John Robert Bremner born about 1897 - help from NZ please

[caddie51]

Hello Margaret.
Yes, NEW ZEALAND birth index is incomplete.
Births that show on the Ancestry site often do not show on NZ BD&Ms; NZ BD&Ms informed me the data shown on Ancestry did not come from them.
If the child was illegitimate they would most likely have been registered under the mother’s maiden name.

There was a EDINBURGH born John Robert BREMNER (C<1898>) son of John and Georgina BREMNER.
There are two entries online:1917 Training Reserve Battalion and 1919 Royal Engineers.

The 1938 CHELSEA death is possibly John Robert BREMNER, he shows on the 1936 KENSINGTON CHELSEA Electoral Registers with Ida Mary and Alexander Stanley FRANCIS & Ethel Daisy nee WELLMAN.

[margaretmarch]

Hello Margaret.
Yes, NEW ZEALAND birth index is incomplete.
Births that show on the Ancestry site often do not show on NZ BD&Ms; NZ BD&Ms informed me the data shown on Ancestry did not come from them.
If the child was illegitimate they would most likely have been registered under the mother’s maiden name.

There was a EDINBURGH born John Robert BREMNER (C<1898>) son of John and Georgina BREMNER.
There are two entries online:1917 Training Reserve Battalion and 1919 Royal Engineers.

The 1938 CHELSEA death is possibly John Robert BREMNER, he shows on the 1936 KENSINGTON CHELSEA Electoral Registers with Ida Mary and Alexander Stanley FRANCIS & Ethel Daisy nee WELLMAN.

Thanks. We have discounted the John Robert from Edinburgh.

We have the death cert for the 1938 death and it could be him but now need to check with hospital records and the address where he was living for any other information.

The address at death was a Common Lodging House run by LCC and the hospital involved now no longer exists but we have found where to apply for medical records.

Margaret

[margaretmarch]

I don't suppose he left a will? It might mention other family.

Checked the wills database and no luck.

I doubt he had anything to leave as he was separated from his family and presumably paying maintenance. He was living in a Common Lodging House for men run by the London County Council (LCC) so would been paying rent.

Margaret

[margaretmarch]

I'm off out for most of the day, but if you want to check out any of these.......I've picked out possible deaths in NZ for his father.

There are no William Roberts, so I've gone with just William
1928, age 65
1930, age 54
1916, age 62
1903, age 50
1914, age 83 (this one is probably too old)

A lot of notices and stories in Papers Past for deaths, so maybe see if any of these mention sons.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

I've had a look at Paperspast and there are a number of entries for the Bremner family with a father William but so far no mention of John Robert.

There is a death in WW1 for John Robertson Bremner from NZ and some articles about him which makes me wonder if we have a case of 'assumed false identity' ??

Margaret

[Harrys mum]

Could be Margaret. I'm not sure where Ancestry gets their info BDMs for NZ, but I've found a few Australian ones on Ancestry I couldn't fine on our Australian BDM records. After checking them, I've the Ancestry ones to be wrong. It may be different with NZ.

The group I checked the WW1 records with has access to all of them so they would be correct as far as names go. When it comes to that info, at the time, they just took your word for it, so easy to be someone else.......or take on an alias later.

Who is the father for JR Bremner who died in WW1?

Not sure if you have, but I've found lots of people seemed to flit from Tasmania to NZ. Even though my uncle was born there (under an assumed name...lol) I haven't really done much snooping in Tassie.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Who is the father for JR Bremner who died in WW1?

His parents were William Gordon Bremner, and Mary Alice Bremner of Gisborne New Zealand.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/275827/BREMNER,%20JOHN%20ROBERTON

[Harrys mum]

I wonder if it's worth wading through Papers Past for missing persons from the Gisborne area?

[margaretmarch]

I wonder if it's worth wading through Papers Past for missing persons from the Gisborne area?

Might be worth a look.

I think we would be best now to await any further information we can get from the hospital about the man of the same name & age who died in Chelsea as I strongly believe it is the one we are seeking.

I'll come back and let you all know what is found.

Margaret