Genealogy Chat

Please see below

I can't help on the US, but I MAY be able to offer some psychiatric help. Let me know. Dea x

Ive been contacted by a lady in Aus who tells me she is descended through the same line as me on my Steers side. It appears her grandad would have been a nephew of my GGM Steers. (Hence the son of one of her bros) Now some of the Steers seemed to have been wrongly named and should really have belonged to the Mitty family down the street. I had a merry old chase with one who would have been this chaps cousin (and my great aunt) who changed her name, added names, changed her surname, claimed to be a widow when her hubby had obviously dumped her and taken the kiddie with him and she (according to my 80 year old auntie) adopted an aristocratic accent, said she was an actress or musical hall singer (auntie says my nan said she was a 'hostess' in a mens club) and ended up marrying a wealthy man by whom she had 4 kids. However, thats the background to these weird people - this lady who contacted me says her grandad (the above ladys cousin, I remind you) was born Robert Thomas Steers in 1888 Ratcliff, London and appears there on the 1901 (which, yes he did). She then says she was told he ran away from home at 14, joined the navy, was shipwrecked on the south sea islands, help rebuild San Francisco after the quake and then made his way to Aus, on the way changing his name to Jesse Wilbur Hamilton (god knows how she found his real name then). She adds (oh bless her) this is only a few of the exciting walks of life my grandad followed. I dont know where to start on this one - is he a mad man or is there any way to authentic any of this do you think guys. I tend to believe he must be a Steers due to the sheer weight of the tales and the name changing.

My husband thinks I'm crackers and so do my friends, could they be right? Kat :) this was suppoesed to drop in before yours Heather!!

Hi Heather I was wondering, is there any way you could contact this lady and ask her to provide you with the evidence she has that shows his change of name? Is there such documented evidence? If not, how did she find out? She needs to answer those questions for you really. If she can come up with something concrete then that will make it all the clearer and definitive for you. From the info she's given, it does sound as though there is a connection but I can understand you wanting verification on it all to make sure it's not a mis-connection somehow.

Right, sleeves up... (Oh, why cant GR arrange a split page, so that I can see what you wrote, Heather, Ive forgotten already...) You can prove his birth (hopefully) You can prove he joined the Navy (hopefully) You can prove the ship was wrecked (hopefully) After that....you can back track him in his assumed name (hopefully) Lots of hope here... OC

...just had another thought, Heather. Is there a marriage certificate of Robert Thomas Steers (or should I say Jesse Hamilton)? Could this be where the lady has found his father's name of ? Steers and then took the search from there, leading back to England? Maybe this is something else you could ask her for - a copy of the marriage cert if there is one.

Heather Athena is much more sensible than me, so I will stay on this thread as your resident counsellor, giving you lots of HOPE and very few practical suggestions! OC

LOL - Old Crone - I think that's the first time I've been called 'sensible' in a long time (thanks!) - most people around me think I'm barking mad!

Heather Your relatives seem much more interesting than mine!! I am so jealous I just have the one who wandered off one day in his slippers and was never seen again. So I was told anyway. Margaret

Thanks guys, had to go, youngest son arrived home (not seen for a week). Margaret they may SOUND more interesting but as I pointed out in my essay above this lot are fantasists and I wonder how much of this can be verified without upsetting the lady who contacted me. At the same time I dont want to just give her all my info without being sure who this guy is. (Although I must say he does seem to have that family trait right). I will wait til she mails me back. Ive asked her how she has found out about his name change. So Ill go from there. Back to son now to sort his life out. See you later.