Find Living Relatives

I am posting on behalf of Jill, a fellow member of the Glamorgan FHS, who is not very computer-literate and doesn't yet feel confidant to do more than use email. She is looking for Carol Watson, daughter of Robert Alfred Watson (known as Alf) who was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 5 Sept 1894. Robert was the older brother of Jill's maternal grandmother Hilda, born 1898. Their parents were Joseph Watson, born 1860 and Elizabeth Ann Hughes, born 1859. Robert Alfred Watson is on the 1911 census aged 16, pony driver below ground, 29 Mary Street, West Stanley, Co Durham with mother Elizabeth as Head (father deceased). In WWI he was a sergeant in the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The family believed that Robert may have married, and was either divorced or separated and possibly remarried, with death probably in London. All that is known about Carol is that she was famous for modelling hands, possibly in the 1960s. I said I would try and help, so I hope it is OK to post on someone else's behalf. If it is not, then please accept my apologies. I will try and keep an eye on this thread, but will be staying with friends from Tuesday for a few days, so may not reply straight away. Many thanks.

Does she know when Carol was born ?

Here they are on the 1901 census too ,Elizabeth was a widow by then too
Name: Robert A Watson
Age: 6
Estimated birth year: abt 1895
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Mother: Elizabeth Watson
Birth Place: Newcastle Upon Tyne Heaton
Civil Parish: Heaton
Ecclesiastical parish: St Gabriel
Town: Newcastle upon Tyne
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View image
Registration district: Newcastle upon Tyne
Sub-registration district: Byker
ED, institution, or vessel: 44
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 4794
Folio: 46
Page Number: 36
Household schedule number: 230
Household Members:
Name Age
Elizabeth Watson 41
Alice M Watson 18
Joseph E Watson 17
Frank W Watson 16
Ada Watson 10
Jessie Watson 8
Robert A Watson 6
Bertha Watson 4
Hilda Watson 3
Vera Watson 1

Unless Robert was married to Carol's mother, it's unlikely that she was registered as Watson

Have you looked for a birth?

What age would Carol have been in the 1960's? If she was modelling hands, she'd have to be quite young.

You say Robert 'may' have married.........have you looked for info on freebmd?

Deaths in London area

WATSON ROBERT A 1894 1947 1947 Deaths & burials Lambeth, London, England

WATSON ROBERT A 1894 1968 1968 Deaths & burials Woolwich, London, England

There was a birth in Woolwich for the name/year, so that probably accounts for one of the deaths

Thanks very much for these bits of info. I can't find the Woolwich birth on FreeBMD. Where did you find it?
The snag with looking for a marriage is that if he started off in Newcastle and ended up in London via the army, he could be anywhere! I realise this is needle in a haystack time, but I rashly agreed to try and help after Jill emailed me! I'm so looking forward to the release of the 1921 census as that might well help with brickwalls like this. I never quite understand why America is allowed to release much more recent censuses and we're not.
Re Carol, I don't think Jill knows any more unfortunately. I'm not sure where one might start searching for people who worked as models, but I wouldn't imagine that many people modelled hands! I'd guess she'd be anything from late teens to maybe early 30s?

Found the Woolwich birth now - I'd mistyped the date range!

I've found a marriage in Lambeth in 1926, to Doris A Carner, but no Carol Carners. There's a Carol A Watson born Lambeth 1946, mother's maiden name Cox, which would be potentially the right period for someone modelling hands in the 60s! If the parents weren't married, presumably a child could still be registered under the father's surname?

It could be - if the father attended the registration, or provided written consent for his name to be on the cert

Thanks - that's very useful to know. My great grandmother is registered under her mother's surname but her father is named on the birth certificate, and indeed they were evidently living as man and wife for many years and had several children together. The only mystery is why they never married as they had no reasons not to (or no legal ones anyway!)