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I believe Edena was an only child, daughter of Arthur Knowles and Minnie E Russ, who married Thanet 1915. Arthur died in 1916 on active service (RN):

Arthur Knowles
Age:23
Birth Date:abt 1893
Death Date:17 Jun 1916
Cemetery:Chatham Naval Memorial 1916
Burial Country:England
Mother:Ellen Knowles
Service number:J/5144
Region or Memorial:Memorial Register

What interested me, was the details attached to the record:

Drowned in English channel 17/6/1916 follow a collision. States son of Ellen of Margate and husband of Mrs W F E Boyd, formerly Knowles of 35 Tivoli Road, Margate!

It looks like Minnie E Knowles married Robert F Boyd in Devonport 1917.

Another record gives his birth as 25/5/1893, Margate, and states nok wife Minnie of 29 Marlborough Rd Margate.

So you could be onto something with that marriage :-)

Good, it does look likely for Jessie.

I think you would need the marriage certificate, Edena M Knowles would have been much younger than him, as it looks like her birth was registered Thanet in 1915 - and I think this could be her death:

Edena Marie Smith
Birth Date:12 Nov 1915
Date of Registration:Mar 2004
Age at Death:88
Registration district:S and W Dorset
Inferred County:Dorset
Register Number:D4E
District and Subdistrict:432/1D
Entry Number:182

Incidently, I came across another dept of pensions request for service details on another unconnected search. It was when the soldier applied for a disability pension - it could be relevant, but I've no idea how you could follow up on it.

Jessie's address on the probate record looks quite nice - semi's overlooking the park. I wonder if it is worth getting the electoral rolls checked out see if John stays there after her death - and see if Edena turns up?

Hey there Flip. The death certificate arrived this morning and I think it is indeed my Great Aunt Jessie. Her husband's occupation is District Manager of a Cold Storage Company, which would be a likely job for an ex butcher...

Poor old Jessie died from complications after a hysterectomy, I'm guessing John Henry Smith probably remarried later the same year to Edena Knowles, though I still need to confirm that.

And more importantly, I need to find out if John and Jessie ever had any children, always more research to do!

Thanks again for your help, you're a star!

Will do, Flip... These are exciting times!

Let us know how you get on, I had a quick look at the British Newspaper archives but couldn't spot an obituary - but maybe the local library or records centre has better local coverage.

Hi Flip,

Wow! That looks extremely promising... Absolutely indebted to you for looking that up, Flip.

I'll get a request in for a death certificate and will see what else I can find out. I can feel another trip to Kent coming on... ;-)

Cheers matey!

Shane

This must be worth a punt!

Deaths Mar 1935 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smith Jessie 40 Thanet 2a1495

Thanet reg district covers Margate and there is this probate record:

Jessie Smith
Probate Date:13 Feb 1936
Death Date:20 Jan 1935
Death Place:Margate, Kent, England
Registry:Winchester

Jessie Smith of 18 Tivoli Park Avenue, Margate (wife of John Henry Smith) died at Margate general hospital. Administration to the said John Henry Smith, Store companies manager. Effects £41.

If you like I can PM you the probate entry - but it doesn't give anything else.

Fingers crossed ;-)

I wonder if it was significant that on his military record the Dept Work & Pensions requested information on his service history 9/3/1939 - which was duly supplied.

I've not come across such a request on other records - but then again I haven't checked that many.

Hi again Flip - according to his war pension records he was a Butcher prior to the Great War, but checking the gazetteers for the local area up to the 1950's I couldn't spot anyone likely to be him.

Hi Susan - I've just obtained his birth certificate (your reference is correct) and have a birthdate of 15/11/1895 and a birth location of Walthamstow. His mother moved to Penge after the death of her husband in 1909. John's birthdate doesn't tally with any post 1969 deaths, so I'm guessing he probably died earlier than that or didn't know his birthdate.

By my calculations there could be as many as 40 or 50 entries in the GRO index that could be potential ones for John H and Jessie (assuming that Jessie didn't remarry and change her surname). Cross referencing them gives a few possible locations, but at £9.25 a go it could be an expensive exercise!

Another Genes Reunited member has suggested that Jessie died early and John might have remarried around 1930 to a Mrs Dean, but when pressed couldn't confirm it. I'm still hoping someone from the Smith side will put their tree on GU soon and make everything clear...

Thanks for your help and suggestions, folks!

Possible Walthamstow in this Parish

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 about John Henry Smith
Name: John Henry Smith
Registration Year: 1895
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration district: West Ham
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 376

Have you a dob for John Henry so we could try to see if he made it past 1969?

Hi Flip, thanks for the message. Yes, I did check Homefield, and electoral registers for the area through 1952 (mother Minnie died in 1954). Looks like John and Jessie moved away somewhere... the rascals!

Did you check the ERs for his mothers address - given as Homefield?? (I think), Westbury road Penge on the military record. He was with mother and siblings in 1911, mother Minnie was a widow - 21 Westbury road according to the census.

Added, don't forget Jessie would not have been eligible to vote until around 1928 - prior to this women needed to be 30.

Alas, the trip to Bromley revealed very little. No evidence of John and Jessie living at 8a Samos Road, and no evidence of them in any electoral registers or newspapers in the local area.

Looks like I'm going to have to try some of the possible deaths in the hope that I get lucky...

Thanks Catherine, I'm going to Bromley tomorrow to research the Smiths - will have a look at the local newspaper to see if there's anything relating to this suggested death.

You could well be right about Jessie not knowing her Date of Birth - her brother (my grandfather) was three days out with his birthday it turns out!

maybe the informant didn't know her exact date of birth????

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Jessie Smith
Name: Jessie Smith
Birth Date: 14 Jan 1894
Date of Registration: Jun 1989
Age at Death: 95
Registration district: Bromley
Inferred County: Kent
Volume: 11
Page: 927

Hi folks, thanks for your replies and the info. I have Jessie's birthdate (23/1/1894), but it doesn't tally with any post-1969 deaths on Freebmd (which I've been using ).

Unfortunately I have no idea whether they moved directly to Anerley or whether they were elsewhere in London - there is a family rumour that they were also in St John's Wood at some point - hence they could have had children anywhere.

As you can imagine with popular names like Clarke and Smith, there are numerous possible children. I'm probably going to have to visit Bromley library and check electoral registers and the baptisms at the local churches. Failing that, it's pot luck on obtaining birth or death certificates...

The DOB doesn't appear on deaths before late 1969

Have you looked for possible children of the marriage?

Use freebmd to do so ..........very easy site to use

Anerley is Penge that comes under Bromley reg district

From 1918 there's these births

Births Mar 1918
Smith Doris M Clarke Bromley 2a 761
Births Mar 1920
Smith Joyce L E Clarke Bromley 2a 1361

Big gap so maybe another family !

Births Sep 1936 - 1939 look on FreeBMD 1 male. 3 females. Only looked to 1940 !

If you have her actual date of birth you may be able to find her death using her dob