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since posting this thread on 29th June we have found out that some youngsters from childrens homes were shipped out to Australia in the 1950s & early '60s. Could this have happened to Mary Theresa? She was in Shenley Fields Children's Home, Birmingham & we are now following this avenue of search. If anyone out there has any thoughts on this or can help we would be most grateful. With thanks to you all. Does anyone know the whereabouts of my husband's sister Mary Theresa Johnson born in Birmingham 17th May 1945. There were four brothers and one sister. Len, Don, Ken, Mary Theresa & baby Michael who was born in 1950 when their Mother died. Parents names Alfred and Gladys nee Waldron. They lived at 1137 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham. (this address is now a scrapyard)
When Gladys died Michael was adopted by an Aunt and the other 4 children put in children's homes. They weren't adopted as Michael was.
The last anyone saw of Mary Theresa was about 1960-1961 when Len saw her at her father's flat in Birmingham.
Can anyone out there please help??
We have trawled through marriage records but can't find an entry for her, despite sending for many marriage certificates of many Mary Ts.
We have found Len & Ken. Sadly Don died a few years ago. But no trace of Mary Theresa.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP????
Has she gone to live abroad??
There must be someone who knows where she is.
With thanks in anticipation Rosemary
This is an old thread but we are no nearer finding Mary Theresa than we were in July 2009. The only thing we have found out is, at the age of 18yrs she was working in Birmingham. My husband and his brothers went on BBC Radio West Midlands Nov 2009 & nothing.
My thought has been, did Mary take Holy Orders? It would make sense of finding no marriage for her & the fact she appears to have vanished.
Do any of you good people out there know how I find a list of people who have gone into Nunneries please? I haven't a clue where to start.
With thanks
Rosemary

Have you tried a search on this site or friends reunited - you can do a street search on friends reunited, there may be a neighbour listed who knows of her
Liz

Have you tried looking for Alfred's death?

Maybe she stayed with him to the end and never married because of nursing him?

His death cert might state her as the informant?


Tracey x

Hi

Right Mary Theresa Johnson

last contact with her was in 1960/1 her name was not changed via adoption so have you looked for a marriage for her ?

When did Alfred die ? maybe she was the informant on the death cert, will take a look from 1966 for a marriage for her, if anyone has time can they check from 1960 till 1966 ?

Just checked I have found someone living alone on the elec roll with this name in Birmingham, wonder if she never married long shot but will pm you.

I have found these people Living at 1637 Coventry Road, Yardley, in 1945

...any good to you?

Johnson, Gladys
Johnson, Stella
Johnson, Alfred
Johnson, Sarah A

Tracey x

Hmmmm.. Scrap the last one.....

Gladys is on the 1945 electoral roll for 1137 Pershore Road

1945 Selly Oak Ward 365 188 CI Johnson Gladys 1137 PERSHORE ROAD

BUT....she's alone?

Tracey x

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http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:dZnFsJk-KugJ:www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/emigrants/media/child_emigration.rtf+birmingham+to+australia+%2B+children%27s+home&cd=19&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

useful info on migration
GOOD LUCK

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:kxycsqP2wKYJ:www.fatherhudsons.org.uk/index.php/site/familyplacementsoriginscanadaandaustralia/providing_information_from_our_records_to_former_child_migrants/+birmingham+to+australia+%2B+children%27s+home&cd=30&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
(father hudsons homes birmingham)

Thanks crutches, I have tried the Father Hudsons homes, unfortunately the Johnson family weren't Catholic so doubt they can help, but are going to look next week. I have written the other info down. Thankyou so much
Rosemary

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Thanks Ann & Choccy, have deleted the other post as requested. Thankyou Choccy & Ann for helping me
Rosemary

Rosemary, if she wasn't RC, would it be likely she had entered a nunnery?

It would be useful to have her exact date of birth (I'm not suggesting you post it here as this is all getting into rather a lot of detail about the private life of someone not present.)

The deaths index at Ancestry can be searched by given name(s) and date of birth alone, without having to know a surname. This could allow you to rule out a death with reasonable certainty, in any event.

Did you follow up at all on any suggestions here?

Her father's death certificate?

Got your PM, Rosemary - and I'll avoid pitching a fit about it being the umpteenth PM I've received today about a thread ;) because you did send the info I'd suggested not be posted publicly.

I checked for deaths of Marys with that birthdate, and there have been 9, but none of them is a Mary T/Theresa (some have Mary as a middle name), and none is in Birmingham. The closest I see (not being an expert at English geography) is Lichfield, Staffordshire, and that person is a Mary Elizabeth Raven. Keep in mind that deaths are only accessible up to 2005.


I'll copy the rest here:

Yes we have followed up everything, it was brother Ken who was dealing with their Father's death, and he had no idea at that time where Mary Theresa was, nor since. I've trawled marriages, passenger lists, electoral roles, deaths, the 3 brothers went on BBC Radio West Midlands last November, we have her on Missing person sites, I think I've explored every avenue I can think of.
Is it only Roman Catholics who take Holy Orders? Did she become a Roman Catholic?


I think the idea of nunneries is probably grasping at straws. It is a pretty unusual thing to do, for an Anglican to do this or to convert and then do it. It's conceivable if she had been placed in an RC children's institution, I suppose.

Children were still being exported (to put it bluntly) to both Australia and Canada in the mid-20th century. I'm in Canada -- and your problem in both places is the same: privacy legislation imposes a blackout on any information that could enable someone to be traced, i.e. marriages, birth of children, even deaths, for long periods after the event.


What about the person Tracey mentioned back in the summer -- the 2002 electoral roll listing for a Mary T Johnson in Birmingham? You can ask Whirley for a lookup of that entry, if you don't have it, by sending a PM via her thread:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1190509

It appears to be outdated, but it could be worth a try.

I have PMd Janey earlier. Did follow up all the suggestions of last year. Would be so grateful for anymore ideas.
With thanks Rosemary

Thanks Janey, I did write to the address in Birmingham that Tracey gave me, with a s.a.e. but never got a reply. But Fairhorn PMd me to say another Johnson was at the address. So I tried her, but no reply.
Thanks for looking at the deaths for me. It was the National Health Service records who told my husband Mary wasn't registered deceased.
Whirley did kindly give me a list of Mary Theresa Johnsons and I wrote to everyone but no luck, although not everyone replied.
I agree it is unlikely an Anglican would take Holy Orders, but it was just another train of thought.
My husband did find out from the Birmingham City Council a few weeks ago that Mary was working in Birmingham at the age of 18 so she couldn't have been shipped abroad. But after the age of 18 they don't record their movements anymore.We found two ladies in Birmingham who went to school with Mary when she was in her teens, but they have no idea what happened to her. This came about from an article which was run in the Birmingham Mail.
I know I musn't give up, but really don't know which way to turn now, although I have always been a bit suspicious of the marriage certificate we obtained for August 1969. The mistakes were appalling on it. Apparently the bridegroom was Afro Caribbean, but with all the mistakes the bride could have been 24 & not 34 as stated on the certificate. I've always got this in the back of my mind. It was an Andrews this lady married, so delved into the Andrews side of it with Whirley's help again but turned nothing up.
Thanks Janey, am tired now and making a lot of errors, so will come back to it tomorrow afternoon.
Thankyou Rosemary

Gonna PM a bit about that marriage you mentioned, just in case ...

Thanks Janey very much

Rosemary

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