What do you think? COMPLETED!!!!

[Tees]

Hi Rootschatters,

I would appreciate your expert input on this wee matter:

my auntie was told that her grandad died some months after she was born which means it was in 1943.  I have tried to find him under his name but could not find one.

I tried some surnames from his family's censuses--found him under "wrong" surname but it is the only chap I could find with his forename. He was 6 years older than he should be and quite a distance from his home county.

I asked my auntie if she knows if he ever moved south--she replied no as she was sure that he died up in his home county like everyone in her family.

I have searched up to 1955 and no sight of this chap. I told her that I think this chap in the Death Indexes was her grandad.

She does not want to spend money on a wrong cert. So, I volunteer to get it for her as seeing that she truly wanted to know what happened to her grandad.

Before I do that, I would like your opinion on this chap--do you think I am thinking correctly that it has to be her grandad?

Please advise. Any input or suggestion would be gratefully received by me!

Kind regards,

Tees

[avm228]

Tees, I think it's a gamble to be honest. Wrong name, wrong age, wrong place...

I would think it's more likely that Auntie's recollection of what she was told is a bit off (no offence to Auntie, but perhaps possible that "he died a few months/years before you were born" has been transmuted to "he died a few months after you were born"). 

Or... he died in Scotland or overseas (assuming it's the Eng/Wales indexes you've been searching)?

Anna

[avm228]

I tried some surnames from his family's censuses--found him under "wrong" surname but it is the only chap I could find with his forename.

Did he have a particularly unusual forename?

Anna

[lizdb]

If the name, age and area are all wrong - then on the face of it, it doesn't look a very good bet!

When you say the one you found (wrong name, wrong age and wrong area!!) has a surname which appears in the family, are we talking an unusual name (e.g Clutterbuck-Winstanley) or a more frequently found name (Taylor, Watson, Henderson, for example) ?

What else is known about the grandad? his marriage, children etc? Sometimes if you build up a picture of a person from many angles it helps - you may find for example that he did actually have a differetn surnmae. Or you may find that there is no hint of a different surname, in which case why would one appear at this death.

[Sueh2]

Hi Tees,

It's always a gamble when the facts "as you know them" dont fit, but people's memories are not always accurate. I spent ages looking for mother in laws grandad's death based on what she had told me, he had a very unusual name but I could not find him, even 5 or more years adrift. On further questioning M in L some time later she changed her story completely concerning the date and then hey presto.

So you either have to hope for further revelations or pay your money and take a chance.

 Good luck    Sue

[Tees]

Hi All Who Replied,

Appreciate all of your inputs and thoughts on this subject.

Indeed, it is a gamble.

As to the "wrong" surname, I meant the wrong spelling of the surname. It frequently showed on the censuses. Thought it is a possibility this chap is hers based on that.

My auntie is not at the fault as she was only told what her mum knew. There is no old family mementos or any letters on her family. Her stepfather destroyed the majority of them in one of his jealousy fits with her mum when she was a young girl.

What is more that she has a disability which prevent her from having a full conversation with her mum about her family and other things.

I will give it a bit of thought before gambling on this one.

Kind regards,

Tees

[avm228]

Tees, I wasn't at all suggesting your auntie was at fault in any way - just that recollections of what one has been told long ago aren't always precisely accurate (I know mine aren't )).

Anyway - if it's just a difference in the spelling of the surname then that makes it less of a long shot than first appeared.

Hope you find him, one way or another

Anna

[Tees]

Hi again,

If you would like to try to crack the mystery on my auntie's grandad.

Here goes:

Arthur Brain(e)
born 1891 in Co Durham

Married to Isabella Hepple in 1914 in Co Durham
Had a daughter, Gwennie, born to them in the same year in Ferry Hill

Isabella Braine died in 1919 in her parents' hometown (I guess her mum was looking after her when she is ill?)
Yet her husband was the one who registered her death

He was supposed to have another son named Stanley (could not find him in the Births Indexes or any Brain(e) with the maiden name of Hepple) This son supposedly died in the Second World War for the RAF

Went on to marry other woman and have another daughter--their names were not known to auntie.

Died during the Second World War

We did very well with their parents' and ancestors' BMDs.

Kind regards,

Tees

[Tees]

Hi Anna,

I know you did not mean that she is at the fault.

I just saying it for the empathic reason.

As to the recollections, the conversations with her mum was on the papers--she had shown them to me. We were able to identify who's who. Few person(s) we still could not identify and could not figure their connections to the family.

I know what you meant by the memories being not so accurate at the times.

Kind regards,

Tees