General Chat

I see what you mean! I thought I had some mysteries in my family but nothing compared to this! Carole

Mine is my grt grandfather Joseph Henry Smyth/e he was born 1873 Seacombe Cheshire he married Mary Jane Millward 1892 she was 16, next found him named on my grandmothers birth cert. 1895 he is not with them on 1901 census he is named 1910 on another daughters bc. My grandmother married 1915 showing her father deceased but cannot find him on index. My brother said that he thought my Dad told him he had gone to join the IRA or the Orangemen but cannot find anything what so ever about him. His wife went living with another man about 1912 and on her death cert. she is shown as widow of JHS. Cant wait to see if he is on 1911 census, such a mystery. Frances

My grandmother dad said she was born in Scotland could not find her then sent for there marriage cert it says she was born in Burslem her father was on cert as deceased she was married in Tunstall 1906 age 20 born 1886 which i knew have look for her on my own and others very kindly helped but can not find her born in Burslem. to add to this she was left at the workhouse in between 1891 and 1901 when she had been adopted by a fishmonger and his wife. Valxxx

Good morning everyone, nudge for people who haven't seen this - keep coming with your characters, I'm really enjoying reading the posts on this, its fascinating! Carole

nudge again :-)

Hello Daff, You have me intrigued, if she isn't a relation who is she and why are you compelled to find out about her? Carole

My goodness! thats fascinating. Always been intrigued about past lives. Be careful - I can totally see its going to turn out to be a compulsion and an obsession! Do you know what she did, who she was etc? Carole

