ltd
Official Number: 148890

Home address 64 Wadham Rd

Ok thanks Rambling Rose. I must have got my facts wrong and Donald and Lizzy lived in Wadham Rd and his mother henrietta lived round the corner in gladys ave. My search to find out who was there when Donald moved out continues to piece togetherwho lived there from when it was first built to the 70's
continues. However thanks to the info I have been given on my thread I can work from the perkins family on ward.

Jason I saw your other post before it went, given your description of the lady I would think prior to Donald living there? intriguing! ...maybe someone can take a look for the address before the 1911 census ( I believe you can search addresses on FMP?)

Sorry really new to this what is FMP ? Thanks for your help with this its something I have been wanting to find out for years to see if there is anything that may link to what my mother saw.

FMP is Find My Past, the sister site to Genes R, I use Ancestry for records myself but I think an address search is easier on FMP, just to see who was in the house before 1911 perhaps.

Ok thanks I'll give it a try.

If the letters referred to the First World War and they weren't anything to do with the Perkins family then someone who lived at Wadham Road after them must have brought the letters with them.

I wonder if one of Donald and Lizzies children continued to live ther after the parents moved out

When Donald came back from Jamaica travelling with him was Mrs Elizabeth Perkins his address,as Rose said, was 64 Wadham Road, her address was Northend, Portsmouth, which is where Gladys Avenue was.

Henrietta Maria of 18 Shanklin Road, Crouch End Middx died 07/12/1915. Admin to Donald Maxwell Perkins. £452.0.9.

son Maxwell appears to have married in 1934 Hitchin herts,

son Duncan did a lot of travelling back and forth to Jamaica, as here ( home address given as 64 Wadham Road still)

Name: Duncan George Massy Perkins
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Birth Date: abt 1910
Departure Date: 2 Apr 1928
Port of Departure: Avonmouth, England
Destination Port: Kingston, Jamaica
Ship Name: Motagua
Search Ship Database: Search for the Motagua in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Elders and Fyffes, Limited
Official Number: 134702
Master: A W Legge

Duncan incoming passenger, with wife Nelsie

Name: Duncan Geo Marry Perkins planter
Birth Date: abt 1909
Age: 25
Port of Departure: Barbados
Arrival Date: 1 Jul 1934
Port of Arrival: Bristol, England
Ship Name: Carare
Search Ship Database: Search for the Carare in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Messrs Elders and Fyffes Ltd
Official Number: 147345