Help a Newbee!

[Griff747]

Hi folks
I would rather like to know who my grandfather was.
(I've no experience in this type of exploration)
All I have is a surname (Mitchell) and the probability that he was born in South Wales about 1900 and emigrated to South Africa in about 1920.
Thats it.........
Do you think I stand a chance?? If so how do I do it??
Thanks
Griff

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat. We have started with less information so fingers crossed 

Is he listed as the father of your mother/father's birth certificate? or was he the father of an illegitimate child (which will make this more difficult)? Do you know if he married? (marriage certificate might list parents, etc.) what about a death certificate? any clues will help here.

[Griff747]

Hello

Great to get an answer!

Unfortunately he did not marry my grandmother.
(I guess thats why he emigrated!)

Cheers

[groom]

Welcome to Rootschat

Looking at the passenger lists there are at least a dozen male Mitchells of the right age who went to South Africa between 1920 and 1922, so without a first name or an initial it might be difficult to identify the right one.

[aghadowey]

Yes, too many possibilites there (I've just checked that also).

Have you looked for a baptism record for the child? sometimes clergyman put down name of father (or alledged father).

[Griff747]

i have the birth certificate of my dad but the father bit is blank....

I believe that he came from Cardiff or close by...

[kevinf2349]

I think the best way to attack this is to start with what you actually know and work from that. Start with getting hold of a copy of (or a look at) the birth certificate of the parent who you belive is his child. If the father section is blank, then things just got harder! You could hunt down the 1911 census record for your grandmother and look in the surrounding addresses to see if he or his family lived close by, but without an initial or an age for him this is a long shot. If you provide your grandmother's name and/or age (assuming she is no longer living), people may be able to do some slouthing on her

I think the key is really the birth certificate (maybe the baptism record of your parent may help too...if the father is listed).

Kevin

[Griff747]

Thanks again,
My grandmother was born (Griffiths) in Ruabon  in 1898.
I suspect that she was living nearby in Rhos when the involvement took place.
I don't know why a boy from South Wales would be there unless for mining
Any thing after that is guesswork!

[Nick29]

There's only two Mitchells listed in Rhos in 1911 - Llewelyn Mitchell, 14 and David Albert Mitchell, 19.