Thread: Looking for Roger Hooke aged 2 in Droitwich Worccs

Could someone very kindly do a look-up for me please? I am looking for Roger James Hooke, aged 2 in the 1911 census for Droitwich, Worcs. If anyone can help I will be very grateful .
MargaretinNorthants.

Thanks for the reply, but it is the census I am wanting a look up for. Roger Ended as a Barnardo's Boy and we are having trouble sorting him out. He was in Padstow in Cornwall as a boy........... yet he does not seem to have been adopted.
Margaret

Hi Margaret,

I believe he was in a Workhouse in 1911 in Droitwich, the census returns for 1911 on A******* haven't as yet been fully indexed but they are searchable manually which can take a little time, I will look later to see if there is extra information on the original sheet.

Thank you very much. We haven't had much to go on with him as his wife destroyed his birth certificate when he died and we are now waiting for a copy. I do know he was born in Martley Workhouse or the Red House as it was called.
Margaret

Hi Margaret,

I'm sorry to say there isn't any information of use on the original return, Roger is entered with birth place unknown and that is all the info. When you receive the certificate with parent(s) names - if you require our help please ask and we will try our best. Is there anything else you know about Roger, eg was he illegitimate, was he deserted or did his parents perhaps die? I will try my best, as will others' to help once you have all details from the certificate.

Good luck, and if you have any other requests, please ask - we don't mind.

Hi Slizzy,
Thank you very much for looking for me. Yes he was illegitimate and born in the workhouse in Martley. We can't remember the name of his mother as my aunt destroyed the birth certificate I obtained for him some years back. So we are having to go for another cert!! I have the vague recollection that the cert said he was adopted, but as I said in a previous post he was a Barnardo's boy in Padstow at one time. How the heck he got there I can't imagine. Also if he was adopted then I would have thought it unlikely he would have retained his original name. he couldn't remember much apart from the fact that he remembered being with "people"..... could have been a foster home perhaps. Thanks again for your help.
Margaret

A sad tale Margaret, and all too familiar unfortunately, as times were obviously much harder then for unmarried mothers. I can if you like take a look at female Hooke's in the Droitwich area, born say 1882 - 92, depends how many there are, if a popular surname in the area it won't be a help, if there's only a few I can post and see if a name jogs your memory. Otherwise Margaret, come back when you have the cert and I'm sure we will be able to help.

Have you tried contacting Barnado's? I believe they have kept records and do try to help.

I will wait until we have the certificate, thank you. Barnardo's will be one of our next steps, but I want to see if what I remembered was correct. It is some years back now when I first looked at this at my Aunt's request, then they decided to go no further with it, and now, when I am 74 my cousin wants to know!!.........as if I could remember!
Margaret