long lost brothers reunited

[aakarlhamo]

Hi

I am trying to find a newpaper article relating to my grandfather Ernest Brown 1911-1974.

He went on holiday to either Jersey or Gurnsey in the 1960/70s.  The story goes that he could only get booked into this one hotel because they had a cancellation.  When he was signing in he said to the hotellier, "If your name was ........ Brown you could be my brother."  The man replied, "your name is Ernest Brown so you are my brother."  Apparently, it was the brother's hotel.

The story was picked up by the local newspaper with the headline, Long lost brothers reunited.
At that time Ernest was living in Rugby with his  2nd wife Violet. They married in 1957 so I suppose it could have even been the honeymoon?.

I am at a loss as to where to start looking for this and I would love to get a copy of the article  or the name of the brother and the hotel

Can anyone help me with this

Thanks
Carole

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[Hill]

Hi Carole

A quick look at what is at the Jersey Archive shows Grant of Probate of Ernest Frank Brown, of Meadow Bank Private Hotel, St Lawrence. Dated 28/12/1965. [Includes three closed documents] 28/12/1965 - 28/12/1965

Now I realise that your EB didn't die until 1974, so this can't be the correct one, but is a bit of a coincidence!

However, the only thing you can do is go through the microfilm of The Jersey Evening Post which is held at the Public library

Stewart

[aakarlhamo]

Hello Stewart

Thanks for replying and I thought that I should have included the names of Ernest Thomas Brown's brothers.

They were all born in either Tottenham or Edmonton:

Arthur 1901 - ?
John 1902 - ?
James Ralph 1904 -  either 1929 or 1957
Victor F H 1916 - 1980 Hillingdon
Albert Cyril   1918 - 1997 Downham, Cambs

Unfortunately, I live in Cumbria so I am unable to get to the Channel Island Archives and haven't got a clue how to start researching there

I did wonder abt looking for a pub/hotel licence but again I am at a loss how to do this as it is quite recent?

My mum who told me the story thought that it might have been Albert but not sure if that can be taken as gospel also he died in Downham!

Victor was his favorite brother so I don't think it would have been him as I would think that he would  have kept in touch.   However in 1940 Ernest did disappear to Rugby so maybe he lost touch with him too.

Arthur and John Brown are so common that I am unable to tie down marriages or deaths.

Oooooooo, I don't know ha ha 

confused.com Carole 

[JaneyCanuck]

Hello, Carole, if you're still looking!

I'm just wondering whether you are sure you have accounted for all of Ernest's brothers. There are a couple of other births in Edmonton with the same mother's surname as Victor and Albert, and no obvious other marriage to account for them:

Sydney, 1913
twins Leslie C and Stanley C, 1920.
(you are probably aware of Edith in 1912)

I checked deaths to 1925 to see whether they might have died in early childhood, and didn't see any deaths in Edmonton at least. With their full names and dates of birth, deaths after 1970 in England/Wales (when that info is given in the index) could possibly be identified; if they died earlier in England/Wales, it would be impossible to know without the death certificates to match the full names. And obviously the birth certificates would give their parents' names.

The same goes for Arthur and John of course -- if you get their exact dates of birth, you can search for matching deaths in England/Wales after 1970.

Arthur was 10 months in 1901, born in Tottenham, so is he most likely Arthur Thomas, reg'd June quarter 1900 in Edmonton? That would have matched with an Arthur Thomas Brown born June 1900 who died in Birmingham in 1976, but he is most likely the one registered in Aston in September quarter 1900. I don't see a good match for an Arthur T Brown; there is a death in Bethnal Green in 1936, but by the last quarter of 1936 your Arthur would have been 36, not 35 ... So I wonder whether it might have been him, and he died in Jersey.

[aakarlhamo]

Hello, and still looking 

Thank you so much for your message as I had totally missed the brothers you mention.

I think I must get Brown blinded when I do searches for them as there are usually so many results and options.  Like you say it is hard to pin them down with out the certificates.
I originally got the names from the census and Arthur's army papers.

For some reason and no mater how hard I try, I can never get search results for the Channel Isles.
Consequently, I have ended up with an Arthur George W Brown born Sept 1900 Edmonton - Dec 1831 Edmonton.  As just about all the other siblings (all 13 of them) have middle names then I thought this could be a possibility?  Mind you the Arthur who died in Jersey does sound tempting!

Thanks again I'll have a play around with the new names. 

[aakarlhamo]

I just had an idea to look on the Electoral Roll and bingo there is Arthur so that is him then and he died in 1931 .  One down and 8 more to go!

Think I will explore some of the others and see what the Rolls come up with for them. 
If nothing else it should confirm the middle names. 

[aakarlhamo]

Hi,  just thought I would update my post as by luck I have been in touch with a distant relative who has managed to give me some info.

It was my dad's brother James Ralph Brown b Sept 1904 Tottenham.  He went walkabouts after the war and the family lost contact with him until brother Ernest met him in Jersey. I was told that it was the Grand Jersey and that he owned it?  I have written to the hotel to try and confirm if James had been employed or owned the hotel but sadly they have not replied.  My mum said that he was given red carpet treatment at the hotel and at the airport.

James was married twice and one of his wives was called Kitty.  There were 3 children.  He also owned/managed the Blue Boar Pub, Eye, Peterborough at some point.

Happy New year 

[JaneyCanuck]

Always good to hear the outcome!

Now, it could be coincidence ...

I thought I'd try the Jersey archives for info about James.

http://search.jerseyheritage.org/search.aspx

There is one possibly relevant result for James Brown:

http://search.jerseyheritage.org/detail.aspx?parentpriref=110025326

Title    James Brown Jersey Ltd
Companies dissolved 1978-1985

But possibly better for Kitty Brown:

http://search.jerseyheritage.org/detail.aspx?parentpriref=110075610

Immigration and Nationality Department
Registration and Identification of Persons (Jersey) Order 1940
Irish Nationals
Title    Blue registration form of Kitty Brown, née O'Rahilly, of Melbourne House, Common Lane, St Helier, born 07/06/1921
Date    1941-01-29 - 1941-01-29

http://search.jerseyheritage.org/detail.aspx?parentpriref=110075609

Immigration and Nationality Department
Registration and Identification of Persons (Jersey) Order 1940
Irish Nationals
Title    Registration card of Kitty Brown, née O'Rahilly, of Melbourne House, Common Lane, St Helier, born 07/06/1921
Date    1941-01-29 - 1941-01-29

(those links may not work, so just do the searches for James Brown and Kitty Brown)

You can get copies of documents by emailing Jersey Heritage (address at links).

Since the story is that James disappeared after the war, that could be coincidence - and there seems to be nothing for him from the same period.

Common Lane is a little two-block street in St Helier, and from the google street view tour, it really is a lane (with one side mainly properties backing onto it). Haven't managed to find anything about Melbourne House.


edit - scratch that Kitty Brown. I searched the archive for Melbourne House Helier and there were several other residents, one of whom was Philip Brown born 1913. I'll leave the info as it rules out that possibility.

[aakarlhamo]

Oh wow, thank you as I wasn't expecting any info 

I have found the record details for James Brown so will email Jersey Heritage.
Also had a quick look on ancestry and free BMD for a marriage for James Brown and O'Rahilly but nothing came up so it is probably like you said and not James' Kitty.

As the airport made such a fuss of my granddad Ernest when he returned home from Jersey, I am wondering whether it is worth writing to the airport's PR dept to see if they have any old records.  Worth a try I suppose or better still where would I find a newspaper article for the 1960/70s?

Anyway, thanks again and I'll keep the thread posted