Alien Records for Liverpool during WW1

[HarrysGirl2]

Does anyone know where 1st World War Alien Records would be kept for Liverpool ?

I'm being passed from pillar to post.

I have asked at the Liverpool Records Office (LRO) about Alien Registration records for Liverpool during the first world war.
The LRO advised me to try the National Archives at Kew, the National Archives told me that any records would be kept locally
& suggested I try the Liverpool Records Office...  so I've gone around in a circle!

My grandfather was a Jewish immigrant from Russia & was classed as an Alien during the 1st world war.  I have found my grandfather's identity number & the date his I.D card was issued in Liverpool in 1916 & if this identity number could lead me to his Alien File or Card this could give me the details of his parents & his place of origin. This would be a huge breakthru for me.

Would anybody know if such records have survived & where they would be held ?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you

HG2

[gortonboy]

hi,,have you found him in the 1911 census,,,that often gives an actual place of birth,,rather than just a country? 

[HarrysGirl2]

hi,,have you found him in the 1911 census,,,that often gives an actual place of birth,,rather than just a country? 

Yes, I've found my grandfather (Louis Friedman/Freedman) on the 1891, 1901 & 1911.  But the information is confusing, as he states that he is a German National on all UK censuses.  No naturalisation records have been found for him.  On his civil marriage cert & his marriage authorisation cert (the certificate Jewish couples need permitting the marriage) again, he states he is from Germany, but no town/village/shtetl is given. 

Then, last week I had an exciting breakthru.  He has signed the alien registration book with the Dublin police on 28th June 1917.
This gives his Identity number & date of issue in Liverpool, where he lived.  It gives the address where he is staying in Dublin, he is lodging with a Mrs Ada Levin at 12, St Kevin's Parade, Dublin. With his wife & 5 of his younger children, the other 4 older children had enlisted for WW1. 

It gives his year of birth 1867, but not the date. It gives his description & home address in Liverpool.  It also gives his place of birth!!!   Sweksna, Kovno - Russia !  (Not Germany) 

There is a place called Sveksna, in the Kovno area.  This area is today part of Lithuania. But, not having any success locating him in Sveksna.  But, I don't understand why he would say he was from Germany if he was from Russia, when many Germans were hiding their German origins at that time, especially then the Lusitania was sunk.

I would like to see his alien file/card for more details, it could give me his parents names & address.  His marriage records give his father as Tobias Friedman & I have found only one Tobias Freedman who died in Dublin in 1902.  I would like to know the name of his mother to confirm that this Dublin Tobias Freedman was my grandfather's father as it would link me to another Freedman family who I've found descendants of. 

I am writing a biography about my family, so I need to be 100% sure of the accuracy of the information & I like to cross check & find positive proof from original records. There are so many remarkable coincidences in FH.

HG2

[gortonboy]

only tobias freedman i can see in ireland 1901 is this one,,,,is this the one who died?  if so,,he cannot be the father?

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Wood_Quay/Lombard_Street/1308462/

[HarrysGirl2]

only tobias freedman i can see in ireland 1901 is this one,,,,is this the one who died?  if so,,he cannot be the father?

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Wood_Quay/Lombard_Street/1308462/

No, not that one.  That family went to South Africa.  I have Tobias Freedman death cert, he died 29th April 1902 & he lived at 2, Emorville Square, Dublin.  But, when I did a search for him on the 1901 census, his name has been mis-transcribed at Julia Freedman, (male) living at 1, Emorville Square, Dublin with wife Faiga. But, on the original image, his name looks more like Tubia... so, I'm sure it's the same person. I've lost trace of his wife Faiga after the 1901 census, found no death or remarriage for her.  She was 64 on the 1901c, but Jewish people did remarry late in their lives, for company & to take care of each other in their old age, as times were bad in those days for everyone.

I've found naturalisation records for a Isaac Freedman & his family & his parents were Tobias & Fege Freedman (Faiga & Fege) are the same name in Hebrew, so if I can find something that gives me my grandfather's mother's name & it's Faiga/Fege, then Isaac freedman & my grandfather were brothers!  Isaac Freedman went to SA & his eldest son Morris/Maurice Freedman became the mayor of Johannesburg in 1935.  I've found his descendants, but I need to be 100% certain before I put this info in my book.

Thanks gortonboy

HG2

PS. I will not be surprised if the Freedman family you've given the link to were also related to Isaac freedman & hopefully to my grandfather too.

[Elwyn Soutter]

You wonder why your grandfather would describe himself as German when he apparently came from Russia. I think the answer may be that at the time of his birth in 1867, that area (Kovno) was part of Prussia, and that he was therefore born in Germany. Hence his German nationality. (Obviously the borders have moved a lot since then). Kovno is modern day Kaunas, and I reckon from the attached map, that that was comfortably inside East Prussia.

www.age-of-the-sage.org/history/map_german_unification.html

[HarrysGirl2]

You wonder why your grandfather would describe himself as German when he apparently came from Russia. I think the answer may be that at the time of his birth in 1867, that area (Kovno) was part of Prussia, and that he was therefore born in Germany. Hence his German nationality. (Obviously the borders have moved a lot since then). Kovno is modern day Kaunas, and I reckon from the attached map, that that was comfortably inside East Prussia.

www.age-of-the-sage.org/history/map_german_unification.html

Yes, I think you might be right Elwyn, thank you.  I don't know when he left his homeland, he first shows in the UK when he married his first wife in Leeds in 1890.   (He was widowed 3 times) I know the boarders were changing by the minutes in the 1800/1900's.  People went to sleep in Russia & woke up in Germany, without moving. 

But, when many Germans hid their roots because of fear of attacks, especially in Liverpool when the Luci sank, where the riots were very bad, yet he stock to his German roots on every document. So, it was a surprise to find he was from Kovno, which as you say is today Kaunas.

HR2

[Elwyn Soutter]

Presumably it would be hard for him to have concealed his nationality, if he had felt inclined to do so. You say he had described himself as German in the 3 censuses 1891 - 1911 (at a time when he would have had no reason to conceal that). Presumably therefore over the years there was quite a bit of documentation in various official records recording him as a German born in Germany. He was probably issued with his Aliens Registration Card (describing him as German) at the beginning of the war, when the Aliens Registration Act was introduced. It would have been difficult by then for him to abandon that nationality and identity. If he had done so, he would have had no other identity documents to show to anyone. And presumably it wouldn't have taken too long to find out who he really was, given the length of time he had lived in the UK.

[andycand]

Hi

The National Archives has reference to a Naturalisation Certificate 13689 issued 19th August 1926 for a Louis Freedman from Russia resident in London. I don't know if its the same person or what sort of information it would have. Just search using his name.

Andy