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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => US Lookup Requests => Topic started by: mikecharles49 on Wednesday 22 August 18 20:26 BST (UK)
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Help wanted! My ancestor Albert Edward Robson was born in Leeds, England in 1868, & lived originally in Doncaster town, England. I have an administration cert in England to say that he "was of the city of Buffalo" and died there 16th March 1902. The local library there advised me that there was no death certificate found. Looking for any help: burial, cremation, newspaper record ... anything! He was a cabinet maker, losing his wife in England in 1894. His two daughters were his beneficiaries and are not in the England 1901 census, so they may have been with him: Ida Ann Robson aged 9 and Alice May Robson aged 7. He died intestate. I have found just one shipping entry for "Mr. A.Robson, passenger 2539, second class cabin, on Cunard steamship Umbria sailing on 9th July 1998 from Liverpool to NY". Was he killed, died in hospital, whatever? ANY help or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike.
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I'm not finding much, but could you clarify a few things in case anyone else can do better? What year did Albert arrive -- you have a typo in the text. And in what year were the daughters the ages that you mention, I'm assuming 1901 since that is where you looked for them, but maybe not.
I'd suggest the library again for a death notice, but they might have looked when they looked for the death certificate. And if he was on his own in a strange town, with only minor children, he might not have had a death notice.
Which reminds me to ask: why did he go to Buffalo, were there relatives or ?
I don't have ancestry.com but they might have city directories for that time period in Buffalo. Sometimes in the year following a person's death, they will record the date of death. At least you would have one more mention of him anyway.
And there's the chance that he died near Buffalo, not in the city itself.
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The Buffalo death index is available online through Relcaim the Records.
1897-1902 : https://archive.org/details/Buffalo_NY_Death_Index_1897-1902
All Years: https://archive.org/details/buffalodeathindex?sort=titleSorter
I'm not seeing anything for him
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Newspaper com has several papers available for that time period.
https://www.newspapers.com/browse/US/New%20York/Buffalo
Nothing is coming up in searches.
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Umbria sailing on 9th July 1998 ……..Oops.
Have you tried to find him on the 1900 Census. That census would hopefully give him, his address and on that census only his month and year of birth.
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The 1904 Buffalo New York city directory has an Albert Robson, carpenter, residing at 373 Broadway. :-\
There are many Buffalo newspapers at www.fultonhistory.com, but I didn't see any likely matches for him.
It looks like there is also a Mrs. A. Robson on the passenger list for the same ship that you found. Any chance he remarried?
Buffalo, New York is certainly the most well-known and probably largest of places called Buffalo in the US, but apparently there are others - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo Unless there's something that specifically says New York, maybe it was elsewhere?
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Many thanks for these replies, much appreciated. Yes, that year was 1898 and the 2 kids ages were at 1902, but I am guessing they were not with him. I have no other info., so don't know why he was there; maybe looking for a new start etc. etc. No known family in the USA.
UK access to some sites hasn't worked, eg burials A-Z only stuck on "A", like the newspaper websites. A needle in a haystack job I know, but let me know if anything turns up. He could have remarried I suppose. His original work in the UK was carriage trimmer, probably at the big Doncaster railroad industry.
A year or two ago, for fifty dollars, the library sent me an official certificate to say that a death certificate had not been found. The UK admin just states that he was "of the City of Buffalo in the United States of America".
The surname is not rare, and there is a UK passenger list entry for a "Mr.A.E.Robson, year of birth 1868, occupation builder. Left Southampton UK on 31st March 1900 to Durban (Port Natal). The name and birth year fit, not the occupation, but who knows!! There is a Buffalo in South Africa, so could the UK admin be a human writing error (!) I gather records in SA are hard to find, but I may put out an APB. My thanks again, and do keep in touch if anyone comes across anything. Regards to all. Mike.
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Alice May Robson (niece - aged 17 years) looks to be living with John William Robson in 1911 - 3 Hillary Street Leeds. John William Robson was mentioned in the probate.
The other name mentioned on the probate was Arthur Joseph Blackshaw. Ida Ann Robson (niece - drapers assistant - 19 years ) living with the Blackshaw family in 1911.
Sandra
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Thank you Sandra. Yes, Albert's two daughters were living in England at the 1911 census with their uncles: John William Robson was Albert's brother, and Arthur Joseph Blackshaw was the latter's brother-in-law. Both the girls' later marriage certs show Albert Edward Robson's occupation as a cabinet maker.
Since Albert was only 33 years old when he died in Buffalo, it must have been by illness or accident I would think. Even if there is no death cert., he must have been buried or cremated in Buffalo. Just a mystery at the moment ! Kind regards, Mike.
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Chances are that the entry Shelly found in the Buffalo Directory 1904 could have been Albert (occupation fits) - the directories are usually referring to at least the year previous and names can stay in. ???
Sandra
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UPDATED: Well, well, well. I have found that Albert was convicted of rape & sentenced in 1893 to 7 years at Portland prison, south coast of England. He was released early on 8/3/1900 so I reckon he did sail later that year from nearby Southampton to South Africa.
After this, it seems that he then went to Buffalo City in the USA where he died 16/3/1902, so with no death cert. maybe his violent past continued with him and possibly came to a violent end there. If he was killed or even put to death, then I would have thought there would be some record. He left £191 which in today's values seems to be circa £22,000. The plot has certainly thickened, but please do keep this topic in mind. Regards everyone. Mike.
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SORRY. Albert was released early from prison in England on 6/7/1898.