Find Living Relatives

That's very good news, Zoe.
Thanks for letting us know.

Thank you! I did indeed - your website has helped connect a brother and sister after 50+ years. One didn’t know the other existed and the other did but was thrown off course and had all but given up. Because of you, they now have a connection I couldn’t have dreamt of and my husband has finally got some answers to a life time of questions. Thank you!

Welcome to the boards, Zoe.

As it's nearly 3 years since Linda started this thread, she won't be expecting replies here now, and may not see your post.

Try contacting her by clicking on her name at the top of one of her posts, and sending a private message.
If she still uses the same email address, GR will notify her that there's a message from you..
With luck, she'll reply!

Hi Linda!
I know a while has passed since you started this thread so I’m hoping there is still a way you will see it - if a moderator can put me in touch that would be great!
I’m hoping I can fill a gap in your father’s life for you. I see your father’s second wife Brenda has already invited you to message her for info so you may already know much of the information I have. But just in case anything got forgotten here goes!
Firstly let me introduce myself. I’m Zoe, and I believe I am married to your half brother Roger! He was adopted after being taken into care when he was 3.
I’ve been looking into Roger’s biological ancestry for years without much success - certainly on his father’s side. So it was a relief to come across your post - especially as we could never have known he changed his name to Brown!
Also, just to say - I do have Rogers permission to share this. He has paperwork which enabled us to build an accurate picture of Johns whereabouts between July 1966 and February 1971 and after a gap, also his whereabouts in the latter half of 1973.
Here goes - minus some information that would not be relevant to you, I hope you find it useful and I also apologise if any of it is upsetting.
In 1966 we know your father was living in Grimsby with a lady called Carole Partridge. In July of that year, they moved to Southend on Sea. She used name Higgs but we don’t believe they ever married. She and John had Roger in Q2 1968.
For reasons unknown, she left the family home in Q4 1969, leaving Roger with your father.
We do know that John went on to marry Brenda in early 1970 but in the autumn of that year, it seems John relocated to Lowestoft alone with Roger. We understand the move was work related and may possibly have involved time away from home. Sadly, 18 days after arriving in Lowestoft, Roger went into care for the first time. That new year Roger was placed back with John and also his step mother Brenda who had by now joined him. Unfortunately, just 5 weeks later Roger was removed permanently.
There is then a gap in information for your father. So perhaps he returned to SOS after Roger was placed into care. I note from this forum that there are potentially records for 2 more children born in Southend on Sea in the 1970s. I could only find one possible as the next time we find John it’s in Q4 1973 in the Chesterfield area. We know with absolute certainty he was there from Rogers adoption hearing paperwork.
Roger was adopted by the loveliest couple who gave him a happy childhood here in East Anglia and the security he needed.
By coincidence, both John and Roger’s adoptive father both passed away within weeks of each other. However he remains close to his adoptive mum. He has children and grandchildren and is a lovely, lovely man!

Having said all of that, I do have a few questions if that’s ok!
I took the information from the 1939 census someone kindly shared and added it to the scant info I already had on ancestry. Thanks to the fact that Johns mums grandmother was living with them in 1939, I’ve now found further records going back several more generations for your great grandmothers line and there is a very clear link to Glasgow. This came a surprise, because Roger has a very distinct Mediterranean appearance. We are relatively confident that this does not come from his biological mother side. And so I wonder if this makes sense to you or to anyone that knew him when he was alive. I note the absence of a biological father for John in what would’ve been wartime England. Does anyone know anything about Johns biological father? That he was give his mother’s surname tells me dad was long gone by the time he was born.
I’ve learnt something of the landscape, geography and infrastructure of Swadlingcote at that time and I wonder if Johns father was perhaps not English. It must had been incredibly tough for your grandmother!
I’ll finish by saying thank you again for posting this! I hope to hear from you!

It might also be worth sending a letter to some of the houses close to the address in case anyone there were close friends of Tina and are still in touch with her.

Kath. x

To add to Kath’s suggestion, I would advise putting your name and address on the outside of the envelope, in the hope that the recipient doesn’t simply bin it.

Having said that, I moved into my current address a little over 4 years ago - I have no forwarding address for the previous occupants and I would think that applies to most new owners of properties.

You could write a letter to the new occupants of the 2014 address as they could possibly have a forwarding address - although it would be a long shot. Make sure you include a stamped addressed envelope as you are more likely to get a reply if you do.

Kath. x

The 2014 address in Mansfield was sold in 2014.

I don't see any sign of her on the Electoral Rolls after 2014, nor of having married since then, so I assume she has opted out of the public ERs - which isn't helpful when looking for her!

