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I am researching the family who adopted my brother-in-law's mother. Their name was Hancocks, and lived, during WW1, and probably before, in Monks Road, Ward End, Birmingham. I have no first names or ages, but know that they had a natural son who served as a soldier during that war. I have looked in census returns, but without ages or first names there are fare too many. All help and advice gratefully received. Bob Waight

The only Monks Road I'm seeing around that area on the 1911 is in Coventry and there isn't a Hancocks (or variant) on the list.

Thanks MarieCeleste. I had a feeling this was going to be difficult. Bob (by the way, how do you look up a census return by address?)

Bob - FindMyPast enables address searches.

Hi Bob.

It isn't Monks Road but Monk Road. It comes under Birmingham B8.

Don't know if this will help MC to find the family. I will send her a pm and ask her to have another look.

You can look at the road from ground level via Google Maps.

The houses would almost certainly have been up in the early 1900s.

How sure are you of the name being spelled that way. Is it possible it was Hancox? It just might help to be certain of the spelling.

J

There is a Hancox family living at 16 Monk Road Ward End Birmingham in 1911.

HANCOX, Walter Head born 1861
HANCOX, Sarah Ann Wife born 1864
HANCOX, Percival Son unmarried born 1894

Based on MC and Jill's advice, FMP offers an address search, and the 1911 census identifies 3 instances of Monk Road, only one of which is in Birmingham.

I've then also tried on Ancestry - in their 1911 search criteria, you can put Hanc* for the surname and "Monk" into the postal address box. This gives 11 individuals, with only three (probably the father, mother and son that you are looking for?) living in Birmingham (under Aston, Warwickshire).

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1893 (>99%)
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Hancox Percival Walter Aston 6d 423

I think there is a chance that he survived the war. This might be him in 1926.

Marriages Sep 1926 (>99%)
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HANCOX Percival W Mound Birmingham S. 6d 269
Herrington Alan E Moores Birmingham S. 6d 269
Moores Doris M Herrington Birmingham S 6d 269
Mound Doris M Hancox Birmingham S 6d 269

Probably nothing but both women have the same first name and initial. Could be coincidence, could be error. Worth keeping in mind.

This would fit with his birth. It's also the only PWH which showed up on GR search.

Death Record

Name Percival Walter Hancox
Year of Registration 1974
Quarter of Registration Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration District Wycombe
Registration County Buckinghamshire
Date of Birth 09 August 1893
Volume Number 6A
Volume Page 1537

Thanks all. That gives me a lot to go on. My B-in-L will be surprised at the spelling, he was sure it was Hancocks. Bob

Possible for his parents

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1861 (>99%)
HANCOX Walter Birmingham 6d 210



Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1889 (>99%)
BAILEY John Oliver Aston 6d 448
BEDDOW Sophia Aston 6d 448
Hancox Walter Aston 6d 448
Lowndes Sarah Ann Aston 6d 448

This is the only Sarah Ann Lowndes I could find within the time frame. The 1911 says she was born Aston but then maybe it was easier to spell than Altrincham.

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1863 (>99%)
LOWNDES Sarah Ann Altrincham 8a 166

Wandered off, but I'm back!

This looks like the son's service record:

British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920

Name: Percival Walter Hancox
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1893
Age at enlistment: 21
Birth Parish: Aston
Birth County: Warwick
Document Year: 1914
Regimental Number: 14334
Regiment Name: DCLI
Number of images: 20

Pages are badly damaged and faded in places so a lot is indecipherable. Address is as per the 1911 and his occupation was ....uilder which would tie with the 1911 where he was apprenticed to a coach builder.

Thanks once again for all the help. Now comes the difficult bit. My B-in-L's mother was unofficially adopted by the Hancox's when she was about 5 years old during WW1. She wasn't treated as well as she should have been so didn't keep in touch after she was old enough to leave. How on earth can I find her birth mother? Bob

bob what was her first name? did she have a middle name? if you have a first name and approx date of birth, plus area you might be able to narrow it down on freebmd ? depends on how common the name is though....also look at other members of the Hancox family, unmarried sisters, neices etc to Walter and Sarah as adoption 'may ' have been to extended family

There's a tree on Ancestry which has Walter and Sarah on , seems to be following Sarah's line...might help?

There's a tree on Ancestry which has Walter and Sarah on , seems to be following Sarah's line...might help?

Walter Hancox B:abt 1861 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Parents
James Lowndes
1834-
Mary Ann
1840- ..
1871 England Census
about Sarah A Lowndes Name: Sarah A Lowndes
Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1864
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: James Lowndes
Mother's name: Mary Lowndes
Gender: Female
Where born: Bham, Warwickshire, England
Civil parish: Birmingham
Ecclesiastical parish: Bishop Ryder
Town: Birmingham
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England
Registration district: Birmingham
Sub-registration district: St Peter
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Household schedule number: 100
Piece: 3109
Folio: 13
Page Number: 20
Household Members: Name Age
James Lowndes 37
Mary Lowndes 30
George Lowndes 13
Sophia Lowndes 11
Edwin Lowndes 9
Sarah A Lowndes 7 <<<<<<
Elizabeth Lowndes 65

The sister of Sarah Ann Lowndes Sophia married and had a number of daughters, 'might ' be worth working through them and seeing if any were single and could have had a child adopted by 'aunt Sarah'? admittedly a very long shot!

1901 England Census
about Arthur Perrins Name: Arthur Perrins
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Sophia Perrins
Gender: Male
Where born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Civil parish: Handsworth
Ecclesiastical parish: Holy Trinity
County/Island: Staffordshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: West Bromwich
Sub-registration district: Handsworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 40
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 122
Piece: 2713
Folio: 163
Page Number: 19
Household Members: Name Age
Arthur Perrins 40
Sophia Perrins 41
Gertrude Perrins 15
Minnie Perrins 13
Lillian Perrins 9
Sarah Perrins 7
Deno Perrins 3
James Lowndes 67

Bob - does your b-i-l have his mother's marriage certificate? Are there any clues on there as to father? (or is it blank).

The marriage cert has the adoptive father's name, so no help there. B-in-L's mother's Christian name was Doris, and her date of birth was 16th Sept 1910. It is believed that the naturalparents were married, he a doctor and she a nurse. She was handed over in a solicitor's office, aged about five and a half. So there may be some official record. There is very little info on the Ancestry tree. Bob

So I guess she married in her adoptive name and used that as her maiden name on the births of her children ........ ?