John McNicol / Miller (born in mid/late 1920s) Glasgow

[dancingscottie]

I'm trying to trace details of my maternal grandfather.   

He was born (according to DNA) to a Robert Miller and Euphemia Crerar.  It seems Euphemia was married to someone else at the time, and so my grandfather was "given" to another family, the McNicol's. 

John McNicol married my grandmother Margaret Gilkison in 1948 at Bridgeton Methodist Church.  They had two children.  He was in the Navy, they lived in Wales for sometime before returning to Pollock area.  He then disappeared.  He went to sea and never returned (he did not die, he just fled his family).

It is believed he may have also reverted to John Miller at this time.

Can anyone help me figure out how to find where he may have gone, and what his life looked like?  I'm working on the assumption that he is now deceased, of course.   

This topic is very painful for my mother, and my grandmother certainly never spoke his name to us.  He left her alone with two small children, understandable that they closed the door on that chapter. 

Thank you in advance.

[Wendy2305]

Hi  Euphemia who died in 1951 at Aberfeldy had other name Rees which would match with a marriage between Euphemia Crerar and Alexander John Rees in 1921 at Aberfeldy There is a birth in 1929 in Aberfeldy of a John McNicol Crerar  this would possibly be your grandfather

[Wendy2305]

Also the marriage between your grandparents has been indexed 4 times under the surnames of Duff, McNicol, Miller and Crerar which shows he used those surnames through his life at one point

[CaroleW]

Welcome to Rootschat

Rootschat has a no living persons policy so we have to be careful what information is given as he may still be alive.  Have you obtained a copy of the 1948 marriage cert to establish who he named as his parents?

Also - the 1929 birth cert may yield some information

[dancingscottie]

Yes, absolutely understand the "no living person" policy.  Makes sense, unfortunately, I have not been able to CONFIRM for certain that he has died, I am only going by the fact that every other person of that generation in my family has passed - the youngest who would have been his sister in law - died in 2015. 

Attached is the marriage certificate I obtained.

[dancingscottie]

Hi  Euphemia who died in 1951 at Aberfeldy had other name Rees which would match with a marriage between Euphemia Crerar and Alexander John Rees in 1921 at Aberfeldy There is a birth in 1929 in Aberfeldy of a John McNicol Crerar  this would possibly be your grandfather

Thank you.  I didn't think to look for him using Crerar. 

[dancingscottie]

Hi  Euphemia who died in 1951 at Aberfeldy had other name Rees which would match with a marriage between Euphemia Crerar and Alexander John Rees in 1921 at Aberfeldy There is a birth in 1929 in Aberfeldy of a John McNicol Crerar  this would possibly be your grandfather

That does sound right, yes.  I don't have that birth record, however.    The name Alexander J Rees has shown up in my research, also, although I didn't have the dots connected correctly that he would be my great, great grandfather!  Thank you.

[Wendy2305]

The marriage between Euphemia and James Duff was in 1924 in Bonhill Her name is indexed as Euphemie this Euphemia died 1977 in Vale of Leven mothers ms Cowan age 73 There is a marriage between a Donald Crerar and Jemmia Cowan in 1896 in Bonhill and a birth of a Euphemia Crerar in Bonhill 1903 so not sure about the 1929 birth in Aberfeldy

[Wendy2305]

There is also a birth of a John McNicol Miller b1929 in Bonhill which could also possibly be your grandfather which would fit better with the Euphemia who married James Duff