Genealogy Forum UK

Hi everyone,

I've just very recently started putting together my Family Tree, after long having an interest in the history of my Grandparents, it's tough for a beginner though, and i'd love some help with it


What I know so far:

My Grandfather -

Name - Clifford Francis Spencer Chaplin
Born - c.1902
Died - 1970 and buried at Cleethorpes cemetery, Lincolnshire (also on the headstone is my Grandma's name)


My Grandmother -

Name - Mary Ada Askew (might also have been registered at birth as Ada Mary Askew?)
Born - c. 1913
Died - 1968, buried at Cleethorpes cemetery too, with my Grandad.

They had 13 children, and the family all lived in Humberston, Grimsby (Lincolnshire). They ran a local club/pub nearby called The Grosvenor (still there now)


I'm having trouble finding their marriage records anywhere though. My Grandma we believe was in the WAF for a short time so i'm not sure if that's how she met Grandad as his birth records say he was born in Leicester. Also not 100% sure on whether i've found the right birth record for my Grandma.


Any help would be great!

Hi Nadine, i had a check on Ancestry and BMD abd all i could find was the birth 11 May 1902 Leicester and death registered June 1970 Cleethorpes,Lincs of Clifford FS Chaplin.
There was an Ada Mary Askew registered as born December 1912 Grimsby,Lincs.Mothers maiden name Rhodes.
On BMD i could find no marriage but if they were both in the Services maybe they married abroad?

Rob wrote:Hi Nadine, i had a check on Ancestry and BMD abd all i could find was the birth 11 May 1902 Leicester and death registered June 1970 Cleethorpes,Lincs of Clifford FS Chaplin.
There was an Ada Mary Askew registered as born December 1912 Grimsby,Lincs.Mothers maiden name Rhodes.
On BMD i could find no marriage but if they were both in the Services maybe they married abroad?

Hi Rob, many thanks for the reply!

Those are details are correct for my Grandad, and I believe true for my Grandmda although I have found other birth records under Mary A Askew in the UK. I'm just wondering if this Ada Mary record in Grimsby is correct, why she was known by and her registered death (also on the gravestone) was Mary Ada?..

Yes that's what I was thinking too regards the marriage, however my Mum has no recollection of them marrying abroad. Do you know where there might be access to free, overseas marriage records? Or perhaps records of travelling documentation etc. I'm keen to also see if I can find records of those who were in the WAF, might find my Grandma then.

Thanks again for your help

Hang on a bit Nadine there'll be people on here later who are far better than me,don't let them know i said that their ego's are inflated enough, and i have no doubt all your questions will be answered.

Rob wrote:Hang on a bit Nadine there'll be people on here later who are far better than me,don't let them know i said that their ego's are inflated enough, and i have no doubt all your questions will be answered.

Haha will do then, Rob! Thanks for the info

Just thought of something.
Clifford FS Chaplin b.1902 have you got him on the 1911 census?
Ada Mary Askew b.1912 mother's maiden name was Rhodes,have you any recollection of a great grandmother called Rhodes?

Hi and welcome!
Do you know when/where the first of the 13 children was born?
FreeBMD has children surname Chaplin and mother's maiden name Askew and the first is born in 1934 registered in Grimsby. Is that the first one?
Do you have a birth certificate for one of the children? No chance that Ada Mary was widowed and remarried?

Hi Nadine, being an Ex Wren, I am pretty sure that your Grandparents would not have Married abroad whilst they were still in the Forces, it didn't happen. Your Grandmother like me would have to have left the WAAF to marry. You need to search the local Indexes for Grimsby at the nearest Archives to find their Marriage. HTH Linell.

Rob wrote:Just thought of something.
Clifford FS Chaplin b.1902 have you got him on the 1911 census?
Ada Mary Askew b.1912 mother's maiden name was Rhodes,have you any recollection of a great grandmother called Rhodes?

No I haven't checked out the 1911 census yet, Rob...

