Desperately seeking Percy

[duport]

In the early years of the 20th century my grandfather, Percy Brewer (b. Battersea 1879), ran a picture framing business on Lavender Hill, Battersea. In 1911 (unfortunately, after the census!) he abandoned my grandmother Sarah Sophia Brewer and vanished. She was left to bring up 3 daughters and a son on her own. All efforts to find out what happened to Percy have failed.
Percy had 2 brothers, Ernest and Sidney, and two sisters, Aimée and Eva. Neither Sidney nor Aimée had any children, but Eva married a John Tregunna. I don’t know if Ernest married.
I would dearly love to solve the mystery of what happened to Percy! There could be any number of second cousins out there!

[CaroleW]

Also posted here

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=728945.new#new

[GR2]

Have you tried looking for him in a newspaper index? Assuming he hasn't changed his name, it may be that he is still carrying out the same occupation. I once came across a situation where a painter "disappeared" and he came to light as he was advertising the painting of blinds in another part of the country in precisely the same wording as he had done before he "vanished".

[Shirley Sweetland]

Hi i can only find a Percy Brewer, picture frame maker at Battersea with an Elizabeth May Brewer and 3 daughters. A marriage for them in 1905 also.

Regards
Shirley Skinner

[duport]

Thank you, GR2. I've looked in commercial directories for London, but not countrywide. A newspaper index is a good suggestion - "assuming he hasn't changed his name"!

And thank you Shirley; yes, he's the one. You have made me aware of a gross error of mine - his abandoned wife was indeed Elizabeth May. Sarah Sophia was his mother.

Here's another aspect of Percy's life; he acted as Master of Ceremonies at events held in Battersea Town Hall. So he may have carried on this sort of activity in his 'new' life.

[wivenhoe]

Is this your family?

FreeBDM  marriage
BREWER Percy      x   THORPE Elizabeth May       Wandsworth        1d   906    Dec Q 1905   


FreeBDM births
BREWER John W      (mother)  THORPE              Wandsworth         1d   906    Mar Q 1912
BREWER Leslie S P   (mother)  THORPE              Wandsworth         1d   887   Jun  Q  1915
   

[Neil Todd]

There is a death on the GRO of a Percy C BREWER in 1936 in Greenwich, he was born 1879?

Volume   1D
Event Quarter   2
District Number   
Page   894
Line Number   3

Neil

[CaroleW]

Freebmd has Percy Charles Brewer b 1878 Islington and Percy Aimedee Brewer b 1879 Wandsworth

[jennifer c]

census gives place of birth for Percy as Battersea.

Jennifer