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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: GDub71 on Monday 10 August 15 09:31 BST (UK)
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Hi all,
I've been on a 25 year quest to find out who my Grandfather was. My Dad didn't know his father. His parents met in 1946. Hi mum was in the ATS and his dad was an ex-tank sergeant who had fought through the War, possibly in North Africa, certainly in Western Europe. They were going to get married, but them my Gran found out he'd been seeing someone behind her back, so she called it off. She was pregnant though and my dad was to be adopted, but her parents decided that they would raise him in the village of Fordyce in the North East of Scotland. My dad's name is John Alexander Wilson. My Grandmother did not like to talk about my Grandfather at all having subsequently married someone else.
I've recently taken a DNA test with myFTDNA hoping to find some relatives on my Dad's paternal line. This seemed to be my best hope of finding out who my Grandfather was and where he came from. I have a full family tree apart from my paternal line and it is particularly frustrating as a genealogist to have this big gap which I need to fill.
Here's what I do know about my Grandfather:
•He was known as "Eric Boon"
•I'm told he was called Eric after a famous boxer called Eric Boon of that time, his actual name was apparently John
•Unfortunately I have no DNA matches for the name Boon, and a family to whom I believed might be related have a different DNA type altogether
•He was born circa 1921-22
•My Grandmother said he was from Leeds
•He was a tank sergeant in the War, apparently right through North Africa and Western Europe after that
•When my Grandmother met him in 1946 he was driving lorry transporters for the army
•She was in the ATS down South and got a lift up to the Bridge-of-Don barracks in Aberdeen from him
•She believed that he stayed in the army and went on to be a recruitment officer
The upshot of the DNA testing is that... well there are no Boon relatives for a start, which made me wonder, if my Grandfather was illegitimate, or perhaps his father was etc. Several years ago, I put together a list of all the Eric and John Boon/Boone births in England within the rough timeframe of his birth (1921-22) and one of those candidates was:
John E. Boon b. Q1, 1923 at West Derby. Liverpool, Mother's surname: Boon.
What my DNA testing does show is a significant number of Irish surnames: Halligan, Carroll, Burke etc. With this John Boon being illegitimate, I wonder if he's my guy and clearly Liverpool was a gateway for Irish emigrants. Unfortunately, I can't find an individual matching the description I have, mentioned anywhere in association with any armoured corps in WWII. I have come across a John Ernest Boon who was a merchant seaman and may well be this individual, in which case at least I could rule him out of any further investigations. I did find another possible in Sculcoates, Kingston-Upon-Hull, who unfortunately didn't make it to adulthood.
If anyone can shed light on this matter, please do! Also, what's the story with English certificates? We can get 5 certs for £5 online in Scotland and I need to order a single paper copy for £10 from England? Is there any alternative?
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Have you ever considered that he might have spun some yarns and may even have been Eric himself?
1. There seems to be virtually no Boon's living in Leeds (possibly just where 'John' was based at the time or shortly before they'd met).
2. I cannot seem to find what happened to Eric during the war years but one would have imagined he'd have served in some capacity as only in his 20's.
3. Eric married aged 21 in 1940 with a dau. born 1941. Looks like they must have divorced and and there's a possible (likely - his name of Eric C F quite distinctive ?) remarriage in 1950 in Southport. Then in 1966 he appears to remarry his first wife. So, possibly bit of a ladies man??
Just a thought.
Annette
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Hi,
The thought had crossed my mind. However, Eric Boon, the boxer was in the RAF and was stationed in Italy at the time my dad was conceived. I believe my Gran knew him quite well, as they had plans to get married. The questions in my mind are over his first name and where he was from. I don't think he was called Eric, but he might have been. He may have been living in Leeds, but I don't think he originated there, as there just don't see m to be any Leeds Boon's in the records. You see the task I'm facing here?
Graham
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Have you investigated directories for the late 1930s to see if there are a any Boons in the Leeds area by that time?
As Army records for the period you are interested in aren't available the only way you find mention of him would be if he was awarded a higher medal or was mentioned in dispatches and then he would be in London Gazette.
Maybe the Tank Corps have a looking for page and you might get something that way.
My other thought that the 1939 National Identity Card information is due to be available at some point in the near future on FindMyPast so you could look for Boons of the right age there.
I would also not discount Eric as at least being one of his names.
Birth marriage and death certificates cost £9.25 from the General Register Office. They can be bought online but are then posted to you. Individual Register Offices usually charge £10 and also some want a stamped addressed envelope.
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To Annette 7,
Coincidentally perhaps, my dad believes that he bears a striking resemblance to the boxer, although I'm not sure I agree. I read somewhere that at school aged 11 , Eric was caned for battering a lad twice his size. My Dad used to start a fight with the biggest lad at school every day until he was able to get the better of him. Funny that eh?
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Gibel, I wasn't aware of this National Identity card information being released. Sounds interesting. Any idea what information will be contained therein? Not much else to go on, not even the censuses, since he wouldn't have been born by 1921 (when it comes out) and 31 and 41 don't exist.
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This is the information on the 1939 register
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/register-service
as Gibel said it is due to appear on FindMyPast
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register
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Excellent, this will be a useful tool for genealogists. As any family historian worth their salt knows, the last 100 years is just the worst for research!
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Similar thread on Cambs Board: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=727916.
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I believe this is my Grandfather:
(http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr156/GDub71/Eric%20Boon.jpg)
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Excellent, this will be a useful tool for genealogists. As any family historian worth their salt knows, the last 100 years is just the worst for research!
I believe that people who are still living won't appear on it. ;) I know when we had the opportunity to get copies of this register for free if we gave an address only those that were deceased appeared on the details
Rosie