RAYMOND & KING Tavistock

[KMcCusker]

Trying to verify/disprove a theory that our ggf, Harold Henry King (b. ca 1875, Chippenham, Wiltshire) left his first wife and family and married Maud Mary Raymond in Tavistock in 1921.  They seem to have had 6 children together.  If we have the correct record, he died in Sept 1961. Ideally, we'd love to find someone from this family who has knowledge or records of this HHK's birth and early life to see if we have the right one as we cannot find any records of him with his first family after 1920...

[rosie99]

Have you tried looking for him on the 1939 register in Tavistock area

[KMcCusker]

Yes, I have him with Maude and children both on the 1939 register and a subsequent electoral register. It’s more a belt and braces enquiry. I want to prove to myself that we are not wrong as his “first” family have him in the military from 1920 until he “died” around 1930. This may have been a cover story for a separation. We cannot locate any death for him either where they were located or back in his home location of Wiltshire around 1930. It’s a mystery/family skeleton!

[rosie99]

His marriage to Maud should give his fathers details.  As you have the 1939 with him and Maud, presumably his date of birth on that matches that on his birth certificate

[KMcCusker]

His fathers name and occupation appear right on the marriage certificate, he did seem to knock a few years off his age though. The 1939 register and his death certificate are more accurate, so perhaps he confessed at a later date!

Of course, if this is correct (and this is why I want to be extra sure of the links) we have family we didn’t know about until this surfaced. And they may not know about us!

[pjm99]

Did 'your' Harold leave a will? If he did did it not acknowledge the previous children?

Peter

[KMcCusker]

Did 'your' Harold leave a will? If he did did it not acknowledge the previous children?

Peter

There is no will online that I can find for now, I'm not sure even if there was, that it would have acknowledged the first children.  Most of them died relatively recently and their families know nothing.  We may actually have the right man, there are a lot of things that would suggest we do in terms of occupation, location etc.  But if so, the reality goes completely against what his son, my grandfather believed to be the truth (or indeed led us to believe was the truth, we will never know)

[suzanne2812]

Hi

Have you thought of contacting the local newspaper. It's called The Tavistock Times Gazette. A letter posted may help or if you are on Facebook, look to join The Tavistock Parish Group. Social media has helped rather a lot of people 

Regards Suzanne.

[KMcCusker]

Thanks Suzanne, great suggestions!