General Chat

Hi Penny

My heart sunk when I saw your post and I think this is definitely 'my' David Crook. The date is correct as he was born in the September quarter and there was only one other David R Crook in that quarter of 1947, born in Greenwich, London.

What really clinches it is where he died in Wigan because in my list of 17 marriages for David R Crook there is one in 1973, marrying a Christine I Barton, in a place called INCE in Lancashire and when I checked the map it turns out that Ince is a district of, you guessed it, Wigan !

I will order the death cerificate tomorrow and if it is him I will at least have address and family informant details to go on. Frustratingly there are no births showing for Crook/Barton after 1973 so his widow Christine Crook may be my best hope of finding something.

Christine Barton was born in Ince in 1951 and I cannot trace her marrying again so I am hoping that a 2009 electoral roll search might find her still in the Wigan area.

There is also just a slight possibility that David had brothers and sisters because I have found 7 other children born after 1947 with the surname Crook and mothers maiden name of Cross. All are in other parts of the country and will have to be checked out in due course.

Yes George I did know about Lilian Warrilow's death in 1960 but many thanks for the kind thought in searching for me. I have already ordered the certificate as well as the one for Joseph Warrilows death, also in Burton, in 1952.

My daily thanks to all again !

Brian

The moral of this story is NEVER, EVER give up !

8 years 4 months and 1 day after my Dad died and with nothing to go on because he was given away nine years before the 1927 Adoption Act I received a phone call at lunchtime yesterday that has answered many of my questions and will ultimately solve this puzzle from 1918.

When all the certificates arrived they showed that David Robert Crook had indeed married Christine I Barton in Wigan in 1973 and, worse still, his death in 1994 at the tragically young age of 47 was confirmed.

Having finally found my Dads mother and family I was faced with the fact that all his known close relatives were dead. I then set about tracing David's widow, Christine I Crook, and as I could not find a record of her remarrying up to 2005 on Ancestry I wrote to every Christine Crook on the 2008/2009 electoral roll and it paid off !

Yesterday the phone rang and I spent TWO hours speaking to a very, very lovely lady from Southport, David's widow Christine. She herself had finally remarried last June so if I had access to this years electoral roll, 2009/2010, she would not have been traceable under her new surname !
She had so much to tell me it was like uncorking a bottle and we couldn't believe how much my cousin David and I had in common. He was 5 years older than me and we were born and grew up just six miles apart. His father, my Dads brother Robert (Bob) also spent his whole life literally 'down the road' in Burton-on-Trent.
Christine and David adopted two babies of their own and the oldest shares my name, Brian, he is 31 now but sadly autistic, his sister Katy is 29.
As I write this Christine and Katy are searching attics for photos and albums that David inherited when his own parents died in 1974 and 1975 so you can imagine how stressful it will be waiting for the postman this week !

I may never learn precisely why Lilian had to give my Dad away but its an incredible feeling to finally trace your heritage. As I said at the beginning if anybody finds themselves in a similar situation please never give up hope.

Thanks to everybody who has read and taken an interest in my story.

Best wishes from Brian

Well done you :~)
so happy for you... hope the postman arrives with lots of goodies for you.

I have been trying to trace my Dads family for many many years but as you say never give up

Brian how wonderful your persistance paid off, I'm hoping the same with my research in USA.

Hope you get lots of photo's etc.

Frances

What a wonderfully satisfying story Brian. I hope you get lots of photos and that you can tell us what you get.

Ann
Glos

I really enjoyed reading your thread Brian
My OH's Grand Father was adopted .... it took us years to find out who his
birth parents were
it exciting when it all comes together is 'nt it
Jenxx

I really enjoyed reading your thread Brian..I was hoping it would have a good ending..I am so pleased for you....Well done for not giving up!!

Love Jules xx

Wonderful Brian and to get photos. too! :O) I know how thrilled you must be,about your finds,as my Dad was given away when a baby, in 1913 and I'm part of the way to finding his parents

Best wishes to you
Mau xx

What a fantastic story Brian and what a brilliant ending to it all, although now this is just the beginning for you!!! Good luck with all in the future !
Rebecca x

What a fantastic story Brian and what a brilliant ending to it all, although now this is just the beginning for you!!! Good luck with all in the future !
Rebecca x

What a lovely story Brian, albeit bitter sweet.

I am so pleased for you that you have found your family.

Good luck for the future.

Susan
x

Brian

That is fantastic, am so so pleased you have at last found your dad's family

Kim x

What a lovely story Brian.
Just goes to show that perseverance does pay off.
Good to know you have made contact with more family, and wish you and them well for the future.

A lovely tale.....you pleased that it had a happy ending!

Tracey

Hello Brian....thats a brilliant story, well done for not giving up, it just goes to show does'nt it:o))

jude :o)

How wonderful Brian, you must be thrilled. Your perserverance really paid off, however you must write down everything about your search, it would be a shame if you didn't.
I am just about to do the same, it only took three years to find my birth mother's family and that seemed forever!!.
best wishes
Sue

Hi Brian,

What wonderful l news , so pleased that you have finally traced your roots, it will be a long few days waiting for the postman to arrive, but will finally be worth it in the end.

So glad you have now got answers to the questions you wanted to know, the moral of the story is to never give up, well done :O)

what a fantastic story.

Thank you for sharing it with us ...... and coming back to tell us the result!



sylvia

Lovely news Brian, I am so glad you have some answers and hope the photos etc arrive safely and give you hours of pleasure.

How nice that Christine was so happy to talk with you and I bet she was as delighted as you that you have a link now.

Will let you know how I get on if and when o.h.. decides to talk more with his own father, re dates etc. I can't understand why his Dad and the family weren't more curious when the Gt Aunt let the cat out of the bag! Mind you, they are a funny lot!

Lizx

Brian,

Long time no see ! I saw your letter to the Derby Evening Telegraph in 2003 and found it again whilst looking for something else a day or so ago.

I've since traced what I presume is your tree on Ancestry but didn't see this marriage for your father's birth mother - are you aware of it ?:

"SHELLARD-CROOK.-August 3rd, at St. James's Church, by the Rev. W. White, Arthur Donald Shellard, only son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Shellard, of 43, West Avenue, Oldfield Park. Bath, to Lilian Leah Crook, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Crook, 35, Kingsmead Street, Bath."

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Saturday 8 August 1931

Name: Arthur D Shellard
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1931
Registration district: Bath
Inferred County: Somerset
Spouse: Lilian L Crook
Volume Number: 5c
Page Number: 1157

Regards,

Dave.