Daff, that sounds amazing!! you'll have to let us know if Sarah is there! Carole

WHEN MY FATHER HAD ENQUIRED ABOUT TAKING OUT SOME LIFE INSURANCE FOR HIMSELF AN INSURANCE AGENT CAME TO THE HOUSE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THEY ASKED HIM WAS HIS OWN PARENTS” CAUSE OF DEATH”, AND I VAUGELY REMEMBERED HIM SAYING “MY MOTHER WAS MURDERED”. I KNEW NOTHING MORE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER DEATH, BUT WHAT I DID HAVE WAS A BOOK OF LONGFELLOW POETRY THAT HAD BEEN PASSED ONTO ME WHEN MY FATHER DIED (1974), IT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO HIS MOTHER FROM SCHOOL AS A CHILD. IT HAD HER NAME LOUISA SAVAGE AND THE DATE AND PLACE IT WAS GIVEN. I ALSO KNEW THAT SHE HAD BEEN MARRIED TO MY GRANDFATHER ROBERT GATES, AND THAT THEY HAD LIVED IN WALWORTH IN LONDON. (nothing more) BUT WHERE COULD I BEGIN! --- I PUT A NOTICE ON GENES REUNITED AND ASKED FOR HELP TO TRACE THE DATE OF BIRTH OF A LOUISA SAVAGE, AND ALSO THE DATE OF HER DEATH THAT I WAS TOLD HAD OCCURRED WHEN MY DAD WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS OF AGE. I FOUND THE YEAR OF HER DEATH TO HAVE BEEN 1918. I ALSO KNEW HER NAME AT THE TIME OF HER DEATH. I RECEIVED REPLIES FROM A FEW PEOPLE AND THEY MANAGED TO HELP ME TRACE HER DATE OF BIRTH 1895 AND ALSO THE DATE OF DEATH 1918. THEY IN TURN ADVISED HOW TO APPLY FOR COPIES OF HER DEATH CERTIFICATE. I APPLIED FOR A COPY OF HER DEATH CERTIICATE AND FROM THAT I FOUND THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS MURDER BY PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN, (SHE WAS 23 YEARS OF AGE). I THEN TRIED TO OBTAIN COPIES OF LOUISA’S INQUEST, THE FUNNY THING WAS AS I WAS TOLD BY BERKSHIRE RECORDS OFFICE MOST INQUEST REPORTS BEFORE 1930 HAD BEEN DESTROYED AND THIS ONE WAS THE ONLY ONE REMAINING. I OBTAINED COPIES, AND ALSO NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF THE TIME, RECORDING THAT THERE HAD BEEN TWO INQUESTS, EVIDENCE FROM THE POLICE AND WITNESS REPORTS, AND WITNESS STATEMENTS. I LATER FOUND THAT SHE HAD 2 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 4)... WILLIAM, MY FATHER BEING THE YOUNGEST, AND GEORGE HIS BROTHER 2 YEARS OLDER. (I had never heard of George until reading the inquest report.) I FOUND THAT ON THE DAY OF HER DISAPPERENCE SHE HAD TRAVELLED BY TRAIN TO SUNNINGDALE IN BERKSHIRE TO MEET AN AMERICAN WHO WAS STATIONED IN THE UK WITH THE CANADIAN EXPERDITIONARY FORCE. (Louisa’s husband my grandfather was away serving in the war.) AND ON THAT DAY SUNDAY 18TH AUGUST 1918 WHEN SHE FAILED TO RETURN TO HER ROOMS, HIS MOTHER AND HER AUNT WENT TO HER ROOMS AND FOUND A LETTER ADDRESSED “ DEAR LOUIE”, ARRANGING A MEETING AT SUNNINGDALE TRAIN STATION FROM A SERVICEMAN IN THE CANADIAN ARMY NAMED VANCE. HER BODY WAS FOUND FIVE WEEKS LATER BY A FARM LABOURER WHO WAS CUTTING FERN; IT WAS IN A WOOD ON THE CHARTERS ESTATE. THE WOOD WAS ENCLOSED ON THE ROAD SIDE BY A WOODEN FENCE ON THE LAND SIDE IT WAS OPEN, THE BODY COULD NOT BE SEEN FROM THE ROAD, VANCE WAS QUESTIONED BY THE POLICE BUT SAID IN HIS STATEMENT “HE HAD ARRIVED LATE AT THE STATION AND THAT LOUISA WAS NOT THERE SO HE LEFT”. LOUISA WAS FOUND IN A WOODED AREA LESS THAN ONE MILE FROM THE STATION—SHE HAD BEEN GAGGED WITH HER HANDKERCHIEF AND STRANGLED WITH HER OWN MACKINTOSH BELT, HER HANDBAG WAS MISSING. (Valuable items of jewellery were still with the body) THE POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION WAS CARRIED OUT IN THE OUTHOUSE AJOINING THE “NAG’S HEAD” PUBLIC HOUSE (by Robert Donaldson MD) Pathologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. VANCE TOLD THE POLICE THAT AS SHE HAD FAILED TO MEET HIM ON THE DATE IN QUESTION AND THAT HE DID NOT TRY TO CORRESPOND OR MAKE ANY OTHER CONTACT WITH HER. RE: THE ELDEST CHILD WHO WAS IN A CONVERLESCENT HOME!, (AND WAS NEVER FOUND BY MY DAD) NOTHING FURTHER IS KNOWN. HIS FATHER WENT ON TO REMARRY AND HAVE OTHER CHILDREN. MY MOTHER SAID MY DAD HAD TRIED TO TRACE HIS OLDER BROTHER HE HAD PLACED NEWSPAPER ADVERTS TO FIND HIM BUT TO NO AVAIL. I DID A TRACE AND FOUND A MAN THE CORRECT NAME WHO HAD BEEN BORN IN SOUTHWARK IN 1914 HAD DIED IN TRURO IN 1992. WAS THIS HIM! Within 6 months of Louisa's death, Vance had married another british girl and returned with her to USA.

