Research Forum

Axbridge relatives c1916
published by on Sat, 12/11/2016 - 20:12

published by gardenia13 on Sat, 12/11/2016 - 19:45
My mother was born in Axbridge at Albert Terrace on October 10th 1916. Her name was Freda Louise
Schofield. Her birth certificate shows her mother as Emma Schofield nee Downes her father was Harry
Schofield.
Sadly something went very wrong. as my mother and her siblings (4 or 5 children) were put in an
orphanage or maybe even the workhouse with their mother. I can't find anything about my grandfather,
he may have been called up for WW1.
My mother was adopted without papers around 1924/5 by a farming family in Staffordshire. Eventually
she managed to find her mother in the 1950's who was living alone in Lincolnshire. Unfortunately due
to the old lady's frailty she could find little to help her find her siblings or what had become of her
father

Comments ..

Submitted by Pat Hase on Sun, 13/11/2016 - 17:03

It looks as if Freda Louise SCHOFIELD was the only child of that family to be born in Axbridge - was she the youngest child?

You may already have this - but as there is a marriage between a Harry SCHOFIELD and an Emma DOWNES registered in the Walsall District in 1902 and the 1911 census shows 5 children - there are further births of a Robert Victor SCHOFIELD in 1912 and a Kathleen SCHOFIELD in 1915 registered in the Walsall district - both with mother's maiden name of DOWNES and of course Freda in 1916. Making a possible 8 children in all.

On the 1939 Register I can see that Emma SCHOFIELD, described as a widow was living in Gedney, Holbeach, Lincolnshire - she was a Cafe Proprietress and had her eldest daughter, Maud, living with her.

In 1939 Freda is living in Wolverhampton with a family called ECCLESHALL - was that the family who took her in? You may be able to find others of the SCHOFIELD family on the 1939 Register - available on Findmypast - their relations may know what happened to Harry and whether they went into a home or Workhouse.

If you think they went into a home while they were in Somerset - the Records for Axbridge Workhouse for the 20th century are in the Somerset Heritage Centre at Taunton and are complete for that period.

Submitted by jacobsrepton on Mon, 14/11/2016 - 13:10

There are 4 death records consistent with a 1876 birth for Harry Schofield. One that might fit with children going into care is in 1915: Harry Schofield, age 39, d 1915 Worcester (Q2 1915 Worcester 6c 140).

This would mean that Freda Louise was conceived after Harry had died. This might account for Emma moving away from the Midlands to Axbridge for the birth.

Submitted by on Mon, 14/11/2016 - 17:58

Thank you for your reply. A very interesting discovery, thank you for your research. The Lincolnshire connection is there with Emma DOWNES, although I don't know of a Maud.

My mother Freda was taken in by a family in the name of TURNER in the Shelfield area of Walsall (smallholders). She left their home when she was 16 yrs old c1932 and apparently went into service. perhaps this was with the ECCLESHALL family in Wolverhampton. My mother married my father Arthur William John Parsons on October 10th 1939 at St Margarets Church, Great Barr, Birmingham.

I will check the records at the Somerset Heritage Centre in Taunton which is only 15 miles from me. I moved to Devon 33 yrs ago.

Submitted by Pat Hase on Mon, 14/11/2016 - 13:57

Looking again at your query - at the moment I don't know of an Albert Terrace in Axbridge itself - is that the whole address given on the birth certificate? Was the informant, presumably her mother, living at the same address?