frank kent (cropper) adoption and possible workhouse records

[lemondog]

hi folks ,in need of your help. just found that my great aunt was married to frank kent cropper 1893 born. didn`t relise how big a family the croppers were till Ifound this out ( I even live near croppers lane ) . anyway the KENT in his name means he was adopted by thomas cropper , so trying to find his original parents. I h ove found a francis kennt on family search in a manchester workhouse but finding it hard to get into any adoption or workhouse or poor law records . anybody get any ideas ?

[jan44]

Hi Lemondog,

Adoptions were not legal until about 1923 (not sure) but I think someone will know.

This could be Frank's birth reg, you could get a birth cert.

Name: Frank Kent
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1893
Registration district: Ormskirk
Inferred County: Lancashire
Volume: 8b
Page: 856

Jan

[lemondog]

yes I think that is his reg birth but trying not to buy any certs as I have a large tree and too many people , just had a thought ! don`t remember checking Lancs parish project , or if I did they didn`t get him baptised ? I`ll double check .thanks for your interest.

[Blue70]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... pt1926.htm


Blue

[Katie]

I think you may have to go to Manchester to access that record which you got of Familysearch

[lemondog]

unable to go to manchester ,due to health , and also not 100% that the record is him , can buy it on find my past site ,which seems to be linked to family search ?if all else fails my try that and hope it`s right . thanks.

[Katie]

Why don't you write of a email to Manchester Archives and ask them do they have the records and state owing to ill health you cant visit in person and they may go and look up the record for you. Worth a try.

[lemondog]

thats an idea ,thanks , more heads better than one.

[dickiesam]

1901:
54, Mildmay Road, Bootle Cum Linacre, Lancashire
CROPPER, Thomas D Head - Md - 25 - Bricksetter - Churchtown, Lancashire
CROPPER, Fanny - Wife - 29 - Cobridge, Staffordshire
KENT, Frank - Adopted Son - 8 - Southport, Lancashire [transcription has Stourport. Correction submitted]

While legal adoptions did not begin until 1926, in my experience what that census entry indicates is that Frank is more than likely to be foster child. He isn't Fanny's child as will be seen in the next census.

The next census says that Thomas and Fanny Cropper had no children born to their marriage and Frank 'Kent' is still there. They have a 'nurse child' aged 5 living with them. This child is also from Southport. They would have probably have been in receipt of a small sum each week for the child's upkeep from the local authority. It was cheaper, and considered socially better, to do that than keep the child in an orphanage or similar. They are at 202 Bispham Road, Southport.

If Frank's marriage cert names Thomas Cropper as his father, it is likely he didn't know who his parents were. So the birth cert is the only option to progress further bearing in mind the circumstances suggest his father may not be named on it.

RE:

francis kennt on family search in a manchester workhouse

What year is that search result from and may I ask why you think there is a connection?

[Katie]

I have sent Lemondog a pm.

Here is the link DS

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDGQ-QQV

[dickiesam]

I have sent Lemondog a pm.

Here is the link DS

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDGQ-QQV

Thanks for that Katie. Looks like a mother and 4 children were admitted on the 12th of January but the 3 older children including a Francis were discharged on the 16th of January. Then the mother and the youngest child on March 1st.

Unfortunately I can't make out where the family were "From whence admitted". Looks like Coum?

[Bertieone]

Is this Frank's marriage?

Christ Church, Bradford, Oct 7 1916,

Frank Kent Cropper, 24, bach, Mechanic, Royal Flying Corps, 54 Victoria St, Father, Thomas Cropper, Builder,

Lucy Smith, 32, Widow, 18 Roberts Place, Father, William Kirk, Deceased.

Witnesses, Sydney Gough, Hannah Irene Hoyle.

[simone]

Thanks for that Katie. Looks like a mother and 4 children were admitted on the 12th of January but the 3 older children including a Francis were discharged on the 16th of January. Then the mother and the youngest child on March 1st.

Unfortunately I can't make out where the family were "From whence admitted". Looks like Coum?

also a John, age 52, from same place, admitted next day... may be related?

[Katie]

From whence admitted I think is Town which I assume means Manchester. I'm only going on what is recorded in Liverpool Poor Law Records. Also I am questioning whether the surname is Kent? I have had a look for Birth Registrations for the other children under Kent/Kennt/Kennit/ Very poor handwriting.

[lemondog]

that is very interesting ,how do you get into the liverpool poor laws? ( didn`t think about l`pool with it saying manchester workhouse )

[dickiesam]

that is very interesting ,how do you get into the liverpool poor laws? ( didn`t think about l`pool with it saying manchester workhouse )

That 'Kennt' entry is in the record of the Chorlton Union.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorlton_Poor_Law_Union
Chorlton Poor Law Union was founded in January 1837 as a consequence of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. It was overseen by an elected board of 19 guardians representing the 12 parishes in the area it served: Ardwick, Burnage, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Chorlton with Hardy, Didsbury, Gorton, Hulme, Levenshulme, Mosside, Rusholme, Stretford, and Withington, all in south Manchester, England.

The 1901 and the later census has Frank Kent born in Southport many miles from Chorlton. I don't see a Kent family from Southport being in the Chorlton Union. Much more likely to be in a 'local' workhouse, so I have a doubt that there is a connection.

With it now apparently confirmed by Bertieone's find that Frank gave Thomas Cropper as his father on his marriage cert, I believe he was probably born out of wedlock and fostered by the Croppers as a baby or very young child.

Southport births would normally have been registered in Ormskirk so that Frank Kent bn 1893 is more likely to be the one.

[Katie]

I know you are trying to avoid paying for the certificate, but in this case I think the only way forward in finding Frank Kent Croppers true parentage you will have to take the plunge and apply for the certificate.

[Bertieone]

There are 2 marriages between 1910/1930

The other is, 1921, no sight of the cert.


Marriages Mar 1921 Ormskirk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Cropper

Frank K

White

Ormskirk

8b

1359

[Katie]

Here is a link to a previous posting on this topic

http://www.forum.liverpool-genealogy.or ... it=cropper

[dickiesam]

Post deleted. Irrelevant info!