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Been trying for many years to find out information about my Mothers absent father - he was born Sheffield Jan 30th 1910 married my nan Lily Spencer in 1943, disappeared around 1948 - I have just received the death cert for him Frank Dobbs, he died in Wakefield in 1972 his widow on the death cert is a Nellie Dobbs
I am struggling to find any marriage between him and a Nellie, so struggling to find anything else about them, any further children etc
hoping that anyone could help me at all
jane

Did he and Lily ever divorce? If they didn't then he couldn't legally marry Nellie.

Andy

Surely he married Lilian Winter in 1943? Or was she previously married?

Marriages Dec 1943 (>99%)
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Dobbs Frank Winter Sheffield 9c 1042
Lovegreen Mary Pitt Sheffield 9c 1042
Pitt Joseph Lovegreen Sheffield 9c 1042
Winter Lilian Dobbs Sheffield 9c 1042

hi Andy....yes they definitely divorced as nan was remarried twice after.

Married Lilian Winter December 1943 I have the cert

I have hit a wall and getting frustrated with it

I have the address in wakefield when he died, can I use this to do any searches?? not sure!

Wonder if this is his wife's death?

Name: Nellie Lillian Dobbs
Birth Date: 10 May 1913
Date of Registration: Jan 1995
Age at Death: 81
Registration district: Wakefield
Inferred County: Yorkshire
Register Number: C43A
District and Subdistrict: 0991C
Entry Number: 199

I had seen this in my searches, it could well be yes

1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census



Household Information

Address 80 PENNS ROAD SHEFFIELD
Parish ECCLESALL
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (West riding)
Country ENGLAND
Ecclesiastical District
Enumeration District 25
Registration District ECCLESALL BIERLOW
Registration District Number 509
SubDistrict Number 5
Category Census, Land & Surveys
Record set 1911 Census for England & Wales
Collections from Great Britain

Person 1

First Name WILLIAM
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1869
Age 42
Where Born LOUTH LINCOLNS
Relationship To Head of Household HEAD
Gender Male
Condition MARRIED
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation ASSISTANT GROCERY
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 2

First Name ANNIE
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1873
Age 38
Where Born LONDON MIDDLESEX
Relationship To Head of Household WIFE
Gender Female
Condition MARRIED
Year Of Marriage 1894
Years Of Marriage 17
Occupation
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 3

First Name WILLIAM GEORGE
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1895
Age 16
Where Born ROCHDALE LANC
Relationship To Head of Household SON
Gender Male
Condition SINGLE
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation GROCERS ERRAND LAD
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 4

First Name ROBERT
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1897
Age 14
Where Born ROCHDALE LANC
Relationship To Head of Household SON
Gender Male
Condition SINGLE
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation GROCERS ERRAND LAD
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 5

First Name JOHN
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1902
Age 9
Where Born BARNSLEY YORKS
Relationship To Head of Household SON
Gender Male
Condition SINGLE
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 6

First Name SIDNEY
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1907
Age 4
Where Born SHEFFIELD YORKS
Relationship To Head of Household SON
Gender Male
Condition SINGLE
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

Person 7

First Name FRANK
Last Name DOBBS
Birth Year 1910
Age 1
Where Born SHEFFIELD YORKS
Relationship To Head of Household SON
Gender Male
Condition SINGLE
Year Of Marriage
Years Of Marriage
Occupation
Military Info
Census Reference RG14PN27803 RG78PN1591 RD509 SD5 ED25 SN93
Archive Reference RG14
Folio
Page
Piece Number 27803

The home address on the death certificate could be searched on electoral lists to find if Nellie was his wife's full name. A middle name might help track her.

It might show that she was registered there with a different surname.

.....Have you looked for her subsequent death?

Gwyn

HI Pollypoppet, thank you for the1911 Census, its the finding out where he went after 1948 I am struggling with

Jane - you say definitely divorced because your nan married twice after...

Do you have her marriage certificates/references?

Jude

Hi Gwyn

Is there electoral lists going that far back? the ones I see on Genes Reunited are only dated from 2002,
we think we have found her death a few posts up, but not 100% certain
if it is she was called Nellie Lillian Dobbs!
thank you for your post

Hi Jude

yes they are both registered marriages
jane

Old lists will be in an archive near to that address.

Yes sorry, I got called away mid post and the thread had moved on before I could press submit !

Gwyn

thanks Gwyn.....looks like a trip to wakefield then!

I can't help thinking they didn't divorce and, if she remarried twice, it was bigamous. And maybe he didn't.....

But even if they did - and you had the divorce papers would it hep you????

I'd say get a copy of his wife's death certificate....at the very least it will tell you who declared the death..

JUde

Sometimes you can get lucky and find out without a visit.

You might try an e mail to the main library asking if they hold old electoral lists for that year.
With a given name, date and address some people will confirm details and tell you who else was registered there.

Not sure on privacy rules, because when a librarian ( in Surrey) helped me this way, it was for 1950s.

Worth a try though........

Gwyn

thanks everyone xx

I can't find a marriage anywhere for a Frank Dobbs to a Nellie or an Ellen.

I think it is much more likely that they didn't marry and she just took on his name.

My own in-laws were never actually married because my father-in-law was married to someone in the 1920's and when the marriage broke up they just went on to live as "man and wife" with other partners as divorce was so expensive and difficult to get.. My husband had no idea his parents were not married but after years of searching for their marriage an elderly relative told us she knew they had never actually married. Father-in-law died in the early 1960's and his first wife married her long time partner in 1969 - when she had obviously found out that he had died (probably when she applied for a pension).

My husband and his brother's birth certificates are written in a way that makes it seem his parents are married and father-in-law's death certificate names my mother-in-law as his widow - even though technically she wasn't.

Kath. x

Thanks Kath,
I did think that was a possibility, I can't find anything at all, Nellie is stated as his widow on the death cert, I know my nan got remarried after frank because I have some photos and it is on the register and my mom was there at the wedding, so they must have been divorced,
I would really like to find if they had any children, my mom was only 3-4 yes when he left, she has longed for all these years to find out about him
I will keep searching!! Frustrated!!

My instinct would be to first get the electoral rolls checked out for the address given on his death certificate - see who was living there a couple of years either side of the death. Maybe they had adult children - I think you had to be 18 to vote by then?

The other alternative would be to extend your search to his siblings - see if you can track down living neices/nephews who may have known of him and his subsequent life. He may have left your nan but may have remained in contact with his family.