RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: Immortal Druid on Tuesday 02 February 10 14:32 GMT (UK)
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Hello, please could anyone help locate my husbands grandfather!
His name was Samuel Francis Martin, he was born in Australia date/year unknown but he was aged about 58 when he died in 1956. However this could be misleading, as we have been told he joined the Australian Army in WW1, aged 16 but telling them he was 18. We do not know if he joined at the beginning, during or towards the end of the war.
He left Australia some time before 1928 as he was married that year in Devizes to Elsie Doreen Spanswick (marriage record found) and had three children with her before his death in 1956.
I apologise for the scantiness of the available details, but it all I have to work on!! I have tried searching Ancestry records, with no avail, but being new to family research, could be doing something wrong :-\
Thank you very much for any help you may be able to offer
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Hi Immortal Druid,
I know what you mean about being new to family research and thinking you are doing something wrong.......I felt that way for a long time, but the Rootschat community soon changed that!!! ;D ;D ;D
If you go to the Australian Archives site http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx and log on as a guest, you can search for Samuel Francis Martin and there is one exact match. If you click on the digital copy icon, you will be able to read his service record for WW1.
It appears from the record that he was born in Western Australia. The WA Birth, deaths and Marriages can be found at
http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/_apps/pioneersindex/default.aspx
He was born in 1897 to Samuel Martin and Sarah Ann Quinn at Upper Swan (the registration number is 3505). I have checked for his parents marriage in WA, but it doesn't appear there.
Cheers
Siouxsie
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Hi Siouxsie
Thank you so much for your help, I have had a little play on first site and found the marriage, and also the birth records of three siblings!! Found marriage record of one sibling, Samuels sister Florrie, and sadly one death record, his little brother George at 5 Mo :(.
I loooove Rootschat!!
Rang the MIL to tell her all the information we now have and she was in tears bless her, especially about her fathers service record. She sends her thans to you too
Thank you :D xx
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....it is such fun isn't it.....this search for our history and what we discover along the way.
Good luck with it all.
Cheers
Siouxsie :D