Her son isn't old enough to appear on ERs, so that's no help either.

Thank you everyone, John did pass away in 2015 and I have since spoken with his stepson. He assumed a different surname, Brown in the late 1970's hence making it almost impossible to find him. It has been quite upsetting to find out that John returned to Mansfield and during the 1990's he lived two doors down from my sister-in-law who I would have been visiting unbeknown to me that my father lived that close. It seems our paths have crossed many times during those years and we have never met. John married a lady called Denise Elliott in 1978 and had another daughter, Tina Sarah Brown later that year. I have struggled to locate Tina as with a surname of Brown there are quite a few on SM. I know she was on the electoral roll 2011-2014 but then I believe she moved and has not shown since. I do know she has a son who will be around 15 years old now and I am led to believe she is still in the Mansfield area. I have ordered John and Denise's wedding certificate to get more information on Denise as that may be the only way to find Sarah.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I gave Linda that death info, by PM, on 7th June

Received reply from Linda in response to my PM -

"Thank you so much I have messaged her. Unfortunately the news I have is not good as I have recently found out he died in 2015 but I have a half sister who I am now trying to locate x"

I've replied asking for the half sister's name - if Linda would like us to help..


Presumably this is John's death:

STOBIE, JOHN 1944
GRO Reference: DOR Q1/2015 in LINCOLNSHIRE (609-1O) Entry Number 511705094

I assume Linda found that out herself - or someone other than Brenda told her - as Brenda said she didn't know where John was.

I received a pm from Brenda this morning asking me to send a message to Linda for her. I did this and Linda replied asking me to reply to Brenda. I told Linda how to contact Brenda through Genes and she has just replied to say she has done this so now it's up to Brenda if she wants to reply to Linda.

Brenda - look out for a message from Linda in "Messages" near the top of the screen. You should also get an email from Genes letting you know that Linda has messaged you.

Kath. x

Brenda -

If you want to contact Linda, please follow the advice I gave in my previous post.


ADDED (9.12 am):
Sent PM to Linda to let her know that Brenda wants to make contact.

Hi you can contact me through genes reunited or face book

Welcome to the boards, Brenda.

As nothing (apart from your post) has been added to this thread since early June, it's possible that Linda won't be looking here for replies now.

GR doesn't notify people of additions to their threads, so unless she looks here, she won't know about your post.

Click on her name in green at the top of her post, and send her a private message, explaining your interest.
GR will then contact her by email.

Hi Linda , i see you are looking for John i no idea where he is but im his x wife if you want to speak to me im on Facebook messenger under Simpson

Thanks, ErikaH.
Not having a sub to FMP, it didn't occur to me to look there, though I looked everywhere else.


Higgs
Margaret Cessford
YOB 1926
YOD 2020
England & Wales Deaths 2007-2020
Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England

Died 2020

It’s on FMP

Not on the gro as yet as too soon

The death is on FMP

On 17th Jan 2020 aged 94. DoB not transcribed

Out of curiosity - where did you find Margaret's death, Shirley?


Just for the record, the 1939 register posted previously is from FMP, and gives her DOB as 25 Sept 1923 - which is wrong.

That transcription has a lot of mistakes in it.
Ancestry's - below - is correct, although still has George's record closed..

Margaret C Stobie
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Margaret C Stobie [Margaret C Higgs]
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Birth Date: 30 Oct 1925 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Residence Year: 1939
Address: Amara
Residence Place: Swadlincote District, Derbyshire, England
Occupation: At School (Secondary)
Line Number: 32
Schedule Number: 96
Sub Schedule Number: 6
Enumeration District: RBXT
Borough: Swadlincote District
Registration district: 434A/2.
Inferred Father:
Robert S R Stobie
Inferred Mother:
Elizabeth G Stobie
Household Members Age
Robert S R Stobie 51 - Feb 5 1888
Elizabeth G Stobie 49 - Dec 11 1890
Wilhelmina L Cessford 75 - June 5 1864
This record is officially closed.
Williamina M Stobie 16 - Sept 25 1923
Margaret C Stobie 14


Looking at the image -
FMP's transcription is one line out of step throughout.
.
Because of that, Robert S R Stobie has been missed out, and Joseph Percival has been included, although he lives next door.

The FMP transcriber has applied each DOB to the person on the line below the DOB.

Going by that, George D Stobie on FMP must be the closed record on Ancestry, which is often slightly out-of-date compared with FMP.



Margaret was born in Lanarkshire in 1925, per SP.
She was on Derbyshire ER. for 2005, and the house has not been sold since then, per Zoopla.
A son is at the same address until 2016 ER - probably opted out of public ER after that.