I’ve been trying to track down my ggg grandfather William GOATER for some time now and I have had a lot of help from people here on Rootschat and on GR.
To cut a long story short he was born c.1820, joined the army in Hereford in 1844, married in Ireland in 1846 and died in the Crimea in 1854/55.
I’ve tried to find out where he was born but can’t find any army info on his origins etc. GOATER is a fairly common surname in Hampshire but I am struggling to make connections. (My Goaters ended up in Lancashire after William’s wife re-married to a fellow soldier).
So I decided to try another tack……William’s son Henry KINGSTON GOATER died at 1 Aden Villas, Tongham, Surrey in July 1920 and the witness on the death cert was his cousin Kate BREWER. I wondered if finding out more about her relationship to Henry might give me a connection to William.
I contacted the Surrey History Centre and they checked the electoral roll for 1920 (£12 later!!) but no Brewers at this exact address. The most similar address they could find was in Ash Vale and the people who lived there were called WEST, Gordon Hope and James.
Note sure what to do next really. I’ve tried googling Aden Villas and not come up with anything and an electoral roll search on findmypast comes up blank also.
I’ve found a death cert for a Kate Brewer in 1921 and, assuming she was a contemporary of Henry’s, the age is about right.
Obviously I’m clutching at straws here but if anyone has any thoughts I’d love to hear them.
Many thanks
Maria
