Genealogy Chat

I am trying to locate Robert William Levy c1843 Chatham Kent. I have his birth reg and also hvae him in 1851 with his parents William and Harriet, but after that he vanishes. I've tried looking just under the name Robert and just under the name Levy to no avail and have trawled the deaths from 1861 to 1871. Anyone any ideas? Lynn

1861 Robert would be 18 and earning a living, I'd imagine. He might have gone to sea, Chatham is a busy dock. You could try looking on the National Archives website. He could have joined the navy or been a merchant fisherman. Have you tried looking for a marriage? I've sometimes been able to work out rough dates by finding a marriage and tracing the wife ashore through the censuses until she starts saying she's a widow, and then looking for a death. Mind you I am having a headache with a gt gt uncle at the moment - he disappears, wife has illegitimate child, announces she's a widow, marries bigamously, is then 'widowed' and her 2nd bigamous husband dies 8 years later! nell

If this is his birth cert, there's no c about 1843, he's almost certainly born that year as registered in last quarter: Robert William Levy 1843 Oct-Nov-Dec Medway (1837-1941) Kent Have you tried chasing up his siblings? I found my missing sailor with a common name because he is on the same boat as my gt grandfather and they both came from a small village. nell

There are a few Levys around at that time at sea or in barracks...

Thanks Nell, yes that is the right one, I'm just that used to putting c before a date, it's habit now! I have all but one of his siblings throught the census, but he just seems to have vanished. I have checked the NA, but they have no details on this family that I can fird, despitemore than 1 being in the marines. The ones in Chatham in the marines or by the docks are the rellies I've already found. I did check for a marriage but found nothing. Lynn

Have you found this website: http://cityark.medway.gov.uk/ They have images of the parish registers for a lot of the local churches. The site isn't enormously user-friendly (I put together a how-to-use document somewhere and could copy-paste here if you like.) You do need to make a note of which images you've looked at, because they're all just numbered - not named! And you need to remember that the images are of two sides of an open book - so scroll right across or you'll miss half! You might find his Baptism entry! - or more, if you work out where/when to look. Christine

Thanks Christine, I have found this site, as you say it is a little confusing. I didn't find any parish records for the family, there seem to be a lot of churches in Chatham. but it is more his death or whereabouts in 1861 and onwards that I am looking for. Thanks Lynn