Genealogy Chat

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Hi Can anybody please advise me? My Grandfathers Brother Enoch Spencer was born 1883 in Acton Nantwich Cheshire. I have on the 1891/1901 Census living in Acton Nantwich Cheshire I have a postcard he sent to my Grandfather in 1916 when he was in the Army. He survived the War and return to Nantwich Cheshire but he was sufferring from what today would be descibed as 'Shell Shock'. He found it itolerable to live or sleep inside. My mother was born in 1923 and can remember her Uncle coming to see her father from time to time, but he lived his life as a tramp and would travel all over the country sleeping rough. Her sister said he appeared the day of her wedding in 1946 but we are not sure about this.She says that he said he was going up the North Road.Where is the North Road and what would be the best way of finding out where he died? Cheryl

Not exactly sure where the North Road is but I think he would probably mean the 'Great North Road' which was the main route from south to north of the country in earlier times. If you think he was still alive in 1946, you could go through the death indexes on Ancestry qtr. by qtr, looking for a death in his name. All it will cost you is time. Kath. x

Not an easy job - looks like you will have to trawl the ancestry bmd index year by year, quarter by quarter to find him. The last date he was seen was 1946? He was what 63 years old then? Considering you believe he was living rough, might be best to work forward from that date - long old job though.

But if you are going through the indexes make sure that you look under male unknown as well because if he was a travellor he may have just been found dead so no name would be known. Also give a bit of leaway (s?) as to the age at death as this might be rough guess. Tom

True Tom - very sad isnt it.

Hi Kathleen I was also assuming that the North Road was the the Great North Road but like you I'm not sure. It looks as though I will have to spend a bit of time trawling through the deaths records. If he's was anything like my Grandfather he would have died at a ripe old age he was 86. I think I will post a message to see if someone knows where the Great North Road started and finished. Thanks for your advice Cheryl

Yes it is Heather - I was trawling the burials at the LMA a couple of months ago and kept seeing ones like: Female from workhouse, name unknown. Male from workhouse, name unknown Male Infant, name unknown. I'm very lucky - all of mine seem to have avoided the workhouse, bad conditions. Makes us appreciate what we have today.

Hi Heather Its so sad, my Grandfather died not knowing what happened to his Brother. I have managed to track all my Grandfathers family but struggling with Enoch. Cheryl

Hi Tom Thanks for your advice, trouble is if he's listed under male unknown. I'm still not going to know if its him. He had really large family but couldn't settle indooors, but in those days councilling was not available Cheryl

If it's ever relevant now, The Great North Road is the A1: from London up through Scotch Corner, to Alnwick, up through Berwick to Edinburgh. There are still old coaching inns in the towns which used to be on the A1 before they were bypassed: Stamford,Grantham, and so on. Christine

Assuming he had no money coming in? - then I guess he may not lived as long an age as your grandad. I had a similar case with my mums side. Grans bro disappeared in about 1912. His father had just gone bankrupt and committed suicide and James just upped and left. He had a fair amount of dosh though - and left my Gran and her sisters penniless. Fast forward to about 1960 when suddenly he turns up at Grans house 'having travelled the world' and a sickly old man. Nan took him in and looked after him - in fact she died about 6 months before he did.