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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: Coventry on Monday 27 August 18 23:33 BST (UK)
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Hi,
I am trying to trace information about a Frederick J Learoyd who appears in the 1939 Census. Born 8 March 1895 and apparently married to a Mary Ann Learoyd but this I know not to be true as Mary's name was Mary Ann Davis at the time. Frederick and Mary were living at 13/3 Jordan Well, Coventry and Mary died on 14 November 1940 in the Blitz.
Mary moved from the Stourbridge area to Coventry so it may be that Frederick was from that area too.
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Is there a hyphen in the surname? Entry looks like Le Aroyd and has been indexed as that
When did he die and is the name hyphenated on his death reg?
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Is there a hyphen in the surname? Entry looks like Le Aroyd and has been indexed as that
When did he die and is the name hyphenated on his death reg?
I haven't been able to trace any birth, marriage or death records for a Frederick J Learoyd or Le-Aroyd at all.
So far he is a complete mystery.
???
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You have to remember that the 1939 register was not a snapshot in time but was kept updated over the subsequent years so reflects changes of name etc.
Peter
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You have to remember that the 1939 register was not a snapshot in time but was kept updated over the subsequent years so reflects changes of name etc.
Peter
Mary Ann (nee Hirons) died on 14 November 1940 and her death was recorded as Mary Ann Davis which was her correct name at the time having been married to Wallace Davis since 1924. She is commemorated on the Civilian War Memorial in Coventry having died at 13/3 Jordan Well, Coventry that night. 13/3 Jordan Well was where she was living at at the time the register was taken (I understand that she moved to Coventry from Cradley early in 1939). Wallace appears in the 1939 Register at her previous address in Cradley.
I haven't been able to trace any records at all of a Frederick J. Learoyd or Le-Aroyd. It would seem that Mary assumed his surname for the register. ???
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Is Frederick the informant on Mary's death cert?
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From a 1938 article in the Coventry Evening Telegraph Frederick John Learoyd was known as "Titanic Jack" as a result of his being a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, when he was a 16 year old cabin boy. He made a living giving talks at fairgrounds etc on his experience.
After the disaster he returned to his home town of Hull and set up a business as a travelling fruiterer but that business failed.
In the 1930s he moved to Coventry but travelled daily to Birmingham where he had a stall in the Bull Ring selling horoscopes.
He was married but his wife died shortly after the birth of their second child.
Reading between the lines I would say FJL was a professional Bull S****er so I would take it with a pinch of salt.
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Can’t see his name in the on line list of crew on the Titanic
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From a 1938 article in the Coventry Evening Telegraph Frederick John Learoyd was known as "Titanic Jack" as a result of his being a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, when he was a 16 year old cabin boy. He made a living giving talks at fairgrounds etc on his experience.
After the disaster he returned to his home town of Hull and set up a business as a travelling fruiterer but that business failed.
In the 1930s he moved to Coventry but travelled daily to Birmingham where he had a stall in the Bull Ring selling horoscopes.
He was married but his wife died shortly after the birth of their second child.
Reading between the lines I would say FJL was a professional Bull S****er so I would take it with a pinch of salt.
Thank you! I'm so sorry I have only just seen your reply! That would fit in with what one of my Aunt's told me that Mary was living with a survivor of the Titanic when she died. I have also searched the records of the Titanic and was unable to match his name with any of those listed.
Do you know when/where he was married and to whom? As I have only just seen your post I haven't as yet done any research myself so will follow this up.
Mary died the night of the Blitz on 14th November and I had been unable to ascertain whether Frederick survived or was killed. Mary also travelled daily to Birmingham to work in one of the munitions factories.
Thanks again for this great info.
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Is Frederick the informant on Mary's death cert?
No he isn't as Mary was killed in the Blitz the informant is the local authority.
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply.
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From a 1938 article in the Coventry Evening Telegraph Frederick John Learoyd was known as "Titanic Jack" as a result of his being a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, when he was a 16 year old cabin boy. He made a living giving talks at fairgrounds etc on his experience.
After the disaster he returned to his home town of Hull and set up a business as a travelling fruiterer but that business failed.
