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I am trying to trace my maternal grandmother Elizabeth (Lizzie) Slater daughter and only child. I can find of Robert Slater and Fanny Cunliffe. Lizzie married my grandfather Edward Chester in 1918 and had 6 children - Doris, Gladys, Mary (my mum), Edward, Irene and Doreen. My mother was born in 1923. She recalls another male child "Jackie" dying at birth or soon after. My grandmother left my grandfather several times sometimes taking the youngest children with her however the last time she left on her own and did not return. My Mum thinks she was 9 so it would have been 1932 when she disappeared. The family story is that she ran off with another man to Canada but I can't find anything conclusive on that and don't know whether to look for her under Chester or Slater. It is possible she just remarried bigamously. Any advice on how to proceed would be gratefully received. I am in Perth Western Australia so not able to check passport records or the like. I don't even have a confirmed photo of her but have been told she looked like my mother so could certainly spot a family likeness if I saw an image.

You can check for any births for them on FreeBMD using their surname combination

Hi Shirley - Thanks for your quick response. I have all the BMD info but can't trace Lizzie once she left her family in Manchester in 1932. Any ideas . Cheers Liz

There doesn't seem to be a jack / Jackie etc on the births so maybe he was a stillborn so wouldn't be on the register

That would explain it. I didn't know they didn't register stilborn births. Thanks for that

Marriage- just for reference

Name: Elizabeth Slater
Birth Year: abt 1897
Age: 21
Marriage Date: 9 Mar 1918
Parish: Hulme, St Paul
Parish as it Appears: S Paul Hulme
Father's Name: Robert Slater
Spouse's Name: Edward Chester
Spouse's Father's Name: John Edward Chester
Reference Number: M321/1/2/4
Item Number: 1
Archive Roll: 822

Yep - that's them. thanks Gritty.

The stillbirth register started 1st July 1927 and is only accessed by the parents

Name: Elizabeth Chester
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Birth Date: abt 1900
Departure Date: 5 Aug 1932
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Destination Port: Quebec, Canada
Ship Name: Duchess Of Richmond
Shipping line: Canadian Pacific
Official Number: 160631
Master: A Freer

Occupation: Domestic
Last Address in UK: 44 Mindale Road, Wavertree, Liverpool
Intended permanent residence: Canada

EDIT: Not this one- see Margee's post below

Hi Gritty - thanks for your help. This has her birthdate 4 years younger. If I remember correctly this record also has her as having lived in Canada previously. Do you know what kind of travel documents she would have had to have to prove who she was? Did they have passports back then Or could British citizens travel freely in the Commonwealth? When my family emigrated to Australia in 1962 we didn't have passports but would have had some kind of travel permit. Cheers Liz

This is the arrival in Canada for that one, the name is Chester on original, but I don't see how she could be your grandmother. She says she'd previously been in Canada from 1909-1932.


Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 about Elizabeth Charter
Name: Elizabeth Charter
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Birth Year: abt 1900
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 12 Aug 1932
Vessel: Duchess of Richmond
Search Ship Database: Search for the Duchess of Richmond in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: Quebec, Canada
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England

Just noticed that it's a list of returning Canadians.

Hi

Do you have the full date of birth for Edward & Elizabeth?

I'm just looking at these deaths:


Name: Edward Chester
Birth: 9 Jun 1894
Death: Mar 1989 - Blackpool and Fylde, Lancashire,


Name: Elizabeth Chester
Birth: abt 1896
Death: Mar 1968 - Blackpool, Lancashire, England

Thanks Margee, I couldn't see the arrival

Thanks Margee and Gins - My grandfather Edward Chester died in Manchester in 1960. I have all of his details so I know that the Blackpool Chesters you found are def not mine. It may be Elizabeth didn't go to Canada. I just don't know how to start to find her post 1932 - although the 1939 Index will be good when it is ready. She may just have moved south - which in some ways was just as big a move for those days. Thanks to all for your help - much appreciated :-)

Re Shirley's post:
The stillbirth register started 1st July 1927 and is only accessed by the parents

I think that siblings of the stillborn child can also apply for a stillbirth cert, but I don't know for sure.

Thanks mgnv - sadly none of the siblings are still alive so that one may stay a mystery.