Evening all,
New to the forum and many years since using a forum but hoping to make to a regular resource for my research.
I would say I am relatively new to genealogy researching for just over a year now and reached what is my first real brick wall.
The person in question is who would had been my partners Great Grandfather 'Anthony John' to who's origins remain unknown.
With my research and findings I believe the following to be true.
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We know from 1925 Anthony settled in Hartlepool, UK marrying his first wife Harriet Lodge in 1925 to whom he had 4 children (2 died in infancy) before Harriet died in 1935. Anthony went on to marry again in 1938 to a Margaret Mathews who he would have another 3 children with.
Anthony worked in the merchant navy his whole working life till he was dismissed during the 2nd world war and never worked again after that till he died in 1956 in Hartlepool.
After many searches in the BMD index for Anthonys birth I believe Anthony was born 7th December 1903 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. I am the first to make make this connection and believe it.
The reasons I came to this conclusion is through the following sources.
In the 1939 register of the UK Anthonys birth date is recorded as 07/12/1901. After this I found a baptism record for an Anthony John in Arga born on 7/12/1903 and for many month I believed this was the Anthony I was looking for ... Unfortunately in the parents column it says unknown.
After a few month I find a newspaper clipping that ties this theory together and it read.
"Anthony John said to be the son of an officer in the Indian Army, and to have absconded from Agra College, was remanded at Grimsby, yesterday, for wandering without means. He said he had been a sailor since running away from home and had deserted a Norwegian ship because he had an enemy aboard."
It was said he claimed he spent time in Hull as a orphan and Grimsby is just over the way. But I cant find any other reference to his in the area other than this article. (Which was in papers nationwide)
My brick wall is that I just cant crack ho Anthonys parents where, or where he came from.
On Anthonys two marriages his father is listed as Albert John (Deseased) in 1925 as a Labourer and in 1938 as 'Captain Surgeon Royal Army Medical Corps'.
It is said by family members his mother may had been called Mary.
Because it is known that Anthony lied about his age to join the M.Navy stating a birth of 13/06/1901 on his CR10 card and stories of been orphaned as a young boy living descendants say he often told lies. This maybe so of the occupation of his father on the marriage to Margaret as research has shown his father-in-law from his first marriage was part of the R.A.M.C in WW1.
I have a gut theory that he could be the illegitimate child of Major Anthony Ulysses John or was at least told he was. And then on the other hand I feel like I'm starting to desperately clutch at straws.
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I would love any advice on where to start looking next? Or what peoples thoughts are.
If he was a illegitimate child of such a character what avenues would I need to go down to prove such a theory.
Or what to do when you hit such a brick wall. As its stalled my research across the other branches and become obsessed with cracking this one.
I'm close to cracking out the Ouija Board on this one
Help!
