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My grandmother had a brother she knew nothing about - I think he might have been adopted - called Sidney McGrady, born in Blackpool in 1921. He is the only Sidney McGrady in all of the indexed birth records, and his is the only death record too. There are two marriage records for Sidney McGrady, both in Darwen in Lancashire, in 1947 and 1955, so I can only assume they relate to the same Sidney McGrady. I was just wondering if any one knows anything about Sidney McGrady and can shed any light on his life.

Kath Threlfall

What was your grans name?

If Sid used the name he was born with throughout his life, it is unlikely he was adopted. Even before formal adoption, if you were raised as son of John & Ethel Pigglewiggle, you normally at least used their surnaame,

Have you got his marriage certificates to check that they show the correct name for his father?
Have you followed up on any possible children from the marriages?

Added:
The 2 sons of the first marriage both seem to show in Darwen on 192.com
e.g.
http://www.192.com/atoz/people/mcgrady/harry/

I am assuming that your grandmother was born in Barrow, and Sidney was born after the rest of her siblings. Is there any connection to the family other than he has the same surname and mother's maiden name?
Barrow to Blackpool is a long way - did the family move - or had the Father already died?

There is only 1 Sidney McGrady birth on Freebmd.

Births Jun 1921 McGrady Sidney Hunter Fylde 8e 1188

And the other McGrady mmn Hunter births. Is one of these your Grandmother?


Births Mar 1913 McGrady Sarah Hunter Barrow F. 8e 1394

Births Sep 1914 McGrady Joshua Hunter Barrow F. 8e 1467

Births Mar 1916 McGrady Ellen Hunter Barrow F. 8e 1169
Deaths Jun 1917 McGrady Ellen 1 Barrow F. 8e 1046

Did your great-grandparents marry in this country?
Thanks

Added:
rootgatherer, you missed out Mary M, 1911

My grandmother is Sarah McGrady. Ellen McGrady died in 1917. They also had an older sister, Mary Margaret. My great grandmother was called Mary Hunter and married Charles Francis McGrady. They lived in Barrow but Charles died in 1918. His mother forced Mary to put her children into care in September 1920. My grandmother and her older sister Mary Margaret spent 5 or 6 years at Nazareth House in Lancaster. In April 1921, Sidney McGrady was born in Blackpool. He seems to have used his birth name throughout his life, as there is a death registered in Bridport, Dorset in 1989 of a Sidney McGrady, with the correct date of birth. He wasn't brought up with my grandmother when her mother got her and her siblings back out of care in 1925/6. By then, my great grandmother had remarried a man with the surname Burberry and had another daughter, Elsie, and they all moved to Manchester.

Kath

Is this your Grandfather's death please?

Deaths Dec 1918 McGrady Charles F 29 Barrow F. 8e 1568


EDIT

So Sidney was born after Charles died... so may be a half brother to your Grandmother. I think you need to buy the birth certificate to check the parents names?

I suggest you get all the certificates to confirm the connections, to start with.

If it is a correct connection then there are sons of his around.

Yes it its, although he was my great grandfather. He died in the workhouse infirmary in Barrow in November 1918. He had tuberculosis, but he had been fighting in WW1 and is buried in a war grave in Barrow cemetery. My grandmother Sarah always said that Charles's mother turned nasty and said that Charles's widow Mary (my great grandmother) was unfit to bring up her children and that if she didn't send them away to be looked after by a suitable authority then she herself would take the children off her and send them away to be brought up elsewhere. We have assumed, from the dates, that my great grandmother had probably just discovered that she was pregnant in September 1920,bearing in mind she was a widow. The baby born in April 1921 was Sidney McGrady.

1911

Name: Charles F McGrady
Age in 1911: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1890
Relation to Head: Visitor
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Barrow In Furness, Lancashire, England
Civil parish: Barrow in Furness
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street Address: 18 H Egerton Buildings
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Labourer Foundry
Registration district: Barrow in Furness
Registration District Number: 482
Sub-registration district: Barrow in Furness
ED, institution, or vessel: 42
Piece: 25692
Household Members: Name Age
Walter Jesson 34
Elizabeth Jesson 33
Meratta Jesson 12
Margeret Jesson 11
Mary Alice Jesson 7
James Tomas Jesson 4
Elizabeth Jesson 3 5/12
Charles F McGrady 21
Mary McGrady 20
Bernard McGrady 1 3/12

If that is your family then it says married 1 year and 1 child born.

Not seeing a marriage of FreeBMD

Births Sep 1911 MCGRADY Mary M Hunter Barrow F. 8e 1390


????

Births Mar 1910 HUNTER Bernard York 9d 15

Rootgather, we have already have Sidney McGrady's birth certificate, father is unknown/unnamed, as my great grandfather had died. Also, the Bernard McGrady in the 1911 census was actually born Bernard Hunter (we also have his birth certificate) in York (where my great grandmother was from) when my great grandmother was unmarried. They seem to have changed his surname when they got married. He died in 1911 or 12, I think. Charles Francis and Mary got married in December 1910, and my great aunt Mary Margaret was born in May 1911, not long after the census.

Where did you find the marriage?
Thanks

Added:
This with husband not showing?
Marriages Dec 1910
Hunter Mary A Wigton 10b 101_

or this with wife not showing?
Marriages Dec 1910
McGrady Charles Burnley 8e 464

Not seeing the marriage either Patchem.

Kath there are a couple of people with what looks like Sidney's son Harry on their trees here. Have you tried contacting them please?

Sorry, just to confuse things, as I've just remembered that they got married in Burnley! God knows why! He was from Barrow and she was from York, so maybe they met in the middle somehow?

I've contacted a couple of people who have McGradys in the Darwen/Blackburn area on their trees, but I only did that yesterday and today so am awaiting a reply.

Added above, no wife showing on free bmd:
Marriages Dec 1910
McGrady Charles Burnley 8e 464

(Going shopping now, in the rain)

That is the right marriage, Lancashirebmd has Charles getting married to Mary Hunter, regristry office or registrar attended.

MCGRADY

Charles

HUNTER

Mary

Burnley Register Office or Registrar Attended

Preston

RM/155/163

Looks like Charles's father Joshua married Catherine Hughes in 1888 (Cumbriabmd), and he had siblings Joshua (1891), James (1893) Sarah Annie (1895) all with right mmn. However Cumbriabmd has Charles's birth registered as Grady which must be a transcription error.

Joshua death:

Deaths Dec 1919 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

McGrady Joshua 57 Barrow F. 8e 901