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Thanks so much for this. The National Archives discovery was a revelation and I downloaded Harry's record - he had a long career in the navy until about 1926 if I read the writing correctly.

Having a look around the records too, I discovered quite by chance that Harry's brother, Frederick James Coleman (my great grandfather) also signed up with the Navy, but in 1908 (as a "boy"). I also downloaded his record. What's quite interesting from that though is he obviously couldn't cut it and bought himself out for £10 after only two months on the training ship and well before his commission proper was due to start. It is of some significance that at this time he was still going by his birth surname of "Coleman" rather than Gordon as he has become by his marriage in Glasgow in 1915.

As for Mabel, I don't think the record you've found for Mabel is mine - the age is right but she was born in Dundee, not England. She may remain a mystery.

Thanks so much for taking an interest and helping uncover these connections.

An addendum to my last post from October 2012. I have located Henry Coleman's will from August 1904: he leaves his gold watch and chain to his youngest son (and my ancestor) Frederick James - in the will he states "...who is living with his mother at... by Greenock who is living in adultery with a man named James Gordon formerly of Arbroath". He leaves his bank book and all other effects to his oldest daugher, Mabel Maude. The will states she "...is married to a man named Louis Beaufort Musician Eng." It continues, rather sadly, ..."I know nothing about any other member of my family"

This enabled me to locate Frederick James in the 1901 Scottish census - he is indeed noted as step-son to James Gordon, at a house in Dunoon, but there is no sign of Annie. I've still drawn a blank on the 1911 census (anywhere in the UK) for any of the family so still a big gap in knowledge of their destiny.

I’ve been away from this forum for a while but have recently returned following some further digging around, and further dead-ends, on my Coleman ancestry so if anyone is able to help me shed any light on any of the issues I’ve uncovered I’d be very grateful indeed.

The basics:

Henry Coleman, was born (probably) in January 1839 (baptised 25 Jan 1839) in Kidderminster. He was the son of Isaac and Mary Coleman. It looks like he married 1st Ann Whitehead 25/10/1862 but she dies 1875. He then possibly marries Frances Wharton 28/08/1876 but she dies a year later in Oct – Dec 1877. All in Kidderminster.
Henry then marries Annie Nicklin 27/05/1878 in Birmingham and appears in the Scottish 1881 census living in Dundee.

At that time their only child registered living with them is Mabel Maud, a daughter born 25/09/1880 in Dundee.
All well and good so far. At the next Scottish census in 1891 they have four other children: Edwen (sic!) who by age indicates he was born in 1877 (definitely not in Scotland). Lillian Elsie (b 1882 Dundee), Harry Ewart (b Dundee 1885).

Annie was also pregnant at the time of the census as my own direct ancestor Frederick James was born 25/07/1891, after the census was taken.

The major problem(s) I have are that none of them seem to turn up on any census thereafter (with the exception of Mabel in 1911 when she is “married” to Louis Beaufort – see earlier thread entries).  So where are they all?
Add into this, in 1901 Scottish census, Henry is living alone as a boarder in Dundee with no sign of the rest of his family. I know Annie later went on to “marry” a James Gordon but there’s no marriage record despite this being indicated on her death certificate (27/5/1940 Ayrshire).

My ancestor, Frederick James, later took the name Gordon (he died 18/10/1918 at home in Glasgow from infected gunshot wounds inflicted at the Battle of Cambrai the previous year).
Did she simply elope with James Gordon and take his name, giving his name to her youngest son as well. What happened to her other children? Did they take the name Gordon? Did they leave Scotland/UK?
And as before, I’ve no idea what happened to Mabel after her husband Louis died in 1923 (she is mentioned in the death cert so can pinpoint her to then).

Simply don’t know where to turn to to try to figure all this out.

From the other strand I've posted on - just to share this photo I came across quite by chance being sold on artfact.com and described as one of a series of "cabinet photos by Downey and Tourtin" - Downey appears to have been a pretty high profile photographer in London. Do you reckon this could be my Mabel?

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,555157.msg4369599.html#msg4369599

Through fantastic help on another strans on Louis I've ascertained he died on 8th September 1923 at Royal Infirmary Manchester. Last address 20 Leinster Street, Hulme and he was registered as a Musician (pianist). His "wife" Mabel" was present at his death and he is buried in an unmarked plot in Manchester's Southern cementery.

Louis also had a marriage to a Fanny Elizabeth Stephens in 1895 with whom he had a son (Louis Ormuz). They lived as a family in Paisley, Scotland, for a time c 1900 - 1902.

The inverted commas indicate that it seems unlikely that Mabel Maud (nee Coleman, Dundee, 1880) and Louis were legally married. I've no information on whatever happened to his first wife, and by the 1911 census when Louis and Mabel are living in Chorlton cum Hardy his son was living away from both his parents.

I suppose my big question is how on earth to find out what happened to Mabel after 1923 as I simply don't know where to turn.