Trying to find... (From Your Local Guardian)

Anonymous User, South London says...
3:36pm Fri 12 Jun 09

Searching for my grandfather and his wife's final resting place.

I had been trying to find 'Chalgrove', a house in Central Rd., Morden, the home of Emma Campbell, (given on the Census returns as "Living on own means"), where Ethel Cooper worked as a domestic servant between 1901 and 1911 according to the census returns and very probably much later, although she is not shown on the voters roll of 1927, and who married my grandad John Bain Gardner in 1921 in Scotland and returned to that area, and we think may have returned to her old job at 'Chalgrove'.
My mother was then just a child, her natural mother dying in childbirth when mum was 6 years old, but was raised by Ethel as her own and was 'in service' as a teenager before returning home to Scotland.

The 1901 census sheet shows 'Chalgrove' to have been numbered 3 on Central Road, 'The Elms' at number 4, 'Lodge Gate' at 6(a) with 'The Lodge Cottage' at 6(b).
Number 7 on the return is given as 'The Lodge' and next door at number 8 was 'The Lodge Farm'.
Armed what that scant information I contacted Morden Local Studies Centre and Sarah Gould kindly sent me some copies of the area maps and confirmed that Chalgrove had indeed been demolished to make way for what is now Chalgrove Avenue, sometime between 1932 when it is shown on local maps, and 1954.

Was a casualty of the Blitz?

I hope to trace anyone with any knowledge of 'Chalgrove', which may lead me to relations of Ethel and her Cooper family who were all born in Shere, John Gardner and his employment in the area, or any photos of how 'Chalgrove' itself looked at the time.

We've been told that John was twice sent to recuperate from injuries sustained during his WW1 service at a house given over for wounded servicemen, and the family story relates that this is where he met Ethel. But was this Chalgrove?

He was offered employment here, or nearby, when the war was over, but he declined the offer and returned home to Scotland and the mines. When his injuries made the work difficult and my grandmother died he renewed his friendship with Ethel, and later married her.

They moved back down to the area around Peaslake or Morden, where they lived until first John died, we think during WW2, and then Ethel passed away in 1956.

The recent receipt of a certificate of death from the General Records Office confirms Ethel's date of death, 2nd March 1956, aged 81 years and at St James, Hale Road, Farnham. This was a nursing home probably, and any attempts to find records of the time which may have shown a place of residence prior to her going into the home have proved fruitless.

On the death certificate she is given as 'widow of John Gardner, Coal Miner', and the informant was her brother H. (possibly Harry) Cooper of 3 East View, Peaslake. We know she had brothers and sisters all born in Shere, and we have some details gleaned from Census returns, but after around 1901 we have lost trace of them.

First born was Alice in 1867, then Mary, Ellen, Harold, Ethel in 1875, Lillian, Harry, Norman, Arthur and in 1889, Eva.

We cannot however find any details for John's death or burial.

I can find no War Pension or Service records for John despite having his medals and thus his service numbers 1057 & 306223. Those records might have given an indication of where he served and recuperated, and where his pension was paid, thus giving me a positive idea of where he lived.

So where Ethel and John lived in their later years is still unclear, where they are buried is not known, nor is the date or location of death or burial of John Bain Gardner.

John was described on Ethel's death certificate as a Coal Miner, but we though his mining days were over when he left Scotland in 1921, so could have resumed this employment locally to the Peaslake, Shere or Gomshall area? We had previously thought he worked 'in service' along with Ethel, or at least for the same employer.

Are there any Cooper's still in the area, who may be related to Ethel?

I know that Morden, Peaslake and Shere were place names often mentioned by my mother, and she often spoke of walking on Wimbledon Common with Ethel on sunny mornings, so I suspect that her house must have been local, whether at 'Chalgrove' or that of another employer. She also spent summer holidays in the Brighton and Hove area, where her employers had a house. Someone with local knowledge may remember the family.

I've been researching this for some three years now and have exhausted all of my know avenues of research, hence my post here looking for help, advice or suggestions, and as I'm getting older I feel it's time to sort it all out before its too late and get down there and pay my respects to the people who so shaped the pattern of my mum's life, and mine.

We will be travelling the 500 miles or so down to the area in August to stay for a week to see if we can find their graves. Any help at all you, your colleagues or your readers can offer may make my search a little more likely to succeed.

I'm happy to cover any costs incurred, and willing to travel during our stay to look at any possible location for their graves.

Our mother died many years ago, and though she spoke with great affection of her time with her dad and stepmother Ethel who she adored, we never knew any of the details which would have made my search so much easier.

My mother's own desire would be that we take a wee bit of Scotland back down to her father's grave, and we have nurtured a small tuft of heather from her beloved hills for that very purpose.

