Could you travel under an assumed name?

[Billyblue]

Here's the marriage notice for Thomas William & Mary Anne,
from the South Australian Register 15 August 1883

NEEDLE— HAYES.— On the 7th August, at Birkenhead, by Rev. S. F. Prior, Thomas William Needle, to Mary Ann Hayes.
[Birkenhead with postcode 5015 is a suburb of Adelaide]

So I guess that's not him?

Dawn M

[LizzieW]

The family story could be untrue of course. 

Do you know the age of William Needle?  There are quite a few deaths under that name in Warwickshire including Birmingham from 1947 onwards (none between 1925 and 1947), if you know his date of birth or age at the time he disappeared you can discount any deaths that couldn't be his. 

It might be that he didn't go abroad, but just left home and went to live elsewhere in the city.  Walking out to the shops and ending up in Australia is a much better story than just saying a husband and father left home to live somewhere else (possibly with another person).

Lizzie

[jorose]

Much easier to travel under an assumed name back then, and much harder to track identity. But he didn't necessarily deliberately set out to defraud - he might have just been mistranscribed on a passenger list, or have been mistakenly listed under the surname of a relative he was travelling with, etc.

Going back to the start:
When/where was your William Needle born.
When/where was his sister born, and what was her married name.
Do you know when she died (if he was in contact, he may be listed in her death notice/obituary)

Is he the William Frederick Needle you mention here?
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,616672.0.html

[LizzieW]

There is a death of a William F Needle in 1963 in Coventry.

Ref April-June 1963, Coventry 9c 681.

It does give his age as 73, giving a date of birth of 1890 (as opposed to 1885 which you quoted in the thread Jorose found) but the age is only as known by the person notifying the death, so not always accurate.  I would try getting that death certificate to see if this is the person you are looking for.

Lizzie

[maccalenny]

Thanks everyone for all the help and advice.
The William F Needle who died in Coventry is listed as William T Needle elsewhere, which I followed up and found a William Thomas Needle.
The other post is my William, my father in law found the photo.
William was born in 3rd qu 1885, in Banbury, Oxfordshire. His sister was Ada Mabel, who was born in 1883 in Southam, Warks. She emigrated to Australia and married a Joseph Michael Kelly. I've found them on the electoral rolls in queensland up until 1968 when she was 86. I haven't found her death.
All the help is much appreciated!

[Billyblue]

Where was Ada Mabel Kelly nee Needle living in 1968?

Dawn M

[maccalenny]

Ada's last known address was King Street, Caboolture, Fisher, Queensland, with husband Joseph Kelly. I can't find a death for either of them, which did make me wonder if they had moved on or even returned to the Uk as they had returned a few times before, but still no luck finding them.
Thanks again for the help!

[Billyblue]

Caboolture is about 50km north of Brisbane.
Fisher was the electorate though now its boundaries have moved further north and Caboolture is in another electorate now (Longman).

You could contact Caboolture FH Research Group & might be lucky if someone there is a long time resident and knew them.
Website appears to be under construction:  http://cfhrg.tripod.com/index.html
and Services page is not available, but they probably do research, esp. re local burials etc.
Qld BDM not available past 1964 at present. for deaths.

Dawn M

[maccalenny]

That's fabulous, thanks for all your help with this.