Grandfather ???

[retep38]

My Grandfather Robert Davies was killed in the first word war, so my dad never knew
much about him, then he lost his mother at 4 yrs old, brought up by his maternal grandmother who passed away when he was 13, We have been trying for years to
trace my grandfather (Robert) with out any sucess. The info we have is from his marriage licence and what little remain of his army records. He was born in Birmingham
about 1885 he had two brothers (at least) who came up to Manchester with him looking
for work we belive he was the eldest of the 3, then brother Joseph, then brother Albert.
we have no surviving relatives who have any further info. Tried looking for his birth in BMD and his brothers no luck. Has anyone any ideas where we could search now. His father's name was Thomas George Davies on his marriage lines but this has not helped in that we can not find him either (the correct one anyway).
any sugestions greatfully recieved. Thank you.

[margaretmarch]

There's this tree on ancestry http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/677...on/-2061928648 that has Robert Davies b1885 d1915 in France with a photo of him in uniform and the father's name is Thomas George b1864 mother Ann Lowe b1865. He married Lily Armitage.

Is that him?

Margaret

PS It must be!! there's a brother Albert too!

[Elaine ..Spain]

The death date of that matches up with this entry on the UK Soldiers Died in the Great War database on Ancestry

Robert Davies
Born - Birmingham
Residence: Salford, Lancs
Died 16 May 1915 France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Manchester
Rank Private
Regiment - East Lancashire Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Reg. no. 19452

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...023&recoff=6+7

[retep38]

Thank you Margaret that is our tree and we went for the only Thomas George Davies we could find, but after following himand his
family in the Census's we have to face the fact he was not ours, so back to square one.

[retep38]

Elaine thank you, this is our Grandad but this is all we have of him, we have photos of him and his brothers, but little or no information.

[retep38]

Yes we have a copy of his marriage certificate thats where we got his fathers name from, his occupation way Drayman.

[scuda]

As you know (?) he was born in Birmingham, have you tried contacting Birmingham Register Office?

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Register-Office%2FPageLayout&cid=1223092615075&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2FWrapper%2FWrapper

They have a genealogist, John Yates, who might be able to help - the website gives an email address and a phone number for him (he was very helpful when I was trying to sort out a Birmingham death).

scuda

[margaretmarch]

Have you found him on the 1911 census at all? I am thinking that you cannot be sure of his place of birth at this point unless you have some other confirmation.

Can you put up the link to the army records you found please?

Who are the witnesses on the marriage certificate?

Margaret

[Fuzzy]

Margaret has a good point. My husbands family all assumed that his mother was Scottish. It wasn't until she died and we started doing her tree and we got hold of her birth certificate and couldn't believe it when we saw she was born in Liverpool!

[Anne in Carlisle]

If it was "thought the grandmother was Scottish" is it worth looking at Scottish census returns?

Anne

[Gwyn in Kent]

Am I lost... I'll read through again?
I thought it was the poster's father who was brought up by a grandmother, not HIS father Robert.

Gwyn

[margaretmarch]

I think I might be lost! LOL

Here's what is said in post#1

"My Grandfather Robert Davies was killed in the first word war, so my dad never knew much about him, then he lost his mother at 4 yrs old, brought up by his maternal grandmother who passed away when he was 13, We have been trying for years to trace my grandfather (Robert) with out any sucess."

I have read it to mean the grandfather was brought up by grandmother but as you say it could read that the father was the one.

If I have misread it I will delete the posts that I have put on which will only cause confusion otherwise.

Margaret

Have deleted 3 posts that gave completely irrelevant information about searches for Robert based on my misunderstanding.

Thanks Gwyn in Kent for pointing this out - I must take more water with my drink!!!

[Chrissie Smiff]

Don't worry Margaret, it isn't just you. I have been mulling over this today for ages trying to decide who lived with grandmother etc. Do you think it may help this search perhaps if we knew the grandmothers name and when she died?

[Elaine ..Spain]

. Do you think it may help this search perhaps if we knew the grandmothers name and when she died?

If the tree on Ancestry belongs to retep, then presumably grandmother was Lily Armitage 1886-1919

http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/677488/person/-2061928648

[Chrissie Smiff]

Oh of course Elaine - thank you I must have been asleep when I posted :o

[Elaine ..Spain]

..., we have photos of him and his brothers, but little or no information.

Do you have any other information on his brothers apart from their names?
When and where they married - when and where they died etc.

[retep38]

I havnt tried there yet will do that and see what turns up. Thank you scuda.

[retep38]

Thank you one and all I made a bit of a mess of that, it was my father who was brought up his grandmother (Elizabeth Ann Armitage) .
We did try the 1911 census but can find no trace of him or his brothers, but yet he married the next month. Not been able to trace the
brothers deaths yet, Joseph had a son who we have not found either, Albert we have been told was burried in a paupers grave somewhere
in Salford Greater Manchester,but we have not found him yet. A lot of work still to do. Will try Birmingham Reg Office and see if they can
help. Thanks again all of you.

[retep38]

We have names only, they did marry but don't know the names of spouses. Tried seaching in Salford and Old Trafford where they lived,
but no luck yet. Thanks again for all your help..

[Elaine ..Spain]

Can you tell us the address on Robert's marriage certificate and who the witnesses were?