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Hi there,

I would be delighted to hear any more information regarding the family of Arthur James Major who would be my Great-Grandfather. Supposedly fathered 3 children one of which was my Grandmother Beryl.

Beryl Major went on to marry Norman Frederick Wright, and had a daughter who is my mother Alison Wright. Unfortuantly there was a family feud and with all known relatives to be dead I cannot find any more information.

Arthurs Children:

Sybil Wright ( 1933 - ? )
Beryl Wright ( 6 Sept 1926 - c.2010)
Clifford R Wright ( 1919 - 2004 )

There is a dispute about their mother which I would like to clear up.
Arthur apparently separated from his wife and remarried, I am not sure who came first or who was the mother to his children.

I believe it to be a Eliza Siddal - perhaps with the Initial 'G' - maybe for Gladys

I think he then married Gladys Beastall who brought up my Grandma.

I would particularly like to know about Arthurs parents/siblings and also what ever happened to Sybil and Clifford.

Best,
Thomas

Your first step should be to get Arthur and Gladys's marriage cert - this will give you his father's name:

Marriages Jun 1938 (>99%)
Major Arthur J Beastall Chesterfield 7b 2316

You can buy the cert online from this site:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/







;

His first marriage:

Marriages Dec 1918 (>99%)

Major Arthur J Siddall Camberwell 1d 1738

Clifford's birth:

Births Sep 1919
Major Clifford R Siddall Sheffield 9c 980

Thanks Potty I will order that now.

This is the only birth coming up for him:

Births Jun 1874 (>99%)
Major Arthur James Hull 9d 261

This looks like the Arthur b1874 Hull in the 1911 - freebmd shows a marriage in 1899 to a Kate Johnson (1911 says married 11 years):
Arthur James Major

Age in 1911:36
Estimated birth year:abt 1875
Relation to Head:Head
Gender:Male
Birth Place:Hull, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish:Holy Trinity and St Mary
County/Island:Yorkshire-East Riding
Country:England
Street address:9 Bacheler St Hull
Marital Status:Married
Occupation:Timber Trade Traveller

Maybe getting the 1919 marriage cert would be a good idea, to see if he is shown as widower.

Births Mar 1896 (>99%)
Major Arthur James E. Retford 7b 15
Births Dec 1897 (>99%)
Major Arthur James Caistor 7a 667

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Walesby, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James Major Head Married Male 32 1869 Police Constable Norton, Northamptonshire, England
Transcription
Fanny Major Wife Married Female 30 1871 - South Clifton, Nottinghamshire, England
Transcription
Arthur J Major Son Single Male 5 1896 - Retford, Nottinghamshire, England
Transcription
Ruby V Major Daughter Single Female 3 1898 - Egmanton, Nottinghamshire, England
Transcription
Cecil A Major Son Single Male 2 1899 - Egmanton, Nottinghamshire, England
Transcription
Launcelot C Major Son Single Male 0 1901 - Walesby, Nottinghamshire, England

A possible medal card:

Name:Arthur J Major
Regiment or Corps:Royal Garrison Artillery
Regimental Number:175637

or this one:


Name:
Arthur James Major

Military Year:
1914-1920

Rank:
Private

Medal Awarded:
British War Medal and Victory Medal

Regiment or Corps:
Lincolnshire Regiment

Regimental Number:
201957

Previous Units:
201957. 2/4. Linc. R. Pte., 201957. 1/Linc. R.

Both of these men were wounded and received the Silver War Badge.

SAFC – its certainly the Arthur Major born in 1986, my mother read a document with the date '2_th February 1896' unfortuantly the writing was too feint to make out the exact date.

County Nottinghamshire
Place Ordsall
Church All Hallows
RegisterNumber 1167
DateOfBirth
BaptismDate 05 Apr 1896
Forename Arthur James
Sex -
FatherForename James
MotherForename Fanny
FatherSurname MAJOR
MotherSurname
Abode Bee Hive Lane
FatherOccupation Police Officer
Notes
FileNumber 38407

County Lincolnshire
Place Tealby
Church All Saints
RegisterNumber 1033
DateOfBirth
BaptismDate 31 Oct 1897
Forename Arthur James
Sex M
FatherForename Henry George
MotherForename Maria
FatherSurname MAJOR
MotherSurname
Abode Tealby
FatherOccupation Cottager
Notes
FileNumber 7229

Did Arthur suffer from Epilepsy? I have found a WW1 Service record for an Arthur James Major (father James, Policeman) who was in an Epilepsy Clinic in 1918 in Denmark Hill, London SE 5. Denmark Hill is near Camberwell where the 1919 marriage took place.

If the marriage cert shows father as James, Policeman, it looks as if the one safc has found is the right man.

1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Wigsley Road Harby Lincoln, Harby, Nottinghamshire, England

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship to household head Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Birth place Occupation
James Major Head Married Male 42 1869 Norton Northamptonshire Police Constable
Transcription
Fanny Major Wife Married Female 40 1871 South Clifton Notts -
Transcription
Arthur James Major Son - Male 15 1896 Retford Notts Labourer On Farm
Transcription
Ruby Victoria Major Daughter - Female 13 1898 Egmanton Notts -
Transcription
Cecil Archibald Major Son - Male 12 1899 Egmanton Notts School
Transcription
Lancelot Cooper Major Son - Male 10 1901 Walesby Notts School
Transcription
Clarence Leslie Major Son - Male 8 1903 Walesby Notts -
Transcription
Celestine Irene Major Daughter - Female 6 1905 Walesby Notts -
Transcription
Archibald Cooper Nephew - Male 14 1897 Esher Surry Labourer On Farm

The service record also shows a request from the Chief Constable, Chesterfield, for a character ref in 1923. Was your Arthur a policeman?

Marriages Sep 1895 (>99%)
Cooper Fanny Daventry 3b 223
Major James Daventry 3b 223

I know that I have always grown up being told that my grandmas dad was a policeman - but I've never taken it as gospel because of how little facts my mother was able to give me. Beryl was a strict woman (brought up by a policeman afterall) and would seldom talk about her past with my mother. Something happened in the family that meant Beryl and Clifford (Roy) broke contact completely.

This, does indeed look like the right Arthur and family.

The service record has an address in Sheffield in 1921 (Clifford was born in Sheffield). The street name isn't very clear: 28 Fl??y, Road, Darnall, Sheffield. This service record is for the Arthur in the Royal Garrison Artillery, whose medal card I posted above.

Beryl was born in Chesterfield, so it is looking very likely that the service record is for the right man. There a quite a few pages but if you don't have Ancestry and would like to see them, PM me your email address and I will send them to you.