Can anyone solve this man?
He was born Fabian Isambard Maudslay Vare to Thomas Stephen Vare (1852 - 1921) and Merah Eleanor Noel Basten (1852 - 1908) (aka Eleanora Sebastian). (
TS's death date edited for an oooops as I did put 1951)
The parental situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that his parents seem to separate between 1881 and 1891 and mother has a son in 1894 (Francis Sebastian Scotter) with a different man (Robert Scotter) and adopts Scotter as her surname. As far as I can see Robert and Merah never even try to marry.
On getting the birth certificate for the Scotter son Francis, Merah has changed her surname as well to Sebastian and also her birth place (from Croydon, Surrey to California USA) and is +/- 10 years on her age depending on your census. Merah's brother emigrated to the USA for a while so that's probably where she got that from.
So.... mother it seems is up to something but I have solid factual evidence that she is all the same woman and solved her comings and goings now although they provide some interesting background! So I am turning my attention to Fabian as I (madly) thought with a name like that he would be easy to find....
He appears in 1891 (not born on the 1881) as Fabian Vare with 'Scotter' parents and his older sister Gwendoline Vare in Hertfordshire (RG12; Piece: 1092; Folio: 103; Page: 13). I have had a thread before on Gwendoline
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=626141.msg4741517#msg4741517, who died when she was 13 in 1892.
I think he then appears in 1901 living in Southport, Lancashire still with his 'Scotter' parents, but his name is wrong - Francis M Scotter, aged 18 born London. There is no other Francis M Scotter matching those details on any birth registration or census that I can find so I wonder if this is Fabian hiding under another name and a slightly different age.
Speculation but I can't find any alternatives. There are a few other Francis Scotter's knocking around but they are his cousins and his half brother Francis Sebastian (who reverses himself on the 1901 census as Sebastian Francis, even though he is registered FS) is accounted for too.
Jump to 1911 and Fabian is living with his widowed father, Thomas Stephen Vare, in Southampton, back with his full handle of Fabian Isambard Maudsley Vare, an unemployed draughtsman. Merah/Eleanora died in 1908 so it seems that Fabian went back to live with his father and didn't stay on with Robert Scotter who married for the first legal time in 1910 to a Harriet Given.
Robert Scotter also has a bit of a background as either him or his widowed father was dragged through the courts (and the papers) for a 'Breach of Promise' case over a proposal of marriage to a Mary Appleton in 1886! Can't tell whether its father or son that's the guilty party (and he was found guilty) as there as no ages given in the newspaper articles.
So after all of that....is Francis M Scotter really Fabian and where did Fabian go after 1911?
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks
Ruth