This is brilliant - keep them coming folks! Carol that is horrible, what she must have went through. makes me shudder. That is certainly a story to tell, the poor woman. Carole

Hi Carol, Apart from my Nellie, I have one other ancestor who i would dearly love to speak to, she is my great x 3 grandma, Sarah Ellen Fairbairn born 1839. Married Joseph Booth in 1860 and had four children between then and 1872. 3 boys and 1 girl. The three boys all died. First child died aged 3 months. The other two boys died in a month of each other. Then Joseph died in 1872 just leaving Sarah Ellen and surviving daughter Sarah Ellen Amanda. Sarah Ellen remarried Benjamin Hobson and then disapeared. After investigating i found her in the south yorkshire asylum in sheffield and went to see the records. She was admitted in 1882 after suffering 'delusions' and being adamant her husband was trying to poison her! She remained there until 1887 when she died aged only 49 of heart failure. I just think what a tragic life this lady had and no one knew about it until now. Her surviving daughter who would have only been 15 when she was admitted never told her own children about it. Regards, Claire x

I searched for more details of the missing brother George, how I wish my Dad had been alive to know what I had found. George William G****, I find he was a retired engineer, his date of death was May 1992, he died at The Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro and his death was registered by his Grandson Have now found reference to marriage for George G**** to Doris N******** at Redruth 3rd Quarter 1939 (july,aug,sept). A daughter Y to George and Doris 1st Quarter 1940 (jan,feb,mar). A marriage for Y to S A 1964 1st Quarter (jan,feb,mar) at Penzance. A son M A to Y and S 3rd Quarter 1964 (july,aug,sept) All I need now is to find M or an address for Y, I have been given an address to try for Y, it's in Cornwall and I will write to-day 5th June 06. 14th June a letter has come from Y I am overjoyed, she tells a bit about her dad and his life, mentioning that he said he had a brother and a step-mother and that he had a bad accident as a child and lost part of the front of his leg and knee, the leg was in traction for a long time and failed to grow he spent years in the converlescent home and the one leg was shorter than the other, Y went on to say that George thought that there was no future for him in London and he made his way down to Cornwall. But where had George been from birth to age 21 when he married in Cornwall.

Hi Carole , You ask what is your fasination, I have just logged on and yours was the first thread I looked at on here and there it was, Sunderland, every one that has ever lived here or came from or to live in Sunderland. Most of my ancestors are from Sunderland with a few exceptions. South Shields, Seaham, parts of Northumberland Buckingham Bedford Sussex and Scotland and Ireland and those that emigrated to USA and NewZealand. Its been fun searching for them and finding out how they lived and worked and what hardships they had to endure Just so that I can sit here. Researching my family has been the best thing I have ever done. Regards Joan

I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm obsessed, but my heart goes out to the young widows on my tree, left with several young children and occupation given as 'charwoman' or 'lauderess' . They certainly had a hard time.

Sally Moonchild - records of admittance into asylums are available 100 years after admittance - I managed to get a copy of one - branch of family said their aunt died at 14 - I already knew she had died aged 21 in asylum but did not tell the elderly gentleman who was relating the story. She was returned to the family and buried in the local churchyard. When I gained access to records it was to find out she was admitted when she was 14 with epilepsy. The record gave a lot of info.

hello Joan, If you don't mind me asking, what are some of your names from Sunderland? Nearly all of my family are from Sunderland (I don't live there now but I was born and brought up there) Carole (if you don't want to put them up here, you could pm me)

Thank you for the information Chris.....I will PM you on that to try and find out more about them....

Come on peeps - more compulsions please, I'm looking for death certs and its taking ages for ancestry to load the pages up, and i'd love to read more while i wait for the pages to appear. What's been posted here so far is really really REALLY interesting!! Carole x

I agree Carole.....this is a brilliant thread.....just up my street....so many interesting stories....

Thanks Sally. I just find it such a relief that I'm not the only one who is ridiculously obsessed with people i've never met!! I'd love to know what they think, if they ever realised that their descendants would work so hard and spend so much money trying to find out about who they were and what their lives were like! I'm genuinely finding all these stories about people who lived centuries ago, fascinating. And whats more these people weren't famous or celebrities, they were ordinary people leading hard lives and i find that far more interesting than the celebrity culture now, So come on everyone, post away! i'm not going to give up either - be warned - I'm going to keep nudging this thread so it's on the first page all week ;-) Carole xxx