Person:Peter Kelly (7)

Peter Kelly was born on 16th March 1888 at 197 Market Street in Birkenhead, the youngest of eleven (but ten surviving) children of Catherine Kelly, formerly Ralston, and her husband Dennis Kelly, a ship's boiler maker. By the time Peter was born, his eldest sister Bridget had already had a daughter of her own, such that Peter had a niece, Mary Ellen, who was older than him.

Peter grew up in Birkenhead. His father died in 1904, when Peter was sixteen years old. His mother died in 1933, when Peter was 45 years old.

Peter does not appear to have married. At the outbreak of the Second World War he was working as a marine fireman and living in the Salvation Army Hostel at 17-21 Price Street, Birkenhead.

In the early 1950s Peter was described as a labourer for a steam ship company, and lived at 49 Ivy Street, a street of small terraced houses between Birkenhead's town centre and the River Mersey, just east of the entrance to the Queensway Road Tunnel, which had opened in 1934.

Peter died on 1st April 1952 at Birkenhead Municipal Hospital, aged 64. His brother Patrick Albert was the informant for his death.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Birkenhead
   1888 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Birkenhead in the County of Chester
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   153	Sixteenth March 1888 197 Market Street, U.S.D.	Peter	Boy	Dennis KELLY	Catherine KELLY formerly RALSTON	Labourer in Iron Works	C. Kelly Mother 197 Market St. Birkenhead	Twentyfifth April 1888	Alex[ander] Blaylock J[unio]r Registrar

   
2. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 2880; Folio 83; Page 55, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 8 Eldon Place, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   4 rooms occupied
   John Kelly, head, married, male, 49 [1841/2], Dock Laborer, employed, b. Kildare, Ireland
   Catherine Kelly, wife, married, female, 45 [1845/6], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Edward Kelly, son, single, male, 17 [1873/4], Dock Laborer, employed, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Dennis Kelly, son, male, 15 [1875/6], Dock Laborer, employed, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Alexander Kelly, son, male, 13 [1877/8], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Frank Kelly, son, male, 10 [1880/1], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Mary E. Kelly, daughter, 4 [1886/7], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Peter Kelly, son, male, 3 [1887/8], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Patrick A. Kelly, son, male, 7 [1883/4], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   ~ [another household at same address]
   2 rooms occupied
   John Kenny, head, single, male, 49 [1841/2], General Laborer, employed, b. Newry, Ireland
   Catherine Kenny, sister, single, female, 40 [1850/1], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire

   Although the head of the household's name here is given as John, it is clear from the wife, children and Kennys in the same house that this is the same family as in the 1871, 1881 and 1901 censuses, all of which gave the father's name as Dennis. Presumably the 'John' here is a mistake.

3. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 3388; Folio 165; Page 21, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 13 George Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Dennis Kelly, head, married, male, 59 [1841/2], Ships Boiler Maker, worker, b. Ireland
   Catherine Kelly, wife, married, female, 55 [1845/6], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Frank Kelly, son, single, male, 19 [1881/2], General Labourer, worker, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Albert Kelly, son, single, male, 17 [1883/4], Apprentice Baker, worker, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Peter Kelly, son, single, male, 13 [1887/8], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Mary E. Kelly, granddaughter, female, 14 [1886/7], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   John Kenny, visitor, single, male, 60 [1840/1], Ragman, own account, b. Ireland
   Catherine Kenny, servant, single, female, 46 [1854/5], General servant, worker, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire

4. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register.

   Address: Salvation Army Hostel, 17,19 & 21 Price Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   [Many residents, including:]
   Kelly Peter, inmate, male, b. 6 Mar 1888, single, Marine Fireman

5. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Birkenhead
   1952 Death in the Sub-district of Birkenhead South in the County Borough of Birkenhead
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   270	First April 1952 56 Church Road, U.D.	Peter KELLY	male	64 years	of 49 Ivy Street, Birkenhead U.D. Labourer (Steamship company)	Ia. Carcinoma Ventriculi II. Myocardial degeneration PM Certified by B. Murphy M.B.	P.A. Kelly Brother 45 Beaufort Square, Birkenhead	Second April 1952	E. Watson? Registrar

   Peter's place of death, 56 Church Road, was the postal address of Birkenhead Municipal Hospital. The custom of calling it 56 Church Road on birth and death certificates was a throwback to the building's previous function when it had been Birkenhead Union Workhouse - particularly on birth certificates it was felt that giving a place of birth as 'Birkenhead Union Workhouse' might disadvantage people later in life. See workhouses.org.uk for a description of Birkenhead Union Workhouse and the hospitals it later became.