Finding family ties

[karenmay]

my grandmother was born in Sheffield and I am looking for information about her siblings, nieces, nephews, etc

Her name was Catherine (Phillips) May and she passed away on July 04, 1993

She was married to my grandfather - John `Willie`May

My father believes that she had two siblings - Walter Phillips who married a woman named Harriet and they had three children - Walter, Gerald and Donald.

And a younger sister - Ethel - who was believed to have married a gentleman named Charlie Shemelds and that they also had three children - John, Alan and Charles Jr.

If any of these people sound familiar - or if you know anything of them - I would love to hear from you

I am sending you this request from across the pond - in Calgary, Alberta, Canada!!!!

[bazjea]

my grandmother was born in Sheffield and I am looking for information about her siblings, nieces, nephews, etc

Her name was Catherine (Phillips) May and she passed away on July 04, 1993

She was married to my grandfather - John `Willie`May

My father believes that she had two siblings - Walter Phillips who married a woman named Harriet and they had three children - Walter, Gerald and Donald.

And a younger sister - Ethel - who was believed to have married a gentleman named Charlie Shemelds and that they also had three children - John, Alan and Charles Jr.

If any of these people sound familiar - or if you know anything of them - I would love to hear from you

I am sending you this request from across the pond - in Calgary, Alberta, Canada!!!!

 

Hi. Cannot help you myself but there are two websites below that

maybe of help to you.

 

http://www.sheffieldfhs.org.uk/

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/

[karenmay]

thank you very much for the help - being over here in Canada - I feel like my hands are tied a bit with looking - will most definitely look at these links - thanks again

[retep]

Are these the family 1911

4 Gilpin Street

 

John William Phillips 31

Catherine Phillips 30

Walter Phillips 5

Catherine Phillips 7

[hillsbro]

Hi karenmay - I can give some information from the public records that are available online. The deaths index shows that a Catherine May, born 19 April 1903, died in the Doncaster registration district in July 1993. As retep wrote, the 1911 census return shows a Catherine Phillips, age 7, living with her parents John William & Catherine, and younger brother Walter in Sheffield (at 4 Gilpin Lane). A Catherine Phillips married a John W. May in Sheffield in Oct-Dec 1925. Two possible children born in Sheffield from this marriage are Mary, born Oct-Dec 1926 and John, born Apr-Jun 1928. Two more May children with the mother’s maiden name given as Phillips, but born in Doncaster are Winnie, born Apr-Jun 1931 and Edgar, born Jan-Mar 1938.

 

Catherine’s younger brother Walter, born Jul-Sep 1905, evidently married Harriett Russell in Sheffield in Oct-Dec 1927. Their three sons whom you mentioned are Walter, born Apr-Jun 1928, Donald, born Oct-Dec 1931 and Gerald, born Jan-Mar 1934.

 

As for your grandmother’s younger sister Ethel, an Ethel Phillips was born in Sheffield in Apr-Jun 1913, and an Ethel Phillips married a Charles W. Shemeld in Sheffield in Jul-Sep 1934. Likely children from this marriage are - sure enough - Charles W., born Oct-Dec 1935, John, born Apr-Jun 1938 and Alan, born Jan-Mar 1943.

 

It might (just) be possible to trace Walter, Donald & Gerald, and Charles John + Alan and/or their descendants. If you like I can give it a go!.

[karenmay]

it is not even possible for me to tell you how super excited I am about your finding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that is indeed my family and that Edgar born in 1938 IS MY DAD!!!!!

so let me ask you this - are you able to find anything BACKWARDS from the John William & Catherine (specifically the years they were born - or who they were born to????)

if it is possible to find any of these people - and it does seem that the address on Gilpin would be correct - I would be beyond excited!!!!!!!!!!

Please hillsbro - whatever you can find would be so greatly appreciated

After receiving your post - I called my dad to read him what you had sent to me - he beat me to it to tell me about both Mary and John and that they were deceased by the time he was born - but this was something that had never occurred to him to share with us before!!!!!! (ps - is it possible to find when they passed???)

[hillsbro]

Hello again karenmay - glad to be able to help a little. It might be possible to trace the family back from John William & Catherine, though I was somehow unable to find their marriage entry in the index. According to the 1911 census return John William was born in Nottingham, and was then aged 31 (so born 1879-80); Catherine was a year younger and born in Sheffield.

 

It's so sad about Mary and John. Mary was born in Oct-Dec 1926 as I wrote, and she died in the same quarter. The same applies to John; born and died in Apr-Jun 1928.

 

As you particularly want to find cousins etc., last night I made a start in this area, and I have sent you a Private Message re the Shemeld side of the family.

 

I'll keep looking!.

[karenmay]

thank you again hillsbro - your help made my day yesterday!!!!!!!!

I will private message you with further comments - thank you so much!!!

[hillsbro]

thank you again hillsbro - your help made my day yesterday!!!!!!!!

I will private message you with further comments - thank you so much!!!

Hi - I'm making a little more progress. You need to have made 5 posts before you can PM (or email me any time)..

[karenmay]

so when they say 5 posts - is that like 5 individual threads started??? i'm new to this so not sure what the lingo is!!!

also - I have emailed to you directly - hopefully you have seen that

I am enjoying our chats more than you know!!!

 

---------- Post added 09-08-2013 at 11:26 ----------

 

and to smary who sent me the private message regarding - what I believe - is my dads cousin - thank you very much - I am indeed going to mail a letter to him!!!!!