Any advice? Ardle McKenna born Bannockburn 1897

[AuntieMomo]

Hi, I'm looking for an Ardle McKenna, born 1897 in Bannockburn to a John McKenna and Mary Gaffney.  Mary died in 1906.  John, a miner, lived in Stirling in 1913, but disappeared off the UK records after this time and turned up in Chicago having died in the US in 1923.  Ardle had signed up for the Reserves during WW1, for the Army Service Corps (his dad next of kin), and then seemingly for the Cameron Highlanders.  At the time, he was a miner for Mssrs Archibald Russell Ltd and age 16, although he states 17. There are no further records for him that I can find.  No marriage or death, on Ancestry or Scotland's People. No immigration to the US that I can find.  His sister's life in the US is well documented via census and death.  I've even searched by every variation of his first name only.  I've been looking through mining accidents and WW1 records. 
Can anyone suggest anything for a young man at this time, a miner, a World War on, mother dead, sister emigrated, father emigrated at some point.  I've run out of ideas.  I know he didn't just disappear, but I seem to have run out of online sources and so any experience or opinions would be much appreciated.  Thanks. 

[dowdstree]

Hi this may be a long shot but have you seen the entries on Ancestry for ARDEL McKenna - different spelling of first name.

There is a marriage for him in 2nd quarter of 1925 to Eleanor M.F. Jones in Kensington, London and a death in June 1972 aged 78 in Middlesex. The age is out by a couple of years though.

This may or may not be your man.

Dorrie

[AuntieMomo]

Hi Dorrie, thanks so much for this. That Ardel was born in 1894 and was his cousin. There is a bit of confusion with the forename for the person I'm looking for has his birth record was 'Ardel' but he signs himself 'Ardle' in the WW1 records.  He's down as 'Arnold' in the 1901 census! My g-g-grandfather was Ardel, so that's why the name turns up and I have 2 Ardels around the same time.  The other Ardel was my Dad's Uncle who was a WW1 veteran, stayed in London after the war and is well documented after that.  But I'm looking for his cousin 'Ardle', a miner whose existence I can't find past him signing documents in 1913/14. His mother died from internal injuries when he was young, his sister emigrated.  His father seemed to have disappeared at some point to the US too.  He had other sisters but I can't trace him through them. He just seems to be lost and I don't know where to go next.
xmx

[AuntieMomo]

An update - I've been searching for this person for years.  I've just put in his forename only, misspelt again, into Scotland's people, no other criteria.  I've managed to track his family down in the 1911 census under the surname 'Kerma'.  I've reported the transcription issue to Scotland's People as the download clearly shows McKenna.  Unbelievable!!  I've not got a lot of money to spend on this and I have to take punts on weird things after doing the most general searches.
However, still can't find him after this!  Because obviously, he would never have called himself Kerma.  Which is not a surname.  In Stirlingshire anyway...

[haliared]

I tried searching in Irish records. Ardle/Ardel McKenna came back with no hits.
When I just checked for Ardle on it's own, up came with 2 death records for Ardle McKenna's, not any that were relevant but worth a try. After trying again it has now come up with them first time!

[AuntieMomo]

Thank you Haliared. From the 1911 census, I found that he had a younger brother, Henry, which I didn't know before.  But that unusual name for my family is not throwing anything up either. I wondered briefly if he'd gone to Ireland but I'm not getting anything generally for what is really a modern ancestor.

[mckha489]

Regarding Henry,  there is a 1961 marriage in Chicago of an Ardel McKenna, son of Henry McKenna.
The newspaper is on Ancestry
Suburbanite Economist (Chicago, Illinois)

[mckha489]

There are Illinois Naturalizations (thinking they might be sons)

Ardel McKenna born Glasgow 1933. Arrived NY 1949
Thomas Ardel McKenna  born Glasgow 1930 arrived NY 1947

Seems to be far too common a name!

[haliared]

Have you checked that the A McKENNA who died in France on 24 Jan 1917 in the 2nd Bn Royal Scots, Service Number (there are 2 attached: 34681 which is crossed out in records as 24681) is not him?