Genealogy Chat

Hi. Does anyone have access to any sites that have details of court cases for child Maintenance in the early 1900's. My father, Harold was born in 1902, we think in Warrington, and was christened there in early 1903. His mother was Ann Clements and my father was known as Harold Clements as he was illegitimate. His mother later married a Walter Thomas and my father took his surname. I always thought that Walter was his real father and only found out that he was illegitimate when I started doing my family tree about 10 years ago. I have searched for some evidence of his birth father since then and cannot find any. I have not found a birth certificate for him either. I have been to Warrington and have had help from the register office there. to try and trace his birth certificate but have not been successful. There are a couple of Harold Clements born in Warrington around that time but the mother on them is not Ann Clements and have been told that they are definitely not my father. I saw recently on TV that someone who was looking for their relative, who was also illegitimate, was advised to look at the court cases for maintinence in the area that they lived, and actually found the missing father through a court case that the mother had brought. I have tried everything else and thought that this might be a help. On the 1911 census he is registered as being born in Warrington and is a stepson to Walter Thomas. If anyone has access to a website that gives court cases information it might just help. Thank you in advance for any help that anyone could give me,

I think you would have to go to the local archives in Warrington to look at the Magistrate's Court Record Books which should have details of any court case for maintenance.

My grandmother took my grandfather to court for child maintenance when he abandoned her in the 1920's. We found the details of the court case in our local archives and we were told that as long as the case was more than 30 years ago (this was about 10 years ago) we could access the records. We found how much maintenance he had to pay and how often and also the court costs he had to pay. Even the name of the policeman who served the order on him.

Good luck.

Kath. x

Is this his baptism? :-

First name(s) Harold
Last name Clements
Birth year 1903
Baptism year 1903
Baptism date 04 Feb 1903
Place Warrington, St Peter
County Cheshire
Country England
Mother's first name(s) -
Father's first name(s) -
Father's last name -
Record set Cheshire Diocese of Chester parish baptisms 1538-1911

Kath. x

Thanks for your help

???????
Baptism: 4 Feb 1903 St Peter, Warrington, Lancashire, England
Harold Clements Clements - [Child] of Annie Clements
Abode: 57, Hale St.
Baptised by: D. R. James
Register: Baptisms 1896 - 1905, Page 203, Entry 1624
Source: LDS Film 1655858

Hi. Yes this is the record I have of his Baptism

Are you sure he was actually born in Warrington? Lots of girls would move out of their home area to give birth somewhere where no one knew them.

Kath. x

1911
Harold Clements

in the 1911 England Census
View 1911 England Census

Report issue

Name: Harold Clements
Age in 1911: 8
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Relation to Head: Stepson
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Warrington, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: South Manchester
Search Photos: Search for 'South Manchester' in the UK City, Town and Village Photos collection
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address: 59 Lower Chatham Street C-on-M Manchester
Occupation: School
Registration district: Chorlton
Registration District Number: 464
Sub-registration district: Chorlton upon Medlock
ED, institution, or vessel: 35
Piece: 23863
Household Members:
Name Age
Waller Thomas 57
Ann Jane Thomas 32
Harold Clements 8
Wallace Thomas 4
Doris Helen Thomas 2
Frederick Thomas 1

Ann in 1901?

Name: Annie Clements
Age: 22
Estimated birth year: abt 1879
Relation to Head: Boarder
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Ireland
Civil Parish: Warrington
Search Photos: Search for 'Warrington' in the UK City, Town and Village Photos collection
Ecclesiastical parish: St Anne
Town: Warrington
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View image
Registration district: Warrington
Sub-registration district: Warrington
ED, institution, or vessel: 35
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3582
Folio: 159
Page Number: 9
Household schedule number: 45
Household Members:
Name Age
Samuel Tighe 43
Ann Tighe 40
>>>>Annie Clements 22
Patrick Walsh 23
Thomas Hughes 23
Martin Connelia 25

Andy

perhaps she never claimed maintenance as she married 3 years later

Hi. Thank you for all your replies. I do have the info stated above. I realise that she may not have claimed for maintenance, I am just desperately trying to find any way to discover his father's identity. Ann married in 1906 and had only known Walter 6 months, so she may have chased my dad's father for some support. It is the only chance I have left.

Sometimes you just have to admit defeat!! I have a few illegitimate ancestors in my tree and I have just had to accept that I will never know the father of my maternal grandmother (that's the one I would really like to know) and also the father of her first child (my uncle).

If only someone would invent a time machine, lol. - there would be a lot of interesting conversations to be had!!

Kath. x

What day did your Dad think was his birthday?

Could this be him?

Births Mar 1901

Clements Harry.............. Warrington 8c 215

That looks like this one Gwyn. MMN now available from 1837-1915 on the GRO site

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro

Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
CLEMENTS, HARRY LALLY
GRO Reference: 1901 M Quarter in WARRINGTON Volume 08C Page 215
-------------------------------
England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription

First name(s) WILLIAM HENRY
Last name CLEMENTS
Marriage quarter 1
Marriage year 1899
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ WILLIAM HENRY CLEMENTS married one of these people
Mary Jane Lally, Elizabeth Ann Woods
District Warrington
District number -
County Lancashire
Country England
Volume 8C
Page 214

looking on the gro site there are no harlold clements with mother clements could she have married before she married walter Thomas or could Harold be her brothers child and ann brought him up

57, Hale Street, Warrington, Lancashire, England

Learn more

Print transcription View image Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
George Lloyd Head Married Male 31 1870 Carter C L C Commn Shropshire, England Transcription
Ann J Lloyd Wife Married Female 23 1878 - Winsford, Cheshire, England Transcription
James H Lloyd Son - Male 6 1895 - Warrington, Lancashire, England Transcription


1901 census.

Hi. Ann did not marry until 1906 to Walter Thomas in Manchester. She had never been married previously to that. I have been in touch with a cousin that I never knew about, as my father did not keep in touch with his mother or the rest of the family. When I spoke to my cousin she said that she already knew about my dad, and him being illegitimate, it was not a secret in her family. It seems that it was a secret in mine., so through my cousin I learnt a lot about Ann and her life, as she knew her as a grandmother. I never knew Ann or anything about her when I was growing up. I will still try to find out if she did ask for maintinence through the courts and just hope something turns up. Thank you for all your replies. It is very much appreciated.