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and going back to the second death possibility Rose posted, for Doris May Thornton born 1916, it could still be useful to get that death certificate to see whether Barbara might have been the informant in which case it could provide a name and address for her

for info

Marriages Dec 1912
Day Kate F Sheppard Hackney 1b 864
Sheppard Francis C Day Hackney 1b 864

Births Mar 1914
Sheppard Alice E Day Hackney 1b 744

Births Jun 1916
Sheppard Doris M Day Islington 1b 318

Births Sep 1918
Sheppard Evelyn F Day Islington 1b 239

in a tree here at genesreunited:

Evelyn Sheppard 1918 26, Birnam Road, Islington
Doris Sheppard 1916 26, Birnam Road, Islington

Andy you know you can send messages to other tree owners with names of interest?

that tree owner's surname indicates they are related to the mother of Alice, Evelyn and Doris

All the messages are quite old,there is also this one from 2002,

http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/surnames.thornton/1761/mb.ashx

Thank you! I have sent her a message!

The lady ( Eileen) who posted re Barbara on that Missing you link also shows up in a google search as having posted the following, where the Sheppard surname comes in,

http://www.missing-you.net/people/richard-s-morley-114278.php

Andy I'm not sure if you are aware of this lady?

Wow! I'm overwhelmed by the replies! thank you all!

I am quite a novice when it comes to searching but I have been searching for about 12 years now... here is the story for those of you who are interested..

Arthur Thornton was my Grandad. My Mum Brenda was born in 1950, however Arthur Thornton was married previously and had a daughter (Barbara Thornton) in 1940. We managed to get a copy of her birth certificate, which showed she was born to Arthur Thornton and Doris May Sheppard in Hove. Arthur and Doris got married at some point, however he left them both in the 40s sometime. His second wife was my Nan - Marjorie.

My mum only discovered she had a half sister as she found a picture of a 7 year old girl when she was younger. My Grandad left my Nan, my mum and my uncle when they were young (it seemed to be a bit of a habit), and they never saw my Grandad again (however we did find out that he married again...)

Obviously hurt by my Grandad leaving, my Nan would never talk of him, or give any information about Barbara (although we don't know if she actually knew anything anyway)

That is kind of where the trail goes cold. We have a suspicion that Doris and Barbara may not have kept the Thornton surname due to my Grandad walking out on them, and may have even moved to another country? We have tried Salvation Army although they couldn't trace her.

My mum has really been searching all her life, and she is 65 now, so I would love to find her sister...

ah well, I am a little tired of hunting elsewhere for info not given, so maybe Andy will give the relevant info here so we can all see it

'If' Doris did not remarry?


First name(s) DORIS MAY
Last name THORNTON
Gender Female
Birth day 7
Birth month 6
Birth year 1916
Age -
Death quarter 3
Death year 1994
District SHEFFIELD
District number 0481E
Register number E69A
Entry number 058
Date of registration mm/yy 0994
County Yorkshire
Country England
Record set England & Wales deaths 1837-2007
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Deaths & burials
Collections from Great Britain

The info on that Missing you thread is a bit out as the birth was

Births Jun 1916 (>99%)
Sheppard Doris M Day Islington 1b 318

There is considerably more info here

https://www.missing-you.net/datapilot/searchresults.php

ah, that death does match the area a little better than the one I suggested, but she would have been nearly 40 when Barbara was born ... and there is no Doris May Sheppard birth in June quarter 1902 ...

Maybe Andy will tell a little more about his connection so we know what he knows, and we aren't left guessing at things he knows :-)

no such thing as too much information when asking for help ...

Do you know if she left the area? There is no obvious marriage in Hove, and as she doesn't have a middle initial it will be hard to pinpoint a marriage.

This may be her mother's death, in which case buying the cert might give a relative as informant


First name(s) DORIS MAY
Last name THORNTON
Gender Female
Birth day 14
Birth month 6
Birth year 1902
Age -
Death quarter 3
Death year 1986
District WORTHING
Register number 786
County Sussex
Volume 18
Page 2197
Country England
Record set England & Wales deaths 1837-2007
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Deaths & burials
Collections from Great Britain

probate record can be found
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=thornton&yearOfDeath=1986&page=2#calendar

would this be Doris's death?

Name: Doris May Thornton
Birth Date: 5 Feb 1921
Date of Registration: Jul 1999
Age at Death: 78
Registration district: Newham
Inferred County: London
Register Number: C46
District and Subdistrict: 2571C
Entry Number: 175

Births Mar 1921 ?
Sheppard Doris M Charstone Falmouth 5c 226

that person is in a tree at this site too

if so, it could be worth obtaining the death certificate to see whether Barbara might have been the informant

when you say changed her name, do you mean by marriage or some other method/reason?

spelling counts for names ... you have it right in the subject line but misspelled in your message: it was Barbara.

she seems to have been an only child unfortunately - no other Thornton-Sheppard births in the vicinity

she is in two people's family trees besides yours at this site

http://tinyurl.com/pwncvbj

are you in touch with those people?

... one you are for sure I would think

I am looking for a relative...Born Barbra Thornton to Doris May Sheppard and Arthur Thornton in 1940 in Hove. She may changed her name over time...desperately looking for any help. Thank you :)