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Research in Other Countries => Immigrants & Emigrants - General => Topic started by: Luckyme on Monday 19 September 16 12:59 BST (UK)
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First, let me start by saying if you solve this, or can even shed some light on this, then we'll be eternally grateful!! I hope I explain this well....
My partner is John Finnie
His mother and father are David Finnie and Anthea F Browne
http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/71826358/family
We are trying to find out where the DeOwenslly/De Oweneley Came from.
What we know: DeOwensley (and it's other variants on this tree) is a completely made up name, not showing up anywhere else in the world. There are currently only about 4 males with this name left alive. - So, if you find posts from another guy with this name, he's part of the family and we know about him. I think he lives in Dorset.
The story is that Gurvilliam/Guilliame came to England in 1903/1904 with his father Jasper, apparently on a ship, which Jasper was the captain.
I can't find any records at all for Jasper at all
When Gurvilliam died, his wife had to hand his documents into the Spanish Embassy. Apparently, the man receiving the documents commented that it's best not ask anything about his life and to leave things be.....
There's also Katrina/Katerona/Katrona Maslova kicking about but we're not sure where she fits in. One of Gurvilliam's daughters has Maslova as a middle name.
I have the 1911 census copy stating that they lived in gateshead and Gurvilliam had been in the country 7 years. Also I have the death record for him and the probate record but it doesn't point out any other info.,
Anyone got a clue where we should start looking next??
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Not sure what information this would give or who it refers to :-\
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8327612
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Well, I'd better order a copy and check it out. Thanks! x
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Just noticed the date of birth - probably the child born 1923 :)
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Do you think, as it's about Seamen's records, and there's discharge papers, that he was part of the Military navy?
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Yes, BT, stands for Board of Trade and relates to all things Merchant Navy.
Edit: I believe the 372/ files are the Seaman's Pouch and should list probably ship numbers or names he served on, likely in WW2.
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Great, that means we can look at merchant navy stuff as he's probably followed in his dad's footsteps. Thank you! x
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Hi,
Arthur was born in 1923 and Barbara 1919.
I think that record link is for Arthur on Oil ships to the USA, he was an AB.
1956 seems to be the dates of these records.
I can't seem to get anything from the birth of the 2 children.
Maggsie
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Thanks x Yeah, it's really hard trying to find anything with that name. We've been trying to think what the background story could be. There was talk of a possible shipwreck and that's how Gurvilliam ended up in the UK, but apparently he was also a bit of a Walter Mitty-type character so everything that he said was taken with a pinch of salt! A name-change and a country move suggests running away from something..... but what? It's so annoying!!
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The 1939 register gives a birth date, he is transcribed as Gwendolene.
Cathy :)
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Bizarre! Maybe it's a child of his?
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Which register have you read that on, Cathy? Is it births? I'm confused x
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It is the register compiled in 1939 before WW2, available on Findmypast.
We are not allowed to give details due to copyright but his name Gurvilliem was mis transcribed as Gwendoline. The register gives names of family members , occupations and dates of birth.
Cathy
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Do you have his marriage certificate from 1910 when he married Elizabeth Kate Douglas and if so any clues on there?
Names, addresses, occupations etc?
Cathy :)
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Ah right! We know he was a fireman at a paper mill. We don't have any actual certificates as I want to know that they'll give information that we don't already have. I know he had to sign at the police station every week during the war so I wonder if I can see those records?
The story is that he arrived in Dingwall (there's a few in the UK!) via ship and that his father was the captain. I've searched and searched and still haven't found anything to suggest this story was true, other than the fact that one of his sons appers to have joined the merchant navy.
I keep wondering what happened that was so bad that he came to the UK, changed his name, and never went back to Spain ever again. And what did the guy at the Embassy mean? And why did his wife have to hand his documents in there when he died?
Strange!
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<<We are trying to find out where the DeOwenslly/De Oweneley Came from.>>
It's probably a mis-transcription, or the surname was written down as it sounded. Unfortunately I don't speak Spanish and don't know how they pronounced their words, so can't hazard a guess.
However, I do know that an English relative who married a Spanish girl once tried to explain their unique surnaming customs and it went over my head. I recall the mother's surname is included in the child's full surname. It's tempting to think that "Owen" points to one of the parents being British, but it could be an incorrect spelling?
Here's the Wikipedia webpage that explains the Spanish custom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_naming_customs
. and here's a website that lists Spanish surnames
http://www.familyeducation.com/baby-names/browse-origin/surname/spanish
Good luck.
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Thanks! I'll give those links a read. I had thought perhaps it was a phonetic spelling of a Spanish name...There's actually an English(?) surname of Oweneley.
I wondered if they'd picked up on that and added a "De".
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Just a thought, but have you tried looking for harbourmasters records at all?
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No... never occurred to me. I'll get onto it x
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Thanks! I'll give those links a read. I had thought perhaps it was a phonetic spelling of a Spanish name...There's actually an English(?) surname of Oweneley.
I wondered if they'd picked up on that and added a "De".
Hi again,
The only part of that surname which looks British is "Owen", that has its origin in Wales.
I thought I'd have a look in the Spanish White Pages telephone book to see if there were any families with the surname "Owen(s)" but unfortunately there isn't just one phone book - you have to search through all the district phone books.
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There is no 'W' in the Spanish alphabet so any Owen in a Spanish phone book would be a foreigner or a Spanish person with a foreign ancestor.
As for Spanish surnames, the system is quite simple. Everyone legitimately born has two surnames - first the paternal surname and second the maternal surname. So a person named Mario Vargas Llosa, for example, had a father named Ernesto Vargas Maldonado and a mother named Dora Llosa Ureta. It used to be common for married women to take part of their husband's surname so that Dora Llosa Ureta could become Dora Llosa de Vargas upon marriage. That is less commonly done these days [at least in South America].
But it is easy to see how a form like 'De Oweneley' might have come about. What happens is that English speakers presume that the last element of the name is THE surname whereas in fact the paternal surname is more important and most people in their day to day lives only use it. The second [maternal] surname is usually appended only for official purposes; sometimes it's just abbreviated to an initial - Mario Vargas Ll.