Need advice on next steps - family mystery

[Spidermonkey]

Just following the Robert R Amos connection back, and on the 1911 census it looks as if there is a whole host of Amos living at 1 Rose Cottages, Crow Hill Road

[Spidermonkey]

but there's no hint of him or his sister (her whereabouts is another mystery entirely!) at this point.

Which sister? The one who marries John Burkel or the one who disappears off to India?!!

[Spidermonkey]

There is a newspaper article in the Thanet Advertiser telling of successes of students from Clarendon House School, Ramsgate (evacuated to Stafford).  Receiving her Higher School Certificate is one Ellen F Sidebotham (article 15th Sept 1942)

[rosie99]

I can only see your 'Eric G Sidebotham' on freebmd GRO index so could this be him in 1947/8/9 electoral register

531 Welbeck Road, Newcastle on Tyne
George Bell
Jane Bell
Eric G Sidebotham

[Leah123]

It's possible he did National Service, you could probably check with the MOD for his records if he did.

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/overview

Brilliant idea! This will be my next plan of attack

[Leah123]

I notice that he was the youngest of 4 children,do you know what happened to the older ones when mum and dad died? Maybe their children know?

Carol

Hi Carol,

So his oldest sibling (Elsie) was a half-sibling and by this stage she is grown and married. We're almost 100% sure that my grandfather wasn't living with her at this stage as they stayed close when I was growing up and I'm sure it would've been mentioned/there wouldn't have been this mystery. Besides, in the 1939 register she is shown as living alone with her husband.

The next oldest sibling (Alfred) dies in infancy in 1922.

We're fairly sure that Eric G. and his sister Ellen were living together at this point however she was reticent to answer these kinds of questions and is sadly deceased too.

[Leah123]

Do you know who both sets of his grandparents were- maybe he might be found with them in 1939?
He will of course be redacted (hidden) but you would get an idea of how many children they had with them.

Hi Carol,

Unfortunately all grandparents were deceased at this point too. Thanks for the idea though

[Leah123]

On Esther's first marriage to Joseph George Sidebotham in 1911, both fathers are identified as being deceased.  I haven't worked out if the mothers were still around yet, but it might be that by 1939 there were no grandparents living.

Incidentally, a Nellie Harris witnessed the above marriage.

On Esther's baptism record (26th August 1888, St Matthias , parents names are given as Henry and Emily Harris.  Address is 143 Boleyn Road, which is the same address as given on marriage cert.

Oh wow that's brilliant. I had found the baptism and the marriage record however hadn't realised that Nellie was a witness!

[Leah123]

Not sure if I have found the correct Nellie Grace Harris, but if you look at the one which has a birthdate of 1893 and in Harrow, there are two redacted names underneath her name which may be your grandfather and his sister 

That sounds promising - I don't want to get my hopes up! I think I need to talk to my grandmother about applying to see my grandfather's appearance in the 1939 register