ROBERT KIDD - Film Actor

[dogaholic]

Hi everyone, happy to have joined TalkingScot

I am trying to find out about a Kidd family, although apologies in advance as I don't have a lot of definite information.

Father is Robert Kidd. I don't know when or where he was born, married or died, but on his daughter's marriage certificate (1959) he was listed as deceased. He was a film actor but I haven't been able to find out what films he was in.

His daughter was Mary Shearer Kidd (b.after 1908) who became a singer with the stage name Mae Cooper. She married a jazz musician from Trinidad, Carl Aldric Stanley BARRITEAU in London in 1959. They eventually emigrated to Australia where they both passed away in the 1990s. I don't think they had any children.

Robert also had a son, who I only know by the name of Nicky Kidd. He was a singer and pianist, appeared at the Edinburgh Palladium in 1964 (amongst others) and recorded a version of the Skye Boat Song. I believe he also passed away in the 1990s.

Does anyone recognise any of this sketchy info as being in their family tree? If so I would love to hear from you.

Birth well after our cut-off date of 1909. LesleyB

[Tracey]

Hi Dogaholic

Welcome to Talking Scot

Just a few quick thoughts............there is one Mary Shearer Kidd birth <after 1909> on Scotlandspeople, does this not note her parents marriage ? From that you can then find Roberts marriage and his parents. Have you looked for him on the 1901 census ?

Enough for now !

Tracey

[SarahND]

Hi dogaholic and Welcome
I was also looking at the same time as Tracey As she said, on Scotland's People there is one birth for a Mary Shearer Kidd in the Statutory Registers. Not surprisingly, this is <after 1909>. Using the search function and altering the county and district until a result shows up, her birth was registered in Eastwood, Lanark.

There is one marriage for a Robert Kidd in Eastwood, which occurred in 1913. No guarantee that it is your Robert, but if you order Mary's birth certificate, it will tell you her parents' names and marriage date. The marriage will tell you Robert's age and occupation, as well as his parents' names. This will help you go backwards and find his birth, etc.

All the best,
Sarah

[WilmaM]

Have you had a look at
http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk

I've drawn a blank on most of those names but Nicky Kidd has a few hits:

5 star show at the Pavilion Theatre Glasgow

Flood fund concert on 22 February 1953 at the Empire Theatre Glasgow
In aid of the Lord Provost's Flood and Tempest Fund

Fraser Neal's revels of 1958 at the Alhambra Theatre Glasgow

Maryhill to Laramie at the Metropole Theatre (St George's Cross) Glasgow

Scotland forever at the Metropole Theatre (Stockwell St) Glasgow

The thistle o' Scotland at the Metropole Theatre (Stockwell St) Glasgow

The Robert Kidd that's there seems to be a stage actor rather than films - could he have used a stage name?

As the others have suggested, getting Mary's Birth record will give you a lot more info to work on - did her marriage not mention her mother's name? I'd hazard a guess that Shearer comes into the picture somehow.

[nelmit]

According to an interested party at Ancestry his parents were Robert Kidd who died in 1889 and Mary Shearer who died in 1924 (there is such a death indexed at SP). Robert born 1888 at Glasgow married Sarah Cooper from Shotts. These names would certainly fit with what you know. They also give a son's name as David Kidd who died in Australia.

This looks like him in 1901 at Maryhill -

Mary Kidd 53 Monthly Nurse
Jessie M Kidd 23
Jemima H Kidd 16
Robert Kidd 12 Scholar

1881 census shows father Robert was a warehouse packer born Glasgow around 1849.

1901 Census shows a suitable Sarah Cooper born 1881 living at Eastwood with her rather large family.

If you add Sarah Cooper's name to the marrige that Sarah saw in 1913 at Eastwood you get 1 hit.

Regards,
Annette

[SarahND]

I see Annette was busy while I was scurrying around on Ancestry and SP but I'll post what I have anyway, although it overlaps a bit. Well, never hurts to hear something twice!