In the 1930s he moved to Coventry but travelled daily to Birmingham where he had a stall in the Bull Ring selling horoscopes.
He was married but his wife died shortly after the birth of their second child.
Reading between the lines I would say FJL was a professional Bull S****er so I would take it with a pinch of salt.
Hi, I have just found the article in the Coventry newspaper and an article from Hull in 1933 about a fortune-teller called Learoyd aka Thema! Again, thank you v much for this lead. :D
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I’ve come across another couple of articles in the Leeds Newspapers and it would seem that the person I am looking for was known as Fred Jackson Learoyd which makes sense ad he called himself ‘Titanic Jack’ he also used another alias!
I have found a Stanley Jackson Learoyd b1908 d1908 so possibly a sibling.
Onwards and upwards!
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I am thinking that this is Stanley's parents,the new GRO index gives his mum's maiden name as Jackson.
Marriages Sep 1903
Jackson Edith Leeds 9b 1189
LEAROYD George Leeds 9b 1189
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Coventry Evening Telegraph 21st June 1939
GOOD Home and Wages offered young woman; small house, two children; —Learoyd, 3/15, Jordan Well (after 8 p.m.).
In which case Mary had only known him a few months before the September register.
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Anyone found a possible death for wife or births of the children?
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Leeds Mercury 1921
At Leeds, yesterday, Edmund Foster Brown, Lisbon-street; George Willie Parker, Athlone-grove, Armley; and Fred Jackson Learoyd, Castle-street, Weststreet, were each sent to prison for three months, with hard labour, for loitering with intent to commit a felony.
Meant to be in Hull, so a different person?
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Anyone found a possible death for wife or births of the children?
I haven’t as yet been able to pin down his marriage, births of his children or the death of his wife pre 1939.
Mary, who lived with him in Coventry, died in the blitz on 14th Nov 1940. As there were so many unidentified persons that night it’s proving difficult to find out whether the Fred and his family survived or perished.
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Coventry Evening Telegraph 21st June 1939
GOOD Home and Wages offered young woman; small house, two children; —Learoyd, 3/15, Jordan Well (after 8 p.m.).
In which case Mary had only known him a few months before the September register.
Thank you I hadn’t found that advert. It fits with Mary leaving Mount Pleasant, Cradley, the summer of 1939.
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Anyone found a possible death for wife or births of the children?
I’ve found his wife, Winifred Howard born 30 March 1911, Bath Street, South Shields, who died 1935. Winifred was the daughter of James Kenneth Howard and Margaret Jane Sked of South Shields. I would very much like to hear from any relatives of either Winifred or Fred as I have some information about their children who were living with Fred at Jordan Well, Coventry, the night of the blitz on 14th November 1940. Mary Ann Hirons (noted as Mary Ann Le-Aroyd in the 1939 Register) was his housekeeper. The house was bombed on 14th Nov 1940 and Mary lost her life when Jordan Well took a direct hit.
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Have you looked to see if either child is in any family trees on various websites such as Ancestry?
Added:
3 children showing Learoyd/Howard.
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Have you looked to see if either child is in any family trees on various websites such as Ancestry?
Added:
3 children showing Learoyd/Howard.
I’ve found one possible link so hoping to hear back. I understand there were 2 boys but have only found birth details one so far. 2 other Learoyd/Howard children listed were born in the early 1920s and mother, Winifred, wasn’t born until 1911 and their marriage isn’t registered until 1930 so not their offspring.
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The advert said 2 children, so I was wondering if one of those 3 had died, but if you have shown the older ones are different family then we are down to one, and if the advert was correct, and fits with 2 redacted entries, the other one might be slightly mis-transcribed for birth.
Yes - just looked.
Learoyd/Howard 1935
Le'Aroyd/Howard 1933
If they both have died then you could apply for the redacted entries to be opened.
Added:
No, Jack dies, so cannot be him on 1939
Births June quarter 1933
Jack Le'Aroyd mmn Howard Grimsby
Deaths June quarter 1933
Jack Learoyd age 0 Grimsby
Cannot see anything further on that 1935 birth - changed name?
Added: Ancestry family tree has him as died November 14th 1940, and one private sibling.
Is that your tree?