Hi there,
About 5 years ago my granddad began tracing his paternal ancestors. My granddad is an only child, and the only family member he had (not from him mother's side) was his dad. He knew his dad, but knows little about his life. According to my granddad, he kept very quiet about his origins and my granddad believes this is because he didn't know anything himself.
His name was William Armour (no middle name) and he passed away in 1990. We've managed to locate his death record, which also clarified his DOB etc. So far we have the following information:
Name: William Armour
DOB: 1916
Birth month: 3
Birth date: 14
Death year: 1990
Death district: Gravesend
We haven't been able to find his birth record. We have no information on his parents. We know he was born in Northern Ireland, and was taken in by an orphanage (no idea when).
A family took him in (again, we don't know when) because they needed an extra hand on their farm in Ballymoney. The mum and dad were called Cassie and Tommy Cooper (potentially Cassandra and Thomas, although this isn't certified) and they went on to have a child of their own called Molly. My granddad believes Molly was a similar age to his dad. Molly went on to marry Robert McFee, and ultimately became Molly McFee.
My great granddad lived with the Cooper's until he was around 20 years old, when he moved to Peckham. He maintained a relationship with Molly, Cassie and Tommy and went over to visit them numerous times - he even took my granddad and my dad over to meet them all the way up until the 1980s.
My nan and granddad continued receiving Christmas cards from Molly until around 2 years ago - so they're unsure whether she's still alive. All they know is that she lived in the Antrim area. Molly and Robert didn't have any children.
So my great granddad moved to Peckham and met his wife Ivy Elizabeth Martha Bowden - my granddad's mother, born 1911 in Camberwell. They set up a shop (Armour's stores) and had my granddad in 1946. They later moved to Gravesend (around the late 70s, early 80s) until she died in 1989, and he died the following year.
My granddad said his dad never spoke about his real family. He doesn't even know if he knew anything about them. We have no idea where the surname Armour came from, as he obviously didn't take Cassie and Tommy's surname.
For this reason, I think Armour must have been his birth name, although this isn't clear. For all we know, he could have been with another family before the Cooper's and took their name.
This isn't a huge amount to go on - but any helpful tips or hints would be gratefully received! My granddad spent a number of years looking into this and has hit a brick wall, so I'd absolutely love to help him get some answers!
Many thanks.
