Any help/ideas would be most welcome in finding my Grandparents John BRADFORD and Margaret BRADFORD nee DAY/GREEN.
My father John William BRADFORD was born in Bedford in 1916. He had two older sisters, Evelyn May BRADFORD (b1914) and Florence Cecelia BRADFORD (b1915)
I have copies of birth certificates for them all and all show a John Bradford as the father.
I have two mysteries -
1) Whilst on Evelyn's birth certificate (The eldest child) and my fathers birth certificate (The youngest child) the mother Margaret BRADFORD states her maiden name as GREEN, on Florence's birth certificate (The middle child) she gives her maiden name as DAY.
2) In 1918 all the children are sent to a childrens home in Kempston, Beds. (The entry book for the date they arrive states "Deserted by mother) They never have any further contact with their parents and no-one knows what becomes of them.
I only have 3 official records of John BRADFORD the father. (No marriage between BRADFORD - GREEN or BRADFORD - DAY having been found)
He appears on all three birth certificates (As horse keeper, Carman, and Waggoner)
The mothers address when registering john on 24th July 1916 was 17 Allhallows Lane, Bedford. Column 7 reads "Margarett Bradford, Mother, Summerhouse Hill, Cardington, as per declaration dated 26th September 1916" (One assumes she was two months late in registering the birth and moved in the meantime?)
Details for Florence: In both column 1 and 7 simply "Cardington"
The timeline (Birth Certificates and Bedford Union Records) show that after the birth of Evelyn in the workhouse the mother went to Cardington on January 20th 1914 discharged "To Husband".
On 20th March 1915 Florence is born in Cardington and the mother is living in Cardington.
Bedford Union (Parish of Cardington) records on 15th January 1916 "Maggie Bradford" pregnant, applies for relief.
John is born 24th July 1916.
Bedford Union (Parish of Cardington) records on 26th September 1916 "Bradford, John" age 60 of Summerhouse Hill, applies for relief.
The father John Bradford is recorded in Bedford Union relief order book for quarter ending Lady Day 1917 given help for "Wife and children" residing in St Johns.
I have been unable to find any further record of the mother.
The father John Bradford is recorded in Bedford Union relief order book for quarter ending Lady Day 1918
Bedford Union for Michaelmas 1918 records "Bradford Children"
Bedford Union 'Discharge Book' records that on 21st July 1918 'Bradford, Evelyn May' aged 5, Bradford, Cicerly' aged 3, and Bradford, John Willie' aged 18 months, were admitted.
On 22nd July 1918 the same book records that Evelyn and Cicerly were discharged to Kempston Childrens Home.
For some reason John was kept in the workhouse until 28 June 1919, when he too was discharged to Kempston.
All Kempston records were destroyed when the home was taken over by the local authorities in the 1950's.