Janet Gregsten

[Spitfire]

Hi Jon, I cannot really help you that much. I have a Find My Past subscription but cannot see an entry for a "Janet Wickenden" born in 1930. I have seen the registration record for Janet Kinnock in 1931 (mother's maiden name Stokes) and the registration of Janet's marriage in 1951 to Michael Gregsten which has her name as Janet Phillips or Janet Kinnock.

Do you have an entry of birth registration for Janet Wickenden for 1930?

As to Janet's mother, I believe her birth was registered in 1904 under the name of Lilian W Stokes. She married Robert L Wickenden in 1925 and under the name Wendy Wickenham, married Edgar H Phillips in 1935.

I have also seen the two 1939 Registration records for the two Wickenden (half?) sisters. It does seem that in 1939 Lilian W or Wendy was not living with Edgar H Phillips, at least not according to the Register.



I had always assumed that Robert L Wickenden was not Janet's father and that Mr Kinnock, whoever he might be, was. There is no record of any marriage that I can find that records a marriage between Lilian W and Mr Kinnock.

On the aunt question, I have always assumed that the aunt in question was Michael's mother's sister, Hilda M Oulet. (1897-1982). It seems from the electoral rolls on Find My Past that Hilda M Oulet was living with the Gregsten's (John and Jeanie) at the time of Michael Gregsten's birth in 1925 and for some years before and after, until John A upped sticks to marry Dorothy Louise in1930.

[gallicrow]

Dear All.

I'm trying to research the family history for a few of the people involved with the A6 murder.
I'm really struggling with Janet Gregsten.

As far as I can tell she had a sister (half-sister?) called Valerie Wickenden, who was was born on 20th October 1925 and died on 25th January 2005. She's the one who married William Ewer (in 1948).

Janet was, I believe, born on 10th January 1930 as Janet Wickenden, but then it looks like her birth was registered again a whole year later as Janet Kinnock. Then when she married Michael Gregsten in 1951 there were two records entered, one for Janet Phillips and one as Janet Kinnock.

In the 1939 register both girls were at Clare Park School (possibly boarding?) in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire and both using the surname Phillips. I think this is because their mother had remarried someone with the surname Phillips (Edgar H Phillips?) after the death of her first husband, Robert Leslie Wickenden, in 1933.

I'm completely stumped as to how Kinnock fits in.

I've been filling in information and attaching records on the Family Search site. I think you need a (free) account to view the records:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pe...tails/G8NC-171

Can anyone help fill in the gaps or correct anything I've got wrong? I don't even know the name of the girls' mother yet! It might be Lilian W Stokes, Wendy Stokes, Lilian Wendy Stokes or something else entirely.

One small fact that I discovered is that Michael Gregsten's father was not an only child - he had an older brother. This might be of slight importance because I think the Morris Minor was described as belonging to an auntie of Mike's, and his father's sister-in-law is an additional candidate for that auntie:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pe...tails/G8NZ-R3H

Thanks very much.

Jon