Genealogy Chat

I got into family history to try to find out what happened to my great grandfather. He 'died in the war', during WW1. There is no record of him dying in the war however. My great grandmother remarried the lodger. I have no record of her marrying him either, especially before the birth of their first child. I have since found out that he had mental health problems - not sure what. They seemed to relate to a head injury caused by either him breaking up a fight where several men were attacking his brother, him being a bare knuckle fighter or someone dropping a large stone on his head because of some gang related thing, depending on what part of the family I speak to. This part of things made sense of how he met his wife as the town she lived in had no family connections but had an asylum in (he would apparently admit himself when things got bad). I've been trying to find out what happened to him ever since.

Dear All, Thank you for the wonderful response. I assumed he was dead because his wife has named herself a widow in 1881 & I took it on trust because she had been scrupulous up till then in being the one who had registered the births of all her children. She was living in a tenement near the Arsenal, Woolwich with 5/6 kids as a washer woman + a lodger. Denis was an illiterate arsenal labourer, the youngest child was 2 - so I suppose it is very possible that he just decided to disappear. Mary

Slightly off topic, but another thread tonight sparked off this memory. I watched a TV documentary some time ago, which was pitting Clairvoyants against Private Detectives, in order to find out what had happened to various missing people. A Northern Irish family had been looking for their father who had disappeared in 1972, just going to work as usual and never coming back. He was a devoted husband and father who lived for his huge family and they were all distraught. IRA involvement was suspected and the Police didnt look very hard. The family paid that fraudster Doris Stokes a lot of money, and she confidently came up with the sad news that he was dead, indeed murdered by the IRA and was buried nearby, in a Gravel Pit or a Clay pit. The family spent many hours searching all likely pits, but of course came up with nothing. Fast forward to a few years ago - the Private Detective was put on the case. Within 48 hours, he had found the missing man, who had been living happily in Southern Ireland for 30 years,under an assumed name, with the woman he ran away with. Ive forgotten what the point of this is! Except, maybe not dead, just disappeared. OC

My grandfather went off to WW1 when my father was about 18 months old and his elder brother 4. Curiously, although he didn't make it back, there seems to be no record of his demise with the forces. My grandmother was left to make ends meet as best she could with the help of her parents. The presumption is that he chose not to come back - and may or may not have gone off to war. Christine

I found a stonemason called NK a while ago. If there are many like that on the censuses, it's no wonder we can't find them.

Perhaps he died after 1920? Maybe he walked out into the nearest lunatic asylum/prison and is on the census by his initials only and wife says she is widow as its more respectable than saying 'wife of jailbird/nutter'. nell

1) He died as an unknown (John Doe) 2) he died before 1875 when death registration was not compulsory 3) He died abroad 4) He died under an assumed name 5) something else! Merry

**Wonders if we'll ever find out!

Are you sure he died in England? Maybe his death was recorded in another country.

I think Widow was often a social euphemism for deserted wife - anyone ever seen anyone described as a deserted wife on any census? OC

I assume his wife was shown as a widow in 1881?

where abouts are we taking? Dennis Healy 1848 Jul-Aug-Sep St George Southwark London, Surrey Dennis Healy abt 1847 1882 Jul-Aug-Sep Merthyr Tydfil Breconshire, Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan Dennis Healy abt 1822 1892 Apr-May-Jun Gower Glamorgan Dennis Healy abt 1858 1894 Oct-Nov-Dec Stockton Co. Durham, North Riding Of Yorkshire Dennis Healy abt 1824 1901 Apr-May-Jun Plymouth Devon Dennis Healy abt 1823 1906 Oct-Nov-Dec Kensington Greater London, London, Middlesex Dennis Leslie Healy abt 1893 1893 Jan-Feb-Mar Nottingham Nottinghamshire William Dennis Healy abt 1875 1875 Jan-Feb-Mar Islington Greater London, London, Middlesex - slightly different spelling Albert Dennis Healey abt 1879 1882 Apr-May-Jun Rugby Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire Dennis Healey abt 1864 1868 Apr-May-Jun Manchester (1837-1924) Lancashire Dennis Healey abt 1803 1869 Oct-Nov-Dec St George In The East London, Surrey Dennis Healey abt 1788 1870 Oct-Nov-Dec Hartlepool (1859-1938) Co. Durham Dennis Healey abt 1836 1881 Oct-Nov-Dec St George In The East London, Surrey Dennis Healey abt 1802 1883 Jan-Feb-Mar Dudley Staffordshire, Worcestershire Dennis Healey abt 1806 1890 Jul-Aug-Sep Abergavenny Herefordshire, Monmouthshire Dennis Healey abt 1852 1890 Jul-Aug-Sep Islington Greater London, London, Middlesex Dennis Healey abt 1897 1898 Jan-Feb-Mar Manchester (1837-1924) Lancashire Dennis Healey abt 1896 1898 Jul-Aug-Sep Stoke Upon Trent Staffordshire Dennis Healey abt 1852 1901 Jan-Feb-Mar Marylebone (1837-1901) London, Middlesex Dennis Healey abt 1840 1908 Jan-Feb-Mar Chorley Lancashire Dennis Charles Healey 1844 Oct-Nov-Dec Pancras (1837-1901) London, Middlesex Dennis Joseph Healey abt 1887 1887 Jul-Aug-Sep Salford Greater Manchester, Lancashire Dennis Patrick Healey abt 1866 1904 Oct-Nov-Dec Camberwell (1837-1919) London, Surrey Timothy Dennis Healey abt 1902 1902 Jan-Feb-Mar Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire

My husband's GG Grandfather, according to family legend, just walked out one day in his slippers. He was never seen again. He is on the 1871 census and his wife is a widow on the 1881 census. I cannot find any sign of him in the death indexes. Maybe he was just a 'John Doe' of his era. If anyone wants to look, he was Thomas John Stanbridge, born 1829 and last seen in 1871 in Enstone in Oxfordshire. Maybe we can start a missing persons list???? LOL Margaret

Yes, that has me puzzled too - had he JUST died and was laid out in the parlour on census night? Otherwise, how do you know? OC

what, in the 1881 census , makes you think he's dead?

Denis Healy born circa 1848 in Ireland, dead by 1881(according to census), but no Death Cert. as yet.Have searched from 1871 to 1920 so far without success. If missing believed dead what or how might this be recorded - any ideas ? Mary