On SP there is one marriage of a Robert Kidd to someone with the surname Shearer. It is in 1875 and is also on the IGI: 1 Jun 1875 in Calton, Glasgow. You guessed it, the bride's name was Mary Shearer. Any bets that these are Robert's parents? A parent search on the IGI gives no results, since 1875 is about as late as the online IGI goes.

There is a Robert Kidd born in Calton in 1892 on Scotland's People, but he appears to be the son of Georgina in the 1901 census. However, there is a Robert Kidd born about 1889 in Glasgow with mother Mary in 1901 who looks more convincing.

1901
509 New Keppochhill Rd, Glasgow Maryhill
Mary Kidd, 53, Head, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Month & Nurse
Jessie M Kidd, 23, Daur, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, House Keeper
Jemima H Kidd, 16, Daur, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Factory Warehouse Girl
Robert Kidd, 12, Son, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scholar

Going backwards, here they are in 1891, still no father in sight.

1891
598 N Keppochhill Rd, Glasgow Maryhill
Mary Kidd, 41, Head, born Glasgow, Lanarks, Sick Nurse
Jessie Kidd, 13, Daur, born Glasgow, Lanarks, Housekeeper
Jemima Kidd, 6, Daur, born Glasgow, Lanarks, Scholar
Robert Kidd, 2, Son, born Glasgow, Lanarks

Finally we find in 1881 that Mary was indeed the wife of Robert, so I would guess these are Robert Kidd and Mary Shearer, particularly because they are in Calton:

1881
Calton, Glasgow Barony, Lanarkshire
Robert Kidd, 32, Head, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Warehouse Packer
Mary Kidd, 33, Wife, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Jessie Kidd, 3, Daughter, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire

Cheers,
Sarah

[nelmit]

Hi Sarah,

Yes that was the family I found.

According to the researcher David Kidd born around 1912 died at Sydney, Australia. There are a few D Kidd on the incoming passenger lists to Sydney. I wonder if one of them was him and has an appropriate occupation.

Regards,
Annette

[Currie]

Hello Dogaholic,

The Ryerson newspaper death notice index has a entry for a David Cooper Kidd http://ryersonindex.net/search.php You’ll also find an entry there for your Mr. Barriteau, it looks as though he had a full obituary published when he died. Maybe there’s something extra there to supplement all the information available via google.

The Sydney Morning Herald Archives http://archives.smh.com.au/Default/Skin ... 3001117190 is a Pay Site and covers the period 1955-1995. A search there for Barriteau brings up seven results between 1981 and 1994. The obit was later than this.

A search in the SMH archives for "david cooper kidd" brings up a Law Notice in 1973. A search for “david kidd” understandably brings up many more results.

The SMH prior to 1955 is being put online on this free site http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home They’re working on the 1920’s and it could be a couple of months before they get to 1954.

A search in the Scotsman Archive pay site after 1900 for the various names brings up a number of entertainment etc related results. Maybe there’s something useful there. http://archive.scotsman.com/search.cfm

All the best,
Alan

[dogaholic]

WOW!!!

I really didn't expect such a fantastic response! Thank you all sooooo much.

I did have some of the info mentioned and I had already ordered Mary Shearer Kidd's birth certificate, but guess I'm too impatient to wait for it to arrive.

I will spend some time digesting everything you have told me and following suggested links.

I would still like to hear from anyone who may have a family connection.

All good wishes for 2010 and beyond,
Candy.

[Sheila Daniel]

I am the daughter of Robert Kidd - actor, my name is Sheila and I have a brother Donald and a sister Deirdre from my father's second marriage. I knew Nicky Kidd, David Kidd and Mary Shearer Kidd (stage name Mae Cooper) during my early childhood and kept in contact with them after they moved to Australia up until my marriage in 1964. Thank you for your website as I have found out more about my father and his parents (my grandparents) through Talking Scott and have visited the place he lived as a 2 and 12 year old, although it is not the same now.