Sydney Bertram Oates - Help Requested

[jcbhydro]

The above named individual was my wife's grandfather and efforts to find any record of his whereabout since 1920 have been fruitless.

Sydney Bertram Oates was born in Bowling, Bradford on 23rd Feb. 1891. His parents were Harry Peel Oates and Sarah Hannah Whitaker. His siblings were Walter Vernon and Herbert Reginald born in Aug. 1885 & June 1887 resp.. BMD certs. are available for his parents, siblings and grandparents.

Sydney married Lydia Hall of Woodhead, Clifton on 24th Dec. 1915 at the Basford Registry Office in Nottinghamshire. Lydia's parents had moved there from Yorkshire and Sydney Bertram was a professional engineer engaged as a Munitions Inspector. They had 3 children - the first born in Meltham Mills, Yorks. (1916) and the other 2 in Beeston, Notts. in 1917 & 1918.

The last known record of Sydney Bertram which I have found was in a Notts Trade Directory for 1920 when he was living, probably with his wife & family, at 28 Church St., Beeston.

The family understanding is that Sydney Bertram deserted his family sometime in the 1920's and made no further contact with them.

The only other knowledge of him is that he received monies from the estate of his cousin Jessie Oates who died in Southport in 1957. He wasn't named in the will but received the monies direct from the executor under instruction from the deceased.

Every 'Oates' death registration in England up to 2000 has been examined with no success. Perhaps he changed his name, but plainly some family members knew of his whereabouts!

Any information on the elusive Sydney Bertram or alternative routes of enquiry would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,

John Bennett
15 Ingram Road
Steyning, W. Sussex
BN44 3PF

[kylejustin]

have you considered he may have changed his name?
or left the country?

[Lin Fisher]

Hi John

I have possibly found another child PR Oakes MMN Hall Dec 1922 Basford. I haven't put his full name as he might still be alive but you can look him up.

Also there is the COD at Chilwell which is the next village on from Beeston and this is probably where Sidney worked as it was war time. I know they were making munitions there in the second world war so probably the first as well.

It might just give you something else to look into.

Lin

[Lin Fisher]

John

Just had another look and Peter R Oakes died in 1923 aged 1 so needn't worry about putting his name on here.

[jcbhydro]

Yes, We have considered both these possibilities.
We have spent hours trawling passenger lists for ships heading to the colonies.

Regards,

John Bennett

[hughar]

It's a long shot, but the England telephone directories have an entry for an S.B.Oates in Southport between 1951 and 1976, who just might be your man.

In 1951-1954 he's at 42 Avondale Road; then 1955-1962 at 8 Hesketh Park Mansions; and 1965-1976 at 113 Windsor Road. The phone number was Southport 3374 until 1975, when it changed to Southport 30779.

[jcbhydro]

Hughar,

Many thanks!
That looks to be better than a long shot. His spinster cousin was living in Southport until she died there in 1957 leaving Sydney Bertram a significant legacy.

I shall follow up the very useful clues you have suggested.

Regards,

John Bennett

[jcbhydro]

Lin,

Thank you - your comments are very helpful.

I had spotted Peter's death, but his birth doesn't appear on FreeBMD so I hadn't twigged it as an Oates/Hall birth.

I shall follow up the Chilwell reference also.

Thank you again.

John

[jcbhydro]

It's a long shot, but the England telephone directories have an entry for an S.B.Oates in Southport between 1951 and 1976, who just might be your man.

In 1951-1954 he's at 42 Avondale Road; then 1955-1962 at 8 Hesketh Park Mansions; and 1965-1976 at 113 Windsor Road. The phone number was Southport 3374 until 1975, when it changed to Southport 30779.

Hughar,

I have further investigated the SB Oates you noted in the Southport 'Phone Books. I don't think he's my Sydney Bertram, but is Samuel Benjamin - probably another cousin, because he is also from Bradford. Samuel Benjamin died in Southport in Q1/1973.

This date fits with the 'phone book information where my records show the last entry as 1972. However, you mentioned that the SB Oates entries continue until 1976. I found my records on the Ancestry website. Did you find a different source?

Kind regards,

John Bennett

[hughar]

John,
I found my information on Ancestry also. But it's a matter of how you search.

If you enter S B Oates on the basic search page at log-on, and select 'Only records from the UK and Ireland', you get 69 hits in all categories, of which 61 are in British Phone Books. Select that category, and you'll find entries well down the page for S B Oates in Southport in 1973/4/5/6.

However, if you do your search from the British Phone Books search page (the one that asks you to select a County) then you only get 18 results for S B Oates in Lancashire, and the later Southport entries are not included.

[Uncle John]

However, if you do your search from the British Phone Books search page (the one that asks you to select a County) then you only get 18 results for S B Oates in Lancashire, and the later Southport entries are not included.

A lot depends which directory the name appears in. There is considerable overlap, so the same entry can appear in the directories for contiguous areas.

[jcbhydro]

Hughar,

On my second trawl, I did find the later entries.

Another example of Ancestor inconsistency!

The hunt continues.

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

John