The Rhodes maiden name, yes i've seen that come up too but no recollection of my great grandmother with that name. Sadly as with most people, back in that day my Mum never got told much from her parents, ''seen and not heard and all that!

gardener wrote:Hi and welcome!
Do you know when/where the first of the 13 children was born?
FreeBMD has children surname Chaplin and mother's maiden name Askew and the first is born in 1934 registered in Grimsby. Is that the first one?
Do you have a birth certificate for one of the children? No chance that Ada Mary was widowed and remarried?

Hi there,

Yes I know all the details of their births, and they were all born with the Chaplin surname -

Dorothy Wendy Kathleen Susan Patricia Kenneth David Ronald Michael Ann Douglas Jean Peter
1950 | 1949 | 1948 | 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | 1941 | 1939 | 1938 | 1936 | 1935 | 1934


No I don't have any certificates sadly. As they were all under their father's surname Chaplin and the first son was born in 1934 (making my Grandmother about 22) I don't think she would have previously being married, my Mum did say they had a long marriage...?

Thanks again for all your help!

Nadine_ wrote:
Hi there,

Yes I know all the details of their births, and they were all born with the Chaplin surname -

Dorothy Wendy Kathleen Susan Patricia Kenneth David Ronald Michael Ann Douglas Jean Peter
1950 | 1949 | 1948 | 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | 1941 | 1939 | 1938 | 1936 | 1935 | 1934


No I don't have any certificates sadly. As they were all under their father's surname Chaplin and the first son was born in 1934 (making my Grandmother about 22) I don't think she would have previously being married, my Mum did say they had a long marriage...?

Thanks again for all your help!

Think there might have been two more
Julie 1951
Timothy 1954
Both born Cleethorpes

Maths girl wrote:

Nadine_ wrote:
Hi there,

Yes I know all the details of their births, and they were all born with the Chaplin surname -

Dorothy Wendy Kathleen Susan Patricia Kenneth David Ronald Michael Ann Douglas Jean Peter
1950 | 1949 | 1948 | 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | 1941 | 1939 | 1938 | 1936 | 1935 | 1934


No I don't have any certificates sadly. As they were all under their father's surname Chaplin and the first son was born in 1934 (making my Grandmother about 22) I don't think she would have previously being married, my Mum did say they had a long marriage...?

Thanks again for all your help!

Think there might have been two more
Julie 1951
Timothy 1954
Both born Cleethorpes

No there were definitely only 13 of them, and all born in Grimsby/Cleethorpes district, double checked with Mum

Well! I can't find Clifford on the 1911 census. Nor can I find a marriage for them.
I think it may be a case of biting the bullet and getting a birth certificate for one of their children. I would go for the earliest one.
And Clifford's birth certificate too as then you would know his mother's name and hopefully his father's also.
Sometimes it seems like the people with the most names are the hardest to track. My gr grandmother added no less than than three first names on to her baptismal/registered name so her death certificate is listed as Mary A F E, one census has her as Frances, and her birth and marriage are down as Ellen.
Any one got any better ideas?

gardener wrote:Well! I can't find Clifford on the 1911 census. Nor can I find a marriage for them.
I think it may be a case of biting the bullet and getting a birth certificate for one of their children. I would go for the earliest one.
And Clifford's birth certificate too as then you would know his mother's name and hopefully his father's also.
Sometimes it seems like the people with the most names are the hardest to track. My gr grandmother added no less than than three first names on to her baptismal/registered name so her death certificate is listed as Mary A F E, one census has her as Frances, and her birth and marriage are down as Ellen.
Any one got any better ideas?

Thanks for the good idea! I think you're definitely right on the fact people with longer names, are often the most difficult to find
I'll think as you said, the best bet would be to get the birth certificate of the first born child and also my Grandfather's, and work from there maybe.

Maths girl wrote:Think there might have been two more
Julie 1951
Timothy 1954
Both born Cleethorpes

These 2 died, so could be other children.

Name: Julie Chaplin.
Birth Date: abt 1951.
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1951.
Age at Death: 0.
Registration district: Cleethorpes.
Inferred County: Lincolnshire.
Volume: 3b.
Page: 154.

Name: Timothy Chaplin.
Birth Date: abt 1954.
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1954.
Age at Death: 0.
Registration district: Cleethorpes.
Inferred County: Lincolnshire.
Volume: 3b.
Page: 125.