Where to begin

[Bunbury125]

Hi,
This is not my first post about this particular person but I have been brick walling for a long time.  An ancestor of mine died in Russia in October 1853.

I know this because his widow put a notice in the newspaper(the Leicester Chronicle) about his death.
My question is how do I begin trying to discover what happened to him?
He wasn't in the army but gave his occupation as mechanic in the 1851 census (Birmingham)
I have applied to the GRO and there is no official  record of him.

I assume that His wife must have been notified privately by a friend or colleague. I am also guessing that his body was never brought back to England but buried in Russia. Probably in some unmarked grave. The newspaper notice mentioned a short illness so I presume something infectious that neccessitated quick disposal.

 I wonder what he was doing there as in the prelude to war October 1853 was probably a bad time to go sightseeing. I think he was working and that  if I could discover who he might  have been working for I can answer part of the mystery.
His name was Elijah L Lockwood and he was at a place on the Volga river when he died. The newspaper said he was at St Brisks  but there is/ was  no record of such a place so I assumed Simbirsk. I looked at the church records but there is no mention of him.

Any pointers greatly received.

Regards
B

[wivenhoe]

Did he leave a Will in England?

If he was working on contract, and a distance from home, matters relating to his dependents and his estate, might have brought such necessity to mind.

[aghadowey]

A bit more detail from your two previous topics-

"at "st Brisks" on the Volga after a short illness" [Simbirsk] and "engine fitter"
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=826958.msg6908064#msg6908064

Elijah Ludford Lockwood
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=825776.msg6893821#msg6893821

Simbirsk known as Ulyanovsk (after Lenin who was born there) since 1924.

[Bunbury125]

Did he leave a Will in England?

If he was working on contract, and a distance from home, matters relating to his dependents and his estate, might have brought such necessity to mind.

Thanks for your suggestion I never considered that as he was poor. I will try to find out.

Regards

H

[Bunbury125]

Did he leave a Will in England?

If he was working on contract, and a distance from home, matters relating to his dependents and his estate, might have brought such necessity to mind.

Thanks for your suggestion I never considered that as he was poor. I will try to find out.

Regards

H

Have just checked, no will. But it would have made sense. I wonder if the company he worked for paid his wife any kind of pension. This may have happened but if it did  records were probably lost long ago.

Thanks

B