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i am trying to find the wife and her 4 children of my step dads first marrage , his name was leslie joseph hopkins and the 4 children were adopted , his first wife as far as i know was called bobby, can anyone help me please,
thanking you in advance Dawn

When was he born and where

Have you looked on freeBMD for a possible marriage

Bobby sounds more of a nickname . Often it's used for Roberta

Does the marriage cert to your mum say widowed or divorced

I see the possible marriage for them then another possible earlier to a Poppy ???

Only see two children though to that marriage

Leslie was born 1923 CAMBERWELL SOUTHWARK LONDON ENGLAND
i dont have his cert for my mum but i was told he and his first wife were divorced,
his wed to my mum 12 August 1972 Leslie Joseph Hopkins wed Joan Betty wilson Rochford 4a 3349 they also divorced, leslies parents were Father :Alfred Hopkins Mother :Harriett Stone who wed in 1911 Fulham London England

Leslie Joseph Hopkins on the 1939 Register

1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
Hopkins Household (3 People)
285 Commercial Way , Camberwell, London, England

FIRST NAME(S) LAST NAME(S) DOB SEX OCCUPATION MARITAL
STATUS SCHEDULE SCHEDULE SUB NUMBER
Leslie Joseph Hopkins 28 Apr 1923 Male Assistant Despatch Packer Single 168 3
Alfred G Hopkins 14 Jun 1891 Male Heavy Goods Vehicle Drive Hea Married 168 1
Harriet S R Hopkins 07 Sep 1890 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 168 2
Ref: RG101/0093H/014/1 Letter Code: NULL
© Findmypast Ltd

That's the marriage I thought may be them

So if he lived consistently in Essex there is an earlier marriage to a Poppy

The Father probably died in Rochford, Essex so possibly the family moved there. Not seeing a death for Mum

England & Wales deaths 1837-2007 Transcription

First name(s) ALFRED G
Last name HOPKINS
Gender Male
Birth day -
Birth month -
Birth year 1891
Age 74
Death quarter 4
Death year 1965
District Rochford
County Essex
Volume 4A
Page 872

There's no marriage for the London area

He died in Southend so seems to be in the Essex area at times

Leslie Joseph Hopkins
Death Age: 74
Birth Date: 28 Apr 1923
Registration Date: Mar 1998
Registration district: Southend On Sea
Inferred County: Essex
Register Number: B71B
District and Subdistrict: 4751B
Entry Number: 64


There is a 1951 marriage Essex SW to a Poppy A Messenger two chiidren born same reg district

Poppy could be misheard as Bobby maybe

There's also a 1958 marriage Southend to a Dorothy G Fraser Can't see any children for this couple

The only way to see if it him is to get certs which will cost

Edit having now discounted the marriage to Poppy the only other one seem to be to Dorothy Fraser in 1958

Maybe she was known as Bobby !!!!

But there is a Poppy and Leslie on the electoral rolls 2002 - 2008

So can't be the same Leslie you are looking for as he died in 1998

cant see any marriage that looks a possible

think i would be inclined to get the marriage cert to see what his marital status was

Sometime famly stories have only a small grain of truth in them

For instance I knew both grandparents had been married before my mum was born in 1909

I knew grandad had put his children in a home when his wife died in 1905

My mum said after he married nan in 1909 a letter came addressed to Mr and Mrs so nan opened it and it said we understand you have married so please make arrangements to collect your six children

She was furious cos he told he had four
Spent many hours looking for the 2 other kids

Later online info found only 4 and workhouse records of the three boys being released to stepmum in October 2010

Sooo family myths or stories can be distorted

i understand that things can get distorted, but when leslie died i had to meet his sister and she asked me which wifes child was i , and i told her who my mum was, she then said so you are the youngest of the eight kids he adopted as he had adopted bobbys 4 as well,

So he married someone with 4 children and adopted them

I read it that he had married and had four children with his wife that were then subsequently adopted .

It's fixing who Bobby was then as there's no obvious marriage to a Bobby

Can you remember his sisters name , maybe she is still around or someone of her family who can give more info

Checked freebmd and looks like mmn was Stone, there are possible siblings also born Camberwell

EDIT I see you already have his sister's name in your tree.

There is a marriage for Brenda F Hopkins 1951 Camberwell, you could try looking for children to that marriage? one possible born 1953 Camberwell, Francis/Hopkins?

leslie never fathered any children he only took on someone elses by adoping them.
leslie had 2 sisters , Brenda and dorothy, , brenda became francis and dorothy became uden, by marrage,

thank you all for the help you give
xx