Finding Graves From A 60s House Fire

[oldrover]

Bit of practical advice sought. I'm trying to find the graves of four children who were killed in a house fire in Essex in the mid sixties.

All that's known is that they were buried by the council, and bizarrely to me, the graves, according to their families' tradition, were poorly or unmarked. So far council and Parish records haven't come up with anything. But then the people who looked weren't exactly sharp.

I know the area, the date and the forenames of the victims, but lack their surnames.

Does anyone here have advice for further search strategies?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Bit of practical advice sought. I'm trying to find the graves of four children who were killed in a house fire in Essex in the mid sixties.

All that's known is that they were buried by the council, and bizarrely to me, the graves, according to their families' tradition, were poorly or unmarked. So far council and Parish records haven't come up with anything. But then the people who looked weren't exactly sharp.

I know the area, the date and the forenames of the victims, but lack their surnames.

Does anyone here have advice for further search strategies?

Local newspaper archives? Usually involves a microfiche search.

 

[oldrover]

That's one certainly, thanks.

 

[rynner2]

Local newspaper archives? Usually involves a microfiche search.

I did a lot of that at one time. The local library had a wide collection of microfiches and machines to read 'em.

I don't know what it's like now - I haven't used the library since the council cut the opening hours to one day a week, a few years ago.

 

[GerdaWordyer]

I did a lot of that at one time. The local library had a wide collection of microfiches and machines to read 'em.

I don't know what it's like now - I haven't used the library since the council cut the opening hours to one day a week, a few years ago.

Such sparse library accessibility is a crime.

 

[Bigphoot2]

The local council might have records of the grave's location. Or, this may be a long shot, a local history group. One local one I know of does that but mainly older graves.

 

[Yithian]

Local newspaper archives? Usually involves a microfiche search.

I bought a month's subscription to the British Newspaper Archive online and it's very good. By chance I was also researching an Essex subject and the county is well-represented. I'm at work now, but I'll post a link this evening.

 

[oldrover]

Unfortunately the council records don't seem to cover it, apparently the mainstream routes are closed. But, the local historical society is exactly the way I'm going. That's exactly the sort of suggestion I was hoping for. Thanks mate.

And thank you Yithian, that would be great.

 

[McAvennie]

I write historic articles for Wycombe Wanderers' match Programme and the hours I've lost scanning old copies on the Bucks Free Press microfiche archives by getting sidetracked of other stories totally unrelated to the football.

Is the newspaper archive worth signing up to Yith? I've often considered it.

If it is not too nosey oldrover can I ask why you are looking for this info? Seems an interesting story behind it.

 

[Bigphoot2]

I write historic articles for Wycombe Wanderers' match Programme and the hours I've lost scanning old copies on the Bucks Free Press microfiche archives by getting sidetracked of other stories totally unrelated to the football.

Year's ago I was clearing out some old store rooms at the college where I work and found bound copies of the local paper from 1920 to 1960. Not much work was done after I found them Very, very addictive.

 

[Yithian]

Is the newspaper archive worth signing up to Yith? I've often considered it.

For my purpose - military history - it was very helpful, and it's particularly good on the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century.

The trick is that they offer monthly memberships at half price (£8 IIRC) every two or three months and reasonably often £1 offers crop up - at those prices it's well worth it. You have to recall to cancel your membership so it doesn't roll over into a second month, but even when I forgot they refunded the charge with no question. You ought to ignore their bookmarking system and download everything to your computer by .pdf as you lose access to your bookmarks when your subscription ends.

I'll see if there's a current membership offer running...

Edit: site here. Believe you can search without subscribing to test the waters. The key, like with many archives, is trying key phrases and multiple variations.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Haven't found a current offer yet, but I'll search properly this evening.

 

[oldrover]

I write historic articles for Wycombe Wanderers' match Programme and the hours I've lost scanning old copies on the Bucks Free Press microfiche archives by getting sidetracked of other stories totally unrelated to the football.

