Missing great grandfather, St Helens

[polly88]

This is a long time puzzle for me, and sometimes I think I am too close to it, and can't see the wood for the trees. Hope someone can suggest something. Here goes.

My great grandfather Peter Pendleton was born 23 Jan 1853 in St Helens, Lancashire. He married 13 Oct 1875. They had 7 children, all in St Helens. In 1911 they were all still living in St Helens. His wife died in 1917, and he (allegedly, according to my father) went to live with his daughter Jane Pendleton and her husband Henry Barton (they had a china shop I think) again in St Helens. He had at some point after his wife's death living in Liverpool. My father, who was born in 1911 (in Liverpool) remembers him very well, and wrote poems about him, as he was a bit of a character. One day, after collecting his pension, he went missing, and was never seen or heard of again. They never found him, or his body. Rumours abounded - that he'd fallen off the ferry crossing the Mersey; that's he been murdered for his pension (hardly riches!). My dad remembers the drama of him being missing, so it must have been, I am guessing, around the 1920s.

There is a death of a Peter Pendleton about the right age, but it's not him (I bought the certificate). I have done searches in Liverpool newspapers to no avail. I am hoping someone can come up with an idea I haven't thought of.

Thanks in advance.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Um, forgive me if I'm missing the point, but if they never found him then there won't be a death registration in his name.

Have you looked at all the Male unknowns in the indexes? Can you pinpoint when he went missing, to give you a point to search from.

OC

[Christine in Herts]

I can't help but think that OC has the right of it. That must be the ultimate brick wall!

There are lots of things which could have happened - it's hard to think of any records which would not have to involve the family knowing about the outcome.

Christine

[polly88]

I obviously had to check all the death records - he must have died sometime, and it is possible that someone knew and reported it. Anyway, I can't find it. I suppose he could have been senile and got lost. Who knows. I suppose I'll have to reconcile myself to never knowing. My father was convinced he was murdered. We always assumed that he went missing between 1920 and 1930. I never thought of looking for unknown deaths, and don't really know how. Just looked at Ancestry and there is a death of a man found in the Princes Landing Stage, River Mersey in 1938, buried Walton Parochial Cemetery. Could be him. Surely his daughter would have reported him missing and asked to identify any bodies?

How would you search for male unknowns OC?

[Olde Crone Holden]

At the end of every quarter in the GRO indexes is a list of "Unknowns".

Maybe the family did not report him missing to the police? Also, identification might have been quite difficult if the person had been dead for some time - no DNA tests back then.

I would think there would be at least a mention in the local rag of the man found in the landing stage. Reading the report might at least be able to rule him out.

OC

[polly88]

Thanks OC, I'll look for a report in the paper.

[Helen Henderson]

After googling I have found this reference to a burial in St Helens in 1926 of a Peter Pendleton of the right age. If you click on the view button it brings up all the grave details. Hope it helps.

http://crem.oltps.sthelens.gov.uk/crem/servlet/Telesearch?&Grave=view&withmaps=no&aaa=FALSE&action=notice&srcSeqNo=194966

[Elaine ..Spain]

This would be the matching death registration

Peter Pendleton - age at death 75 yrs
1926 April/May/June
District - Prescot
Volume - 8b
Page - 831

[polly88]

No, sorry it's not him. I mentioned in my post that there was another Peter Pendleton born around the same time, and in the same place, and it is his death that you have found. I have that certificate as I was certain it must be him but it isn't. There are actually three Peter Pendletons born 1852 and 1853 in the same region. One died as a baby (same family, re-used the name Peter!), and one is the one you have found, and the other is my elusive Peter. He has caused me a few headaches.

Thank you anyway.