Hello, new member here asking for advice.
I have a bit of a puzzle that I would really appreciate any tips on how to solve once and for all.
Regards my husbands gt grandfather Charles Somers Wilson. Family belief is that his mother Margaret Muter "was a
Dutch titled lady who gave up the nobility when she married" Andrew Wilson, a Scotsman. But there is no information for her,
not even a date of birth. No parents, nothing. At all.
I have searched in vain for a Dutch Margaret, but I have found a Scottish Margaret
who married Andrew Wilson, and who has a mother who's maiden name was Sommers.
dna matches from THIS Margaret's siblings pretty well confirm it is the correct one.
All Andrew and Margaret's children had Muter, Sommers, or Bell as a middle name, Andrew's mother was a Bell.
So I am pretty sure this is the correct Margaret.
However, I am left with another lot of 'info' that throws doubt on my findings, and I need to be able to get to the bottom of.
I'm happy to be proven wrong about the Margaret I believe is the one, just need to be sure.
Charles spent some time in Indonesia, working with an older brother Andrew Bell Wilson ,in the textile trade between Indonesia and England.
And apparently, Charles had to enlist in the Dutch Army there, "due to his mother's heritage". I really want to be able to establish this if I can.
I have tried to find records of his enlistment, but failed. So is there anywhere I should be trying?
Are those records even available? I'm failing in finding even passenger lists, feeling pretty hopeless lol.
I know that he was definitely in Indonesia as he married there and I have the marriage cert. His wife died only a few months later sadly and he left and went back to England , later going to Australia and marrying again there, before moving to New Zealand.
First marriage was 21 April 1878 Batavia, Indonesia.
Five years has been mentioned in notes by a son many years ago, in regard to his army life, so
that marriage date gives me something to work on regards time frame.
He has an interesting story and I would love to be able to verify and fill in some gaps.
Charles Sommers Wilson ( Spelling can be Sommers/Somers/Somas) b.1851 Manchester England -d. 1934 Auckland New Zealand
Father : Andrew Wilson b.1807 Scotland -d.1891 England Mother: Margaret Muter ( I have b.1810 Scotland-d.1884 England)
Their marriage 8th May 1831 Larnock Scotland. If you can find her in Holland please let me know.
Someone has shared a painting with me of her and a young Charles where she is wearing headdress ''that notes Dutch nobility''.
To me it looks like the bonnets of the time, but I need to research that before writing it off as any kind of 'proof'.
As soon as I can figure out how to add a photo here, I may start another thread asking for any info/help on that in the hopes someone might know about such things.
But in the first instance, if I can whether he was in the Dutch/Indo army,.. or not..that would be a big help
Any tips? And thank you in advance. Miriam
