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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Clarencep on Friday 18 May 12 13:46 BST (UK)
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Hi
I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find out about false deaths, that were reported during the first world war.
My husbands Grt Grandfather William Edward Graham (b. 1888) was in the Durham Light Infantry (Reg Number: 22234) and during the WW1 he was believed to have been gassed and declared dead.
His wife Margaret Anna McGowan (b. 1890) receiving this information remarried, but then William turned back up.
I really need to know when this incident happened so that I can find out the new marriage dates for Margaret.... If anyone can help I would be very grateful.
Thanks
Clare x
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Clare
cant see his record surviving With his date of Entry 11/9/15 I suspect he was in either 14th or 15th Battalion
Theres nothing on his card that helps if he went missing presumed dead it MAY be reported in local papers with an obituary?
If he was captured and spent time as a POW he wouldve been released in Nov 1918
so you have about a 3yr window to look at bmds.
Poor bloke..she didnt spend much time grieving but there may have been young mouths to feed..and im sure he wouldnt be the only one tto suffer this unfortunate turn of events but fair enough on her remarrying if she thought he was dead but im sure it caused a lot of friction when he came home alive.
Hope it was resolved
Ady
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William and Margt Anna married in South Shields in the mar quarter of 1910.
I can't find any further marriages for Margt or Margt Anna McGowan after that up to 1930 in South Shields. Do you know who she married? I'm trying to narrow the window of opportunity.
There's a marriage Margt McGowan to an Isaac Slack in 1915 in Durham, but I have to say there are several marriages for Margaret McGowan up and down the country.
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Ah! now I understand. There are at least two children to William and Margaret, so this is a young mum who had to find an income to feed and keep her very young children after her husband's "death". Army pension was pathetic. There was no welfare state, benefits back then just parish relief and it was a pittance. :-\
Births Jun 1912 GRAHAM Margaret A Mcgowan S.Shields
Births Sep 1914 GRAHAM Wilhelmina H McGowan S.Shields
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Could this be her marrying in her married surname?
Marriages Jun 1918
Graham Margaret A Morton S.Shields
Morton Robert T Graham S. Shields
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It might be a good idea to get the 1911 census date in case there were other children too.
What facts does his service record contain?
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Theres an Henrietta aged 10 on the 11 census plus the two just found post 1911
34a Maxwell Street is address
Ady
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Is this too much of a coincidence? ???
Births Dec 1916
Morton Joseph M McGowan S.Shields
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Births Jun 1900
GRAHAM Henrietta S. Shields
So his child but not Margaret's?
Can't be William was only 12 when she was born - sister?
Her marriage
Marriages Sep 1925
Graham Henrietta Smith S.Shields
Smith John G Graham S.Shields
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Clare,
By normal convention, if she married a second time, the Cert would be in her widowed name, with her maiden name also on the cert itself. In this case it would be written "Graham, formerly McGowan".
In other words, fifer's find would look good to me, but as you know the second husband's surname, it's your call.
Phil
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Thanks everyone for your help, this has been a interesting mystery for me..
I still can't comfirm William's 'so called' Death during WW1, but I have managed to find out a bit more about him and his wife Margaret.
I've learned by contacting the Durham Record's office that William did serve in either the 14th or 15th Battalion (21st Division) and that he first saw action in France & Flander on 11 Sept 1915, (which is also the date on his medal card), on the 25 Sept 1915 he was in the Battle of Loos, and we believe this is were the information of him been gased comes from.
As for his Marriage to Margaret McGowan, while looking through the National Archive Records I came across a record for a filed Divorce between William and Margaret with a Robert Todd Morton as a Co-respondent.
Looking at what you've all said above and doing a little digging on Ancestry and the BMD I've found this information out...
Margaret Ann McGowan married Robert Todd Morton in Apr Qrt of 1918 (South Shields, Durham)
William Files for divorce in 1918 (date unknown as waiting for documents to come in post)
Margaret then re-marries Robert Morton in Sept qrt 1920 (Birkenhead, Cheshire)
Margert has three children to William Graham...
Henrietta Jane (1910-1983)
Margaret A (1912-1989)
Wilhelmina Henrietta (1914-2010)
And seven to Robert Morton, two of which are while she is still married to William...
Joseph M (1916-1987) Registered under both Graham & Morton.