Is the newspaper archive worth signing up to Yith? I've often considered it.

If it is not too nosey oldrover can I ask why you are looking for this info? Seems an interesting story behind it.

It's fine. The backstory is that the children who died were Mrs Rover's aunts and uncles, the only survivors being her mother, who was five at the time, and her mother.

So, the only people on the ground at the time were a five year old, who was injured in the fire and hospitalised, and the mother. And I'm sure it's obvious that she wasn't in a particularly coherent state for some years after that.

And, other than the children's father, who returned to the Caribbean shortly afterward never to be heard from again, there were no family in the area.

So, by the time the mother, as in Mrs R's grandmother, recovered sufficiently, and her recovery had taken her out of the area for some years, the location of the grave wasn't known. I get the impression, that there might have been 'attitudes' at that time and place, that may have led to the whole thing being less sensitively handled than it would be today. If you see what I mean.

I realise that sounds a bit melodramatic, but, that's what happened.

 

[Yithian]

Right, took a bit of digging, but anybody interested: 1939BNA1FOR1 - should give you a month for a quid.
Don't forger to unsubscribe at the end of the month - or at least uncheck the option to auto-roll-over to the next month.

 

[oldrover]

Thanks for that. I'll be following it up tomorrow. Thanks again.

 

[Spookdaddy]

As violent/unnatural death occured I suspect the incident would have been subject to a coroners inquest, which, although it would likely have been pre-burial, might give some clue; the deceased must have been passed into the care of some official body or other.

According to the National Archives website the records of coroners inquests are held locally.

Edit: Ah, sorry - I see you said that you already know that they were buried by the council.

 

[Rerenny]

I did a lot of that at one time. The local library had a wide collection of microfiches and machines to read 'em.

I don't know what it's like now - I haven't used the library since the council cut the opening hours to one day a week, a few years ago.

Irrelevant but my library recently closed. Not because of vicious council cuts but because Oxford is re-arranging the city centre so that John Lewis can move in. A smaller, less well equipped version of the central library is hanging around the castle area but it's not the same and I really miss the main library, it has superb resources including the mighty microfiche archives. I just have a small querulous voice, somewhere in the back of my mind, that worries that the council might make some asinine argument in the future about how the central library was not missed whilst the city rolled out the red carpet for John Lewis and that very few took advantage of the castle's library in the mean time and so why not do away with such a large and expensive public resource? I'm going to believe that no council in the middle of an ancient university would be so niggardly as to close a library, but who knows these days?

Sorry for the interruption!

 

[Krepostnoi]

I'm going to believe that no council in the middle of an ancient university would be so niggardly as to close a library, but who knows these days?

Most logical place to do away with one, surely? Clearly Oxford does not lack for libraries - every college has at least one - so why waste hardworking ratepayers' money on a public one?

(Oh, god, I have an inner Tory. Cast it out, someone, cast it out, I implore you.)

 

[oldrover]

As violent/unnatural death occured I suspect the incident would have been subject to a coroners inquest, which, although it would likely have been pre-burial, might give some clue; the deceased must have been passed into the care of some official body or other.

According to the National Archives website the records of coroners inquests are held locally.

Edit: Ah, sorry - I see you said that you already know that they were buried by the council.

Yes, but this is still a line I'm planning to follow. The council records may be incomplete, but as you say there would have to have been a coroners inquiry. Also death certificates and, if it's the same as now, an official 'OK' for the burial to have taken place.

I'm assuming that any such records would be held separately from the council's.

 

[Mythopoeika]

(Oh, god, I have an inner Tory. Cast it out, someone, cast it out, I implore you.)

You are possessed by the demons Thatcher and Winston!

 

[Yithian]

In the event that anybody is interested in trawling old newspaper articles, there's a new 'month for a quid' offer at www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk - enter DEAL2 at registration and deselect 'auto renew' in your account options to ensure you don't get charged the full rate for a second month.