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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Australia Lookups completed => Topic started by: elphaba on Thursday 31 May 12 14:02 BST (UK)
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I am helping a friend out who is researching her father in law and his family. Sydney first appears in 1940 when he marries in Kalgoorlie in WA and says his parents are William John Peterson and Ann Thomas. On his enlistment papers in 1941 he states that he was born in June 1908 in Moonta, SA. There is no Sydney James Peterson born in 1908 in SA and the only other one on the index is born in 1916 and is not the man my friend is looking for. I have been looking throughout Australia but had no luck to date for either his birth or locating the parents.
Sydney spent the rest of his life in WA with his wife Marjorie and his children. I can not locate any other Peterson's from Moonta and am wondering if this is a smokescreen and whether his name is even Sydney James Peterson!!
Any ideas would be welcome!
Carolyn
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Have you found his Parents in SA? There is always the possibility that he was adopted. You wont find his birth then under his name?
Did his parents have other children?
Neil
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Umm This is a Possibility.
1908 804/297 Sydney Harold TAYLOR No Father listed, Mother Caroline THOMPSON TAYLOR
Neil
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Hi Neil
Thanks for your thoughts. It is hard to know where to go especially if Peterson is not his birth name although we have no information yet to suggest this is the case. I have tried looking for the parents and so far have had no luck although I haven't been able to view Victoria yet.
There is another Sydney James Peterson in the electoral rolls in NSW who I am going to try and find out more about although he appears on the roll at the same time my friend's father in law appears here in WA on the roll!!
There is very little known information to go on. According to my friend Sydney said his siblings were killed in WW2 but he is the only Peterson born in Moonta from all the Peterson records I have checked. So either his siblings were born elsewhere (Haven't located any with the same parents), they had a different surname or there weren't any!!
Carolyn
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Hi
On the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial site there are 18 Peterson's who were killed in WW2. Maybe you could check their details at the War Memorial site maybe you might find some clues to find the siblings
Cass
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Hi
I assume that you checked the records using alternative spellings?
Petersen Pederson etc found some with father as William others mother as Annie.
Do you know what state/servicee they enlisted in?
Found births listed in SA to William/Wilhelm Peterson and Annie Louis H/Emsley in the right time frame.
Carl Wilhem Herbert 1902
Hilda Louisa May 1905
Stanley Valfrid 1907
Charlie 1909
Clarence George 1910
Robyn
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Hi Robyn
I did locate the Wilhelm and Annie combination and wondered if there could be anything in it too!! It is probably the closest I have found for the parents so far. If it's correct then it's a case of Sydney changing his first name perhaps! There are so many uncertainties it's amazing.
Sydney did enlist in WA. My friend isn't sure why he would have moved to Wa although he was a miner in Kalgoorlie for many years so it could have been the work.
Many thanks
Carolyn
Hi Cass
I have checked out the WW2 nominal roll site and loked into quite a few Peterson's but I may just have to comb through them extremely carefully in order to find a link. Then of course it may be that the surname Peterson is a complete red herring!!!
Cheers
Carolyn
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Hi
The Australian Birth Index on Ancestry has Sydney James Peterson born SA 1907-1916, no parents listed, Page 307?? What is the Australian Birth Index, I thought they were just records of the BDM registers.
mum mum
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BMD records in SA before the CD era were on microfiche in series grouped in years such as 1907-1916, 19xx-19xx, 19xx-19xx.
Essie
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removed :)
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Hi,
I would suggest that you request that his service records be digitised so that you can see if there are any more details regarding his familly.
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6467909
Its possible that somewhere along the way someone has made a mistake either with his age, or mum's name, I think you need to look at as many records as you can.
I take it his wife is deceased, if not has someone asked her what she knows. What age was he when he died and when?
mum mum
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Hi Mum Mum
Thanks for your input. I believe my friend has his service record as that is where some of the information she knows about him has come from. Otherwise yes I would also suggest the same to her.
And yes I believe all concerned are deceased. It is a difficult one as there are so many ways information could be incorrect or changed - whether it is dates, first names, last names, parents names etc so it will be a process of elimination.
Many thanks
Carolyn
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Hi again
What age does he say he is on his marriage certificate? I wonder if he actually put his age up when he enlisted, maybe hoping not to be sent overseas or something.
mum mum
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Hi Mum Mum
Sydney stated he was 29 on his marriage in December 1940 and that his birthdate was June 1908 so the age doesn't quite add up but isn't far off! His enlistment papers also state he was born in June 1908 so he was consistent about that.
Carolyn
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Can Carolyn let me know the name of the daughter-in-law who is seeking information about Sydney James Peterson. I am a direct desendant of his. Her enquires were posted back in May.
Topics merged
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Carolyn can you give me the name of the person you are doing the research into Sydney Peterson's history. What has been posted re change of name and etc is so incorrect. I am a direct desendant of his.
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Hi mxm
No-one has said he definitely changed his name but as he has been so hard to locate any information on, it was a thought. It has not been suggested by my friend either as she has struggled all along with her research and didn't know which way to go. I offered to help and struck all the problems she encountered which is when I turned to rootschat for suggestions. I will contact her and advise her you would like to make contact. Are you able to pass an email address to me? I would like to make sure we're talking about the same Sydney Peterson too! I am assuming you have documents which we have all been unable to locate which show there was no change of name then? I know sometimes birth registrations just don't happen but there seemed to be so many other coincidences also that suggested he either didn't come from where he said he was from or perhaps he wasn't born with the name he used later.
Anyway I will let her know you would like to be in touch and can help her with her research. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Regards
Carolyn
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Can you let me know the first name of you friend.