Gladys M (1918- ) Registered as Graham
Doris (1921- )
Edna M (1923- )
Hilda (1925 - 2012)
Lily (1926- )
Jean (1929-1935)
Margaret must of heard about Williams death in the late months of 1915, and then took comfort with Robert Morton in the Jan of 1916 as Joseph was born 12 Oct 1916.
I can understand why she did this with three young children to feed, but I really do feel sorry for William she didn't grieve him long :(.
I'm hoping the divorce papers will shed a bit of light on what happen, and I'll post the finding.
Thanks again to everyone who helped
Clare x
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g168/hmenchantments/Family%20History/WilliamEGraham1.jpg)
William Edward Graham
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g168/hmenchantments/Family%20History/margaretmcgowan1.jpg)
Margaret Anne Mcgowan
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g168/hmenchantments/Family%20History/roberttoddmorton.jpg)
Robert Todd Morton
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hi Clare
I came across your post by pure chance the other evening whilst trying to find the war records for William Edward Graham and noticed that your husband is his great grandson. I am trying to find out if either Henrietta, Margaret Anna or Whilemena are his grandmother as I am the grandaughter of their mother Margaret Anna. Please could someone help in the best way to find this out as my mother would love to know if her half sisters got married, had children etc
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To add to this William initially served 14th batt,22nd batt then also 1/7th and 2/6th .....this info from actual medal roll info
Ady
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Some information but hard to tie together.
15 Jul 1900 Robert Todd Morton = Jane Purvis, St. Jude, South Shields, marriages. (son?)
MyHeritage has a tree for a Robert Todd Morton born 1863 South Shields. Died Birkenhead, No mention of other marriages. Married Jane Maria Bear, South Shields, Dec Qtr 1881.
Robert seems to have been a person who lives in both South Shields and Birkenhead who remarries in Birkenhead in 1920. Bear died Birkenhead 1928!!!
I am confused. Must lie down and take a nap.
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Hi Les
Wilhelmina was my husbands grandmother :)
She married a number of times the first was to 'Arthur William Hold' in 1935 (Coventry), she had 4 children to this marriage.
Second marriage was to 'James Edward Whitehead' in 1947 (Goole), she had 2 children to this marriage.
Third marriage was to 'Stanley Powls' in 1961 (Goole)
and finally her fourth marriage was to Karl F. W. Jahnke in 1974 (Goole).
If you'd like to see more on the family tree, I have a ancestry tree you can join.
you'll just have to send me your email and I'll send you a ancestry request.
I'm very interested in what you said regarding 'Half Sisters', please can you elaborate on this some more, as far as we knew all the sisters had the same parents.
look forward to hearing from you again
Clare
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To add to this William initially served 14th batt,22nd batt then also 1/7th and 2/6th .....this info from actual medal roll info
Ady
Hi Ady
Can you tell us more about this, we have had difficulty finding out about Williams war records.
cheers
Clare
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hi Clare
I came across your post by pure chance the other evening whilst trying to find the war records for William Edward Graham and noticed that your husband is his great grandson. I am trying to find out if either Henrietta, Margaret Anna or Whilemena are his grandmother as I am the grandaughter of their mother Margaret Anna. Please could someone help in the best way to find this out as my mother would love to know if her half sisters got married, had children etc
Just to say, Les, welcome to Rootschat! If you post a couple more times - just reply saying hello or something to this mail - then you will be able to send a personal message to Clare, by clicking on the scroll in the circle underneath her name.
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Hi Clare
That is great thank you so much. I have been trying for a while to locate what happened to the three girls but it has been virtually impossible with mariages etc. The reference to the half sisters is because my mum is Edna born 1923 who was Margaret's daughter with Robert, she is still alive and has always wanted to know what happened to them. she remembers going to south shields with her mum to see one of the girls but she was only little and to be honest I think it was all kept quiet.
I would love to see your family tree as I have always been really interested in this and obviously I will give you what info I have regarding Margaret Anna. (she definitely seems to be a mystery even before 1910).
I am still getting used to this site and apparently after this post I should have more options to message you.
I really look forward to hearing from you
Thanks Les
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Hi Les
Thanks for getting back to me, we would love to hear more about Margaret Anna, she has been a mystery to us for so long.
I have Edna on my family tree along with 10 more siblings.
Do you know anything about Roberts first with 'Jane Purvis' ?
Anyway give us a buzz via private messages, and we'll swop emails :)
Looking forward to hearing more.
Kind Regards
Clare