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Hi

I have two Joseph Bennetts that I've researched:

No 1 - was baptised on 8 March 1818 at East Blatchington, Sussex; father: John Bennett, labourer; mother: Hester Bovis.  At their earlier marriage, Hester had signed her name, but John made his mark.  I have nothing more on this Joseph.  Some trees have a birthday of 7 March 1818, but this isn't on the baptism record.

No 2 - was married in London (father noted as John Bennett, farmer) in 1839 to Sarah Watkins, had two children (John and Ann) and then emigrated to Canada with mother-in-law, Mary Watkins.  He was a farmer, who moved on to Michigan, USA, and later became a United Brethren minister.  He died in 1886, but the parental information column on his burial record is blank.  At the time of his marriage, he was a schoolmaster, I believe, at Manor House, Holloway - at least this is given as his residence, and appears to have once been a school.

Trees on familysearch and ancestry put these two as the same man, but I can find nothing that connects them at all.  I wonder if I have missed something?

Many thanks for any pointers, help, etc.

Hi

I am researching Samuel Topley, born in April 1850 in Portsea, Hampshire, who became a merchant seaman.  He is on the 1901 Census at Valkyrie Road, Pear Tree Green, Itchen, nr Southampton, and was probably working out of Southampton Docks.  The following Census in 1911, his wife (Rhoda) is a widow, at Manor Road, Itchen.  There appears to be no UK death registration (or Will) - and I wonder if he died while on service overseas, and whether there is any way to find out?  I have looked at the merchant seaman websites that I could find, but found nothing on Samuel.  His son, also Samuel, worked for the Union Castle Line in Southampton and was killed, aged 18, in a boiler explosion on board the RMSP "Araguaya" on 13 January 1913.  I wonder if his father worked for the same company?

Many thanks for any pointers, etc.

Hi

I have been looking at some trees on ancestry that contain my great-grandfather, Albert George Rea.  I wondered why several of them show his birth as 29 April 1880, when his actual date of birth was 13 January 1881 - I know a lot of trees are just copied and not researched, but who started this?

Then I realised that he was Christened on 29 April 1881, so this date has been taken to be his birthdate, but mistyped as 1880.  However, looking at ancestry, their summary page does show 1880 - a mistake I have now flagged to ancestry.

Also, of the nine trees that I can see, the majority have his death as 1939, when in fact he died on 12 October 1959.  They also show his death in Alverstoke, Gosport, Hampshire (Little Green).  This is completely impossible - I live about 15 minutes walk from Little Green, Alverstoke, and it wasn't built until the 1960s.  Anyway, I know he died in Sussex.  There is a family connection to Little Green, but one that can't possibly be online anywhere at all - I challenge anyone to find it!

Just out of a sense of curiosity, I'm intrigued to know where this idea comes from - I have tried contacting one of the tree owners, who I think is related, but no response.

I thought I'd post this as a funny story about not believing anything you see other than your own research!

I'm trying to trace someone, who joined the Black Watch and another British Regiment in the 1880s or 1890s.  Nothing comes up on findmypast or ancestry, which is where I'm directed by the Black Watch website and I wonder whether there may be another avenue I might try?  Also forces-war-records draws a blank.

Many thanks.

Hello.  I'm trying to find out what happened to my relatives after they married (1918, Richmond, Surrey) and emigrated to Canada (Freda in July 1919; Charles returned with the Canadian Army separately, having already resided in Canada and joined the Army there, coming back to Europe for WWI).  Their gravestone in St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Toronto confirms their dates of death as 1970 (Charles) and 1977 (Freda).  Charles was born in 1881/1882 (birth certificate ordered) and Freda in 1895 (not 1896 as gravestone says).

It would be lovely to hear from anyone with a connection, too, as I have photos and correspondence to share (all pre-1919).