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They married in 1949 (not 1959)

England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription
First name(s) BERTHA J
Last name PEARCE
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1949
Spouse: CHARLES NAPTON
District PLYMOUTH
County Devon
Volume 7A
Page 1463

Do you have their marriage certificate?

John Gordon pearce, my father was Patrick Juan Gordon pearce?

Maybe, they definitely married in 1959. My father was 15 when he was adopted, which seems unusual, though may not have been at that time. However, he only ever recalled charles as his father, maybe bertha and john were not together but had to wait to marry. Charles was previously married but his wife died in 1930, he left the navy in 37,
What I am finding flies in the face of my fathers narrative of his life, he did not know he was adopted or if he did he never said

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar
Name: John Gordon Pearce
Probate Date: 30 Sep 1957
Death Date: 26 Apr 1957
Death Place: Devonshire, England
Registry: London, England
Of The Stores Chittlehamholt Devonshire- to Ida Pearce, Widow

England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription
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First name(s) JOHN G
Last name PEARCE
Marriage quarter 3
Marriage year 1929
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ JOHN G PEARCE married
IDA PINN
Spouse's last name PINN
District SOUTH MOLTON
District number -
County Devon
Country England


and

PEARCE IDA 1904 1984 1984 Deaths & burials Barnstaple, Devon, England

Death:
First name(s) JOHN G
Last name PEARCE
Gender Male
Birth year 1903
Age 54
Death quarter 2
Death year 1957
District BARNSTAPLE
County Devon
Volume 7A
Page 236
Country England

In your original post you said your father wasn't adopted by Napton until 1959- but Bertha married him in 1949. Perhaps the above is the reason why they waited so long?? Or did you mean 1949?

I have wondered if he was a serviceman, my mother told me that it was alleged bertha had a relationship with a person at the fair, hence was working on john being local in the first instance, also on Patricks birth certificate it has john as a sign writer and not military personnel

A few Johns born in Devon around 1905ish but he may have been older or younger or not born in Devon.


Pearce John 1905 — 1905 Births & baptisms Devonport, St Barnabas, Devon, England

PEARCE JOHN EDWARD 1904 — 1904 Births & baptisms Plymouth, Devon, England

PEARCE JOHN ERNEST 1907 — 1907 Births & baptisms Plymouth, Devon, England

Pearce John Gordon 1903 — 1903 Births & baptisms South Molton, Devon, England


According to trees on ancestry

EDIT First one married Fanny Ella Cockerell in 1941.

The last one married IDA PINN in 1929.

Apologies having re read this again they married in 1907 so bertha was born pearce, therefore her mother, my great grandmother was Saunders?

I was just wondering, as Patrick was born in 1944 and then his father disapears could he have died in WW2, or could it be that his father was a GI and went back to America????
Just a couple of ideas.

Indeed, charles died in 1967 and bertha in 1977

Thank you for solving the Saunders, as I understand berthas parents married after her birth in 1909, which explains why she was nee Saunders.
It appears a strange coincidence that bertha and john shared a surname without being married, less she used pearce as said to avoid being frowned upon.

Juan, is Spanish for john, apparently he was named after his godmother but I do not know if that is true. I don't know if john and bertha married, as her maiden name on Patricks birth cert was stated as Saunders. But it is possible she may have stated pearce. I have found john pearce born 1905 but have no idea if this is the right person. Patrick was birth registered as pearce, then adopted in 1959 and named napton as bertha married in 1949 to charles napton.

I am struggling to confirm if he was in nazereth house as I know it sw predominately a girls home, it is said as a child my dad was in a wheelchair til he was around 7. I am confused as bertha pearce, has a family line of pearce but the Saunders appears to be a curve ball

Just speculating here but why would your father have Juan as a middle name? Could 'John' have been 'Juan' and possibly, as rootie said, had a different surname?

I'm afraid I'm not finding anything more concrete about a John Pearce.

Apologies, I see you gave your father's full name in your opening post

What is Patrick's full name please?

I am wondering if Bertha was actually single when Patrick was born and gave her mother's maiden surname as her own to save face. So I'm thinking that even if his father was John then perhaps John's surname wasn't Pearce.

Her baptism from http://v1.cornwall-opc-database.org


More information about record 1885193 in the Baptisms database

Day Month 08-Feb
Year 1909
Parish Or Reg District Launceston, St. Mary Magdalene
Forename Bertha Jane
Surname PEARCE
Sex
Father Forename William Henry
Mother Forename Beatrice
Residence Market Street
Father Rank Profession Driver
Notes March 18th 190-? P.B.


EDIT I wonder if the notes refer to her date of birth. It would obviously be pre 1909 so she appears to have been born either before her parents' marriage or her mother was expecting her.


and parents' marriage.

Parish Or Reg District Launceston, St. Mary Magdalene
Year 1907
Groom Fn William Henry
Groom Sn PEARCE
Groom Residence of this parish
Groom Condition Occupation Bachelor
Bride Fn Beatrice
Bride Sn SAUNDERS
Bride Residence of this parish
Bride Condition Occupation Spinster
Day Month 1 24-Nov
Day Month 2 01-Dec
Day Month 3 08-Dec

Aaaah, right. Well at least that explains where the Saunders/ Sanders comes from.

1911

Bertha Jane Pearce
Age in 1911: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1908
Relation to Head: Daughter (Child)
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Launceston, Cornwall, England
Civil Parish: Lawhitton Urban St Mary Magdalene
County/Island: Cornwall
Country: England
Street address: 2 Tower Street Launceston
Registration district: Launceston
Registration District Number: 290
Sub-registration district: Launceston
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Piece: 13568
Household Members:
Name Age
William Henry Pearce 30
Beatrice Pearce 24
Bertha Jane Pearce 3
William Henry Pearce



William Henry Pearce
Registration Year: 1907
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration district: Launceston
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Cornwall
Volume: 5c
Page: 39

Records on Page:
Name
George Thomas Grick
William Henry Pearce <<<<<<<<<<<
Beatrice Sanders <<<<<<<<<<<<
Albert Whitford

Bertha Jane Pearce
Registration Year: 1908
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration district: Launceston
Inferred County: Cornwall
Volume: 5c
Page: 21

Do you know if Bertha ever married John Pearce?

If so, then the marriage cert. may give his father's name and occupation.