I remain, in hope, yours sincerely..........

Jake Drummond, Jakeatunionmills@aol
.com

Searching for my grandfather and his wife's final resting place. I had been trying to find 'Chalgrove', a house in Central Rd., Morden, the home of Emma Campbell, (given on the Census returns as "Living on own means"), where Ethel Cooper worked as a domestic servant between 1901 and 1911 according to the census returns and very probably much later, although she is not shown on the voters roll of 1927, and who married my grandad John Bain Gardner in 1921 in Scotland and returned to that area, and we think may have returned to her old job at 'Chalgrove'. My mother was then just a child, her natural mother dying in childbirth when mum was 6 years old, but was raised by Ethel as her own and was 'in service' as a teenager before returning home to Scotland. The 1901 census sheet shows 'Chalgrove' to have been numbered 3 on Central Road, 'The Elms' at number 4, 'Lodge Gate' at 6(a) with 'The Lodge Cottage' at 6(b). Number 7 on the return is given as 'The Lodge' and next door at number 8 was 'The Lodge Farm'. Armed what that scant information I contacted Morden Local Studies Centre and Sarah Gould kindly sent me some copies of the area maps and confirmed that Chalgrove had indeed been demolished to make way for what is now Chalgrove Avenue, sometime between 1932 when it is shown on local maps, and 1954. Was a casualty of the Blitz? I hope to trace anyone with any knowledge of 'Chalgrove', which may lead me to relations of Ethel and her Cooper family who were all born in Shere, John Gardner and his employment in the area, or any photos of how 'Chalgrove' itself looked at the time. We've been told that John was twice sent to recuperate from injuries sustained during his WW1 service at a house given over for wounded servicemen, and the family story relates that this is where he met Ethel. But was this Chalgrove? He was offered employment here, or nearby, when the war was over, but he declined the offer and returned home to Scotland and the mines. When his injuries made the work difficult and my grandmother died he renewed his friendship with Ethel, and later married her. They moved back down to the area around Peaslake or Morden, where they lived until first John died, we think during WW2, and then Ethel passed away in 1956. The recent receipt of a certificate of death from the General Records Office confirms Ethel's date of death, 2nd March 1956, aged 81 years and at St James, Hale Road, Farnham. This was a nursing home probably, and any attempts to find records of the time which may have shown a place of residence prior to her going into the home have proved fruitless. On the death certificate she is given as 'widow of John Gardner, Coal Miner', and the informant was her brother H. (possibly Harry) Cooper of 3 East View, Peaslake. We know she had brothers and sisters all born in Shere, and we have some details gleaned from Census returns, but after around 1901 we have lost trace of them. First born was Alice in 1867, then Mary, Ellen, Harold, Ethel in 1875, Lillian, Harry, Norman, Arthur and in 1889, Eva. We cannot however find any details for John's death or burial. I can find no War Pension or Service records for John despite having his medals and thus his service numbers 1057 & 306223. Those records might have given an indication of where he served and recuperated, and where his pension was paid, thus giving me a positive idea of where he lived. So where Ethel and John lived in their later years is still unclear, where they are buried is not known, nor is the date or location of death or burial of John Bain Gardner. John was described on Ethel's death certificate as a Coal Miner, but we though his mining days were over when he left Scotland in 1921, so could have resumed this employment locally to the Peaslake, Shere or Gomshall area? We had previously thought he worked 'in service' along with Ethel, or at least for the same employer. Are there any Cooper's still in the area, who may be related to Ethel? I know that Morden, Peaslake and Shere were place names often mentioned by my mother, and she often spoke of walking on Wimbledon Common with Ethel on sunny mornings, so I suspect that her house must have been local, whether at 'Chalgrove' or that of another employer. She also spent summer holidays in the Brighton and Hove area, where her employers had a house. Someone with local knowledge may remember the family. I've been researching this for some three years now and have exhausted all of my know avenues of research, hence my post here looking for help, advice or suggestions, and as I'm getting older I feel it's time to sort it all out before its too late and get down there and pay my respects to the people who so shaped the pattern of my mum's life, and mine. We will be travelling the 500 miles or so down to the area in August to stay for a week to see if we can find their graves. Any help at all you, your colleagues or your readers can offer may make my search a little more likely to succeed. I'm happy to cover any costs incurred, and willing to travel during our stay to look at any possible location for their graves. Our mother died many years ago, and though she spoke with great affection of her time with her dad and stepmother Ethel who she adored, we never knew any of the details which would have made my search so much easier. My mother's own desire would be that we take a wee bit of Scotland back down to her father's grave, and we have nurtured a small tuft of heather from her beloved hills for that very purpose. I remain, in hope, yours sincerely.......... Jake Drummond, Jakeatunionmills@aol .com