Read on Twitter
This is the first (and thus far only) advertisement I came across that just has a full address on it, and it's one placed by a woman looking for another woman. I am itching to try and find out who miss K. Oliver is; stay tuned! https://twitter.com/TheLinkAds/status/1296891258678448128
I am a curious human being, so first things first, we put the address in google maps just to check the house out. It's the house next to the blue door that miss K. Oliver mentioned in her advertisement!
Since I have very little to build on, I figured I'd try to find a full name in the papers. So, I put in the address again, which lead me to a family in Lancashire on 17 Oakley Street who had lost an 18 year old family member to the war in 1916- heartbreaking, but not who I need.
I found another advertisement placed by K. Oliver in the Link of February 1921, this time under the business segment;
"GRAMAPHONES: lowest price; some at 30s. Unique opportunity. Viewe by appt. Stamp please - K. Oliver, 7 Oakley-street, Chelsea, London, S.W."
"GRAMAPHONES: lowest price; some at 30s. Unique opportunity. Viewe by appt. Stamp please - K. Oliver, 7 Oakley-street, Chelsea, London, S.W."
A second matching search result is this one in the Era of June 7th 1922. Now, I have no idea if miss Oliver was still living on 7 Oakley Street at this point, but it intrigued me nonetheless.
As any good historian and researcher, I put 'valdené' and 'miss vashti' in variations in google with the following results:
Back to the newspapers we go!
1. Advertisement for Valdené at the Kennington Theatre in The Era, 28 June 1922
2. Review of Valdené at the Kennington Theatre in The Stage, June 8th 1922
3. Review of Valdené at the Canterbury in The Era, May 31,1922
1. Advertisement for Valdené at the Kennington Theatre in The Era, 28 June 1922
2. Review of Valdené at the Kennington Theatre in The Stage, June 8th 1922
3. Review of Valdené at the Canterbury in The Era, May 31,1922
This is turning into a bit of a dead end, so while interesting to learn about a violinist from the 1920s, I don't think we'll find more about K. Oliver here. I figured I might try the address in the census records and see what was going on there.
Colour me shocked (Well, not entirely) when neither the 1911 census, the 1939 register nor the electoral registers of 1919-1921 have a K. Oliver on 7 Oakley Street.
Is she using a fake name? Is there a business registered on the address as well? Is she having letters forwarded to a friend's address? In 1920, we find the following people on 7 Oakley Street:
Doris Mabel Gawthorp
Arthur Francis Palmer Philips
Florence Stewart
Doris Mabel Gawthorp
Arthur Francis Palmer Philips
Florence Stewart
Doris Mabel Gawthorp is the only one out of these three who is still living there in 1921 when the other advertisement is placed. Could she be K. Oliver?
(Also, in 1919 it was Doris, Florence and someone named George Cockburn Harvey at 7 Oakley Street. Gave me a chuckle.)
(Also, in 1919 it was Doris, Florence and someone named George Cockburn Harvey at 7 Oakley Street. Gave me a chuckle.)
Of course, it might very well be that K. Oliver wasn't eligible to vote or didn't register to vote which means she wouldn't show up in the register if I'm correct in how this thing works. In 1922 there are a load more people living there, and Doris Mabel Gawthorp is now Jeffries
This is all I could find for now; essentially we are not much further in finding K. Oliver, except that she may have been Doris Mabel Gawthorp? Questionmarks?
Thanks to @TheStevenThomas who pointed out I might have more luck in the 1928 electoral register! The 7 Oakley Address unfortunately at that time has completely different people than in 1920 living there; but that's no reason to give up!
A new find!! @williamabigails discovered 7 Oakley Street was the address of a ladies only residential club. Nudge nudge wink wink? https://twitter.com/williamabigails/status/1296914010462396418
Let's look into this club (Beechwood) a little bit more The 1911 census is a bit of a mess and confusingly has more men than women living on 6/7 Oakley Street: 4 men and 2 women occupy the 14 (!) rooms in 6/7 Oakley Street.
In an attempt to figure out the 1901 census search mode on ancestry, I googled something and stumbled upon this website:
Different address, same street, more suffragettes. http://www.house-historian.co.uk/london/the-suffragettes-of-oakley-street/
Different address, same street, more suffragettes. http://www.house-historian.co.uk/london/the-suffragettes-of-oakley-street/
Sidenote, apparently Oscar Wilde lived in the same street on number 87 with his mother at some point, and David Bowie on 89.
I'm currently scrolling through the 1901 census looking for this Beechwood Ladies Residential Club; I've found this so far,but I am notoriously bad at reading old handwriting. I can see it says Ladies Res. Club, but the address underneith isn't Oakley Street, right?
This club is four pages long in the census; I'll have al ook later to see who is on it. I doubt we'll find K. Oliver here already, but who knows!
Ah, I've found the club! Not as big as the other one, but still plenty of women living there, including Lilias Eaton who is named as the 'managaress' in the publication a few tweets above. No Oliver, though.
To be Continued tomorrow, as nothing is making sense to me right now and I need to catch up on sleep. Goodnight, and if anyone has any lightbulb moments- do let me know!
