looking for Seymour ancestors

[deeiluka]

There's only one birth for a Claud(e) in the district of Epping between 1885 and 1890 and that is for a Claude Arthur Powell in 1885.     


Dee   

[MargP]

Hi Dee

I have search every which way on this, and can find no records for him so he must have been known under another name, I think that the information on the certificates is tenuous,both records contradict each other, he may have been born out of wedlock and made some of it up to save face.

Margp

[deeiluka]

There's certainly not much to be found, Marg.   


Dee   

[cocksie]

Seymour brick walls are a pet hobby of mine - masochist that i am
There is a Claude Robert W Seymour B. 1890 sept qtr, reg district Chichester, county Sussex, vol 2b, pg 375.

Something to put in your "possible list" edit to add - no good this child died same year


Who was informant on death cert?
What age was Claude at death in 1944 on death cert?

[tamworth]

Thanks for your reply. Claude was 57 when he died. Parents on death certificate are John Seymour (engineer) and Mabel Stephens , has him born in Essex,  the informant was his wife Maude Seymour.  This information differs on his marriage certificate where his mothers name is Ethel May Stephens and has his birthplace as Ipswich, England,. His fathers occupation is the same. He was 24 when he married Maude Coyne.

[cocksie]

So (just to be clear cos I am a little slow)
Marriage in OZ in 1813 to Maude Coyne.  Cert says he is 24 years old (ie b. abt 1889).  Parents of groom:  John Seymour (engineer) & Ethel May Stephens.  Groom born in Ipswich.
(Query - how old was Maude at time of marriage?  Just wondering if Maude's age could be a clue to add weight to Claude "minimising" his age for some reason)

Death Cert 1944.  Age 27 (ie b. abt 1887).  Parents:  John Seymour (engineer) and Mabel Stephens. Informant is is his wife who says he was born in Essex.  Am assuming death cert also says he has been in OZ for 40 years? (hence your previous posts about him arriving in abt 1904)

I have trawled the 1891 & 1901 census in UK looking for a Claude Seymour or a Claude Stephens/Stevens of appropriate age living with either a father john and/or mother with name approximating Mabel/Ethel/May and/or grandparents with surname Seymour or Stephens ...... and can find nothing (which confirms other poster's findings on other threads)

I also cannot find a British Seymour arriving in OZ between 1902-1906 of approximately the right age (ie in 1904 Claude would be somewhere between 15-17 based on marriage & death info).  Have also looked at seamen on boats.  There is a French seaman, age 15, named Claude Samer - all the crew are french ..... so looking unlikely.

Claude John kept his name well out of the newspapers on Trove

Next possibility .... Claude lied substantially about his age.  There is a Claude Seymour floating about OZ waters (and in UK earlier, becoming a cadet around 1892) in early 1900s - navy man.  But I am not sure how a navy lieutenant suddenly becomes a rabbit buyer by 1813.  I broadened the search for all Seymours arriving in OZ about 1904 but nothing "hits" me in the face.

Next possibility .... Claude made up his name.  Perhaps he was the illegitimate son of John Seymour (engineer - possibly military? navy engineer?), went under his mother's name of Stephens (no Claude's in UK censuses but maybe he could have been a John) until he arrived in OZ and magically became Seymour and claude.

Are there any clues on birth certs of Claude's children?  ie, odd occupation change.  How does his name come up on these certs?  claude J?  Claude?  claude John?
Very frustrating.
cocksie

[tamworth]

Maude aged 20 on her marriage certificate, she was 52 when she died. Yes Claude's death certificate does state that he was in NSW for 40 years. He was 57 when he died. If he sailed under another name and changed it when he arrived in NSW, wouldn't there be some record of it somewhere?. I recall , when I was young, that there was some talk of him having a problem with his past. The story was that he had been married before in England and did indeed change his name on arrival in NSW. I have since asked an older relative (since deceased), who was around at the time and knew a lot of family history, if this was true she said no and that Claude arrived unmarried as Seymour. I know that there was a lot of friction with Claude and his wife as she stated that she did not want to be buried any near him. She knew that she was dying as she had cancer. He was buried in Dubbo in 1944 she was buried in Bathurst in 1945.I don't remember either of them. There is a mystery there somewhere, guess I'll never know.
Regards 'tamworth'

[tamworth]

I have new information re Claude John Seymour. Before he died he stated that his real name was Chapman (did not give first name), however, doctors said that he was in a confused state of mind so this may or may not be true. It does lend weight to the family rumours  that he did change his name. The fact that this Claude John Seymour cannot be traced on any data base also tends to suggest that he did change his name. If it is true that he changed his name he must have invented all the information on his marriage certificate. Unless someone out there has any suggestions where to go from here I guess my search ends here. 'tamworth'