Author Topic: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?  (Read 49595 times)

Offline ymfoster

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #9 on: Tuesday 18 July 06 14:11 BST (UK) »
My biggest mystery or brick wall is my Gt.G'father Thomas Hayse born abt. 1847, .......

Thomas Hayse told his family he was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. & that his father was Irish & mother English. After his mother died his father remarried. Thomas's religion was Catholic, so he could have been from Southern Ireland.

Thomas left home & either joined an American Whaling ship (or was hijacked onto one) & said he jumped ship at Twofold Bay, Eden, NSW. to join the gold diggings, & changed the spelling of his name from Hayes to Hayse.

He married in 1877 & said on the certificate that his father was Joseph Henry Hayse & mother Susannah Felingham, but his death certificate says his father was Joshua & mother Hannah.

I have checked NSW Police Gazettes for Deserters & found a Thomas Hayes about 10 years older from a British Naval ship, but Whaling ships from America would only mention the number of deserters & not names.

I have also checked Convict records to no avail & sent to Boston for a Birth Certificate & search with no luck, & Ellis Island for immigrants to America, I don't know if he married in UK or America.

I'm not sure his story was the truth so I'm really stumped on this one.

Yvonne
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Offline perilsofpauline1

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 01:00 BST (UK) »
I am enjoying all your "mystery's" so much.  I wonder who will be the first to get one solved!!  I mean it just gives you the urge to go looking don't you think?
And today it is even COLDER here in Queensland! My delicate little hands are so numb with cold I can't feel the computer keys.
Love it though!!!!!!
Pauline
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Offline boggabarrett

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 02:54 BST (UK) »
My biggest mystery is my grandparents, on my fathers side, I can find my fathers birth along with his siblings, and his mothers death, but not grandfathers death, birth, marriage or my grandmothers birth, maybe some light will be thrown on the subject when my dad's birth certificate turns up.

It was one degree C last night here in sunny Western Australia last night, very sunny this morning but bitterly cold for us poor ex Poms
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Online Erato

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 03:22 BST (UK) »
I have several mysteries.  One is the disappearance of gg uncle James Franklin Ware.  He was with his wife and daughter in the 1900 census, then absent in 1910 and 1920; his wife called herself a widow in 1920.  In 1930, he was back with his wife, listed as a lodger, but this was crossed out and changed to "relative."  Where was he and what was he doing for 20+ years?
Wiltshire:  Banks, Taylor
Somerset:  Duddridge, Richards, Barnard, Pillinger
Gloucestershire:  Barnard, Marsh, Crossman
Bristol:  Banks, Duddridge, Barnard
Down:  Ennis, McGee
Wicklow:  Chapman, Pepper
Wigtownshire:  Logan, Conning
Wisconsin:  Ennis, Chapman, Logan, Ware
Maine:  Ware, Mitchell, Tarr, Davis


Offline throckenholt

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 08:16 BST (UK) »
jacquelineve - have you checked out who were tailors in the area at the time - that seems to be the common theme, and the name Charles.  And what was the mothers name ?

My mysteries are :

Eliza Worham born supposedly around 1867 in London.  Married in 1891, claims father as George Worham, deceased.  The family story is German father abandoned wife and kids and went back to Germany where he was born.  Eliza supposedly had a sister called Clara.  Mother also called Clara(?), had to wait 7 years before could remarry, remarried to Mr Barry.   

Eliza's first child, Annie Curtis born Feb 1892, her birth certificate  was witnessed by Clara Barry of 166 Arlington Road - presumably her granny.

There is no trace of Clara Barry in the area (densely populated London) in either the 1891 or 1901 census, no marriage of Clara Worham or any conceivable version of the name.  No birth of Eliza, or Clara Worham (or alternative name), no census returns for any Worhams.  WHERE did they come from and WHERE did they go?  Did they deliberately not fill in official forms because they were ashamed or frightened ?  WHAT was their real name ?

Another one is also German related.  Henry Bode born Hannover (city or state ?) in 1861, came to uk sometime before 1881 - supposedly with 3 brothers - no trace of them.  On 1881 census he claims Strelshausen, Hanover as his birth place - which I can't find any trace of as a place, all other census just says German or Hannover.  WHERE did he come from ?

