Who Do You Think You Are - Noel Clarke 31st Aug [Archive] - Genealogists' Forum

kiterunner

01-09-17, 14:56

Episode summary:

Noel Clarke grew up on a council estate in West London, the only child of a single parent, his mother Gemma Clarke, who had come from Trinidad to England to work as a nurse. He knew his father, but was not close to him.

Noel went to visit Gemma, who still lives in the flat where he grew up. Gemma was brought up by her grandmother, Elizabeth Adina Clarke, in Trinidad, and actually thought that Elizabeth was her mother and that her mother, Elizabeth's daughter Edna Naomi Clarke, was her aunt, until Edna told her the truth when she was about 11 years old. Gemma's grandfather, Elizabeth's husband, was William Woods Clarke. Noel went to Carapichaina, in central Trinidad, and met an historian who showed him where William and Elizabeth lived. Their house has not survived but he saw a similar one.

Noel was shown the marriage certificate of Adina Elizabeth John age 19, a seamstress, and William Woods Clarke, age 27, a mason, dated 24 Jun 1906. They got married in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Noel was told that earlier records from St Vincent were destroyed in a volcanic explosion in 1902, so it was not possible to trace them back further. There were birth certificates for four daughters of William and Adina Elizabeth: one born 15 Jun 1913 in St Vincent, and the others born 3 Apr 1917, 25 Oct 1919, and 22 Jun 1921, all in Trinidad. The informant on one of the birth certificates was Adina's father Robert John, a labourer. The birth certificates didn't show the babies' names, only that they were female.

A passenger list for a voyage to New York in Nov 1923 included Elizabeth A Clarke, age 30, a widow, with her nearest relative stated to be Mr R John in Trinidad. Elizabeth was going to live with her sister in Brooklyn. The children did not travel with her. Another historian showed Noel a newspaper article from 1923 about "The Exodus from Trinidad", which said that there was no work for women in Trinidad so many of them were emigrating to go and earn money abroad and later send for their husbands to join them. Noel was also shown Elizabeth's "Declaration of Intent" to apply for naturalisation as a US citizen, dated 1926, which said that she was living in Brooklyn with her sister and brother-in-law, and listed her children as Louise, Miriam, Wilhelmina and Naomi, all living in the West Indies. The 1930 US census listed her as Dinah Clark, sister-in-law of the householder, with her occupation as "house worker". The last record of Elizabeth Adina in New York was in 1937. She later returned to Trinidad.

Noel's father Alpheus also came to Britain from Trinidad. Noel went to the south of Trinidad, where Alpheus came from, to find out more about him. Alpheus's mother was called Minerva or Minelvia, and lived in Fyzabad. Noel met a local man there who told him that she was well known locally, and was one of the early settlers there, having moved from Grenada. Many people moved to south Trinidad at that time to work in its large oil industry. Noel went to the Baptist Church where Minelvia worshipped. She was known there as "Mother Bernard". Noel was shown a photo of her with the PNM, the People's National Movement political party, of which she was the vice-chair, the leader being Eric Williams. They won the General Election in 1956, and Trinidad gained full independence in 1962.

Noel went to Grenada to meet his uncle, Minelvia's son Telfer, aged 72. Telfer was brought up by his grandmother. He told Noel that Minelvia was from the island of Carriacou, and that her father's name was Maxman Bedeau. Maxman's father, Cadeau Bedeau, was a sea captain who was lost at sea in a hurricane in 1921. His father was Benjamin Bedeau.

Noel went to Carriacou (current population about 7,000) and met an historian who showed him Benjamin's baptism record from 1848, giving his parents' names as Glasgow and Mary Bedeau. Slave records from 1821 for the Harvey Vale estate included Glasgow, age 1 month, mother's name 2nd Genevieve, meaning that she was the second of two slaves named Genevieve. Slave records did not show fathers' names. Glasgow's name was probably chosen by the planter or his local agent. Carriacou became part of the British Empire in 1763, and by the 1820's there were nearly 4,000 slaves there. Harvey Vale was a cotton estate, belonging to an absentee planter, Thomas Davidson of Brunswich Square, London. His local agent was John Dallas. A record of oral testimony showed that John Dallas was very cruel to the Harvey Vale slaves. Genevieve's death record showed that she died in 1924, age 31, cause of death "inflammation of stomach and bowels".

Noel met a local researcher who showed him a document of sale of land from the Endeavour estate to Glasgow Bedeau and John Ovid in 1844, after slavery had been abolished on Carriacou. The researcher showed him where the actual plot of land was. A marriage record showed that Glasgow Bedeau married Mary Ovid, so John Ovid was probably her father or brother. Noel saw Glasgow's grave on the plot of land, with a gravestone which said "Glasgow Bedeau died 17 June 1889, age 76". Noel met Elizabeth, a 3xg-granddaughter of Glasgow's, also descended from Benjamin. Glasgow had four sons altogether: John, Maxman, Andrew, and Benjamin. Elizabeth said that Glasgow was wealthy, hence the fancy grave. The current Bedeau family members still light candles at the grave. Noel met more Bedeau relatives and took part in a traditional ritual. He was told by a researcher that the particular music and dance used in this ritual can be traced back to Ghana.

kiterunner

01-09-17, 15:10

This is Elizabeth Adina's petition for naturalisation as a US citizen in 1929:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2280/32126_23132640337183-01028/3371723?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk %2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3f_phsrc%3dCzj3972%26_phstart%3dsucc essSource%26usePUBJs%3dtrue%26db%3dnynaturalizatio npetitions%26so%3d2%26pcat%3d40%26gss%3dangs-c%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26MS_AdvCB%3d1%26gsfn%3deli *%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3dclarke%26gsln_x%3d1%26msad y%3d1923%26msady_x%3d1%26msadp%3d2%26cpxt%3d1%26cp %3d12%26catbucket%3drstp%26MSAV%3d2%26MSV%3d1%26ui dh%3dvm5&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults.

It says that William died in June 1922.

This is her Declaration of Intention:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2280/32126_23132640337183-01028/3371723?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk %2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3f_phsrc%3dCzj3972%26_phstart%3dsucc essSource%26usePUBJs%3dtrue%26db%3dnynaturalizatio npetitions%26so%3d2%26pcat%3d40%26gss%3dangs-c%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26MS_AdvCB%3d1%26gsfn%3deli *%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3dclarke%26gsln_x%3d1%26msad y%3d1923%26msady_x%3d1%26msadp%3d2%26cpxt%3d1%26cp %3d12%26catbucket%3drstp%26MSAV%3d2%26MSV%3d1%26ui dh%3dvm5&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults#?imageId=32126_23132 640337183-01027

It's actually the petition which lists her children, not the declaration, but I don't think they made that clear in the programme.