Genealogy Chat

Thank you so much - I had read it as something Mothers, my eyes are getting worse! Will try to find out through the Hackney info that you have given me. Thanks again Sally

Maybe Hackney Archives has some information about this home: Hackney Archives The Hackney Archives Department looks after the archives of the London Borough of Hackney - the administrative records of the borough Council and its predecessors back to 1700, together with the records of organisations and individuals with links to the area of the modern London borough. Contact Details and Opening Times: Hackney Archives Department 43 De Beauvoir Road London N1 5SQ Tel: 020 7241 2886 Fax: 020 7241 6688 [email protected] Monday: closed Tuesday: 1st of the month - 9.30am - 1.00pm, 2.00pm - 8.00pm 2nd, 3rd and 4th of the month - 9.30am - 1.00pm, 2.00pm - 5.00pm Wednesday and Thursday: 9.30am - 1.00pm, 2.00pm - 5.00pm Friday: 9.30am - 1.00pm The Archives are closed for the last two weeks of February for the annual stocktaking. It is essential that you make an appointment before visiting. Please send and email or telephone during office hours. This will enable us to confirm that we have records relevant to your search and to book table space and a microfilm reader where necessary. nell

The name of the home looks like Messrs. or Mr. Matherson's Home for Children. Kath. x

I looked on the 1891 census and found William. I looked at the two previous census pages. The address looks like Insp Matheson's home for children, would that be likely. regards Rosalie.

Thank you Judith, I hadn;t thought of that possibility. My brain is starting to hurt again!! Sally

Hello Nell, yes, the image for the name is clear enough to be convincing. As you may gather this is a very unusual name, it is in fact my father's line, and the only names in this country are direct links, apart from this lad. Hence my interest. I must admit it is driving me nuts, but thank you so much for your time. I just don't know where to look from here. Sally

When he was old enough to leave the home he could have been sent to train as a sailor or soldier - in which case he may have been out of the country for the 1901 census, or he could have been sent to Australia, or Canada, or more mundanely have been found an apprenticeship in England and be mistranscribed on the census.

Sally Can't find a birth either. So perhaps his name wasn't really William Josephy - is the image clear? nell

Hi Helen, no I didn't know about those dates concerning adoption, so that is not really a viable route then. I checked but found no death. His name was William Josephy, born c 1882, listed in a childrens home in hackney which seemed to be something mothers home for children. He then just seemed to disappear. Sally

Formal adoption didn't come into being until 1927. I think because of the lack of birth control that there were lots of babies available for adoption and 9 year old boys in children's homes wouldn't be potential adopter's first choice. What was this lad's name? Where was he born? If you can't find him on 1901 he's probably been mistranscribed. Have you checked if he died? nell

I have found a lad aged 9 who appears on the 1891 census in a childrens home in Hackney - he does not appear in the next census. The trouble is, it is very hard to read the name of the home, and I can find no record of anything similar. I am thinking that maybe he was adopted, hence the disappearance of the name, any tips on where I can go from here. Sally ps - if I do not get back to any replies immediately, it is because I come on here sporadically.