And one more - Peter Nairn - born approx 1816 - 1841 census says Wigtownshire, the rest say Scotland.  Family legend has him from Kirkudbright or maybe Cumbria (!).  His marriage certificate gives his father as William Nairn, carpenter.  There are Nairns in both Kircudbright and Wigtownshire (just to the west) - but none that fit the names and dates.  WHERE did he really come from and how did he end up in rural Northamptonshire running a railway pumping station ?


Offline MarieC

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #14 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 08:41 BST (UK) »
I feel comforted to know that I'm not the only one with these problems!!!

Aaargh! - ancestors who change their names, disappear, maybe go abroad...  :(  :'(  I reckon they're all sitting up there in a line, nudging each other and chuckling, laying bets on which of them will be hardest to find.  "Look, there's mine posting again!!  (Chuckle chuckle)  Little does she know how I've covered my tracks!  She's not going to find me any time soon!"

Watch out when I get there.  They are in for a real earbashing!!!  :( 8) ::)

MarieC
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Offline acceber

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #15 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 11:46 BST (UK) »
Hello

I'd like to know:

- Who 2 of my grt-grandmother's fathers were!
- Why one set of grt grandparents got divorced
- Where all the photos etc from my mums paternal grandparents have gone?!
- and why my grt uncle committed suicide.

I suppose all could be potentially solveable, but its quite nice having mysteries, at least it gives you something to aim for!

acceber

and those grt-grandparents have a lot to answer for! all of them...
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Offline Scrabble

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #16 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 12:31 BST (UK) »
Mine mystery concerns Charles Davis christened 1822 Stonehouse, Glos.  He seems to have ‘married’ 3 times and had 9 or 10 children including 2 or possibly 3 called Charles(egocentric or what!). He seems to appear in the 1861 census twice.

1851 Charles Davis 29 House Servant b. Lanehouse Glos, living in Westminster with wife Jane and 5 children (all his siblings became servants in London).

1861 Jane & 7 children in Chelsea and then at the end of the list, after the lodger, John Davis 38 Photographer b.Stoneham Glos.

Also 1861 Charles Davis 30 Druggist b.London living in Farringdon with wife Mary & sons Charles & Alfred (remember photography was as much about chemicals as about art at that time)

1871 & 1881 Jane at same Chelsea address (she was still alive in 1901 census)

1871 Charles Davis 49 Photographer b.Stonehouse living with wife Mary & son Charles in Matlock Bath.

1881 Charles Davis 59 Photographer b.Stonehouse living with wife Lucretia in Matlock Bath

1891 Charles Davis 69 Lab Asst b.Stonehouse living in East Ham, wife Lucretia alive but visiting elsewhere that night.

1901 Charles Davis 79 Retd Chem Lab Asst b.Stonehouse widowed and living in Derbyshire

I have sent off for some birth certificates and hope to gradually unravel this one but if anyone knows anything of this family I would love to hear from you.

Pat
APPLETON Harwich/Gravesend/Stepney
BRADLEY Bermondsey/Canning Town/Ilford, Essex
COLE/SALTWELL/DAVEY/MONK/RILEY/COPSEY/PAVET/BACON Navestock area Essex
CALLOW Dartford Kent/Deptford  RANDALL Greenwich/Deptford
DAVIS Ross/Stroud,Glos/West Ham, Essex
FENNING Gosbeck, Suffolk  WELCH Devon/Greenwich/Stanmore/Ipswich
PALMER Rotherhithe/Deptford/West Ham/Ilford
LANGDALE E London/Deptford  HERITAGE Rotherhithe/Bermondsey
VIZARD Bermondsey/Shoreditch  TURNER Liverpool/Chatham

Offline mc8

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Re: What is the biggest mystery in your tree?
« Reply #17 on: Wednesday 19 July 06 13:02 BST (UK) »
I'd like to know how I reached 50 without knowing that parents apparently never married . I've searched the records for all the years following my mothers arrival as a refugee to beyond the birth of the 5th child and found nothing. My mum is 86 now and still wears her wedding ring-I have no intention of asking awkard questions to rock the boat
Monique
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