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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: deejayEn on Thursday 27 March 25 22:44 GMT (UK)
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My great-grandmother's nephew Joseph Albert Edward Beakhurst (b1898, Middlesex) was sadly neglected by his parents when he was a child and after spending time at an industrial scool, spent two years in the Army in WWI. Then in 1920 he opted to emigrate to Canada. I found a few emigration records.
The Ocean Arrival form (below) shows he travelled to Quebec Canada on the Tunisian in May 1920 but the writing is hard to decipher. What does it say his occupation in England was?
It says the ticket was paid for by the church army (presumably the Salvation Army?) and it says his intended occupation was a soldier but what does it say after Object in coming to Canada?
At the bottom it says Destined to and a few things are crossed out, but what has been written here?
With these forms is the reverse usually shown before or after the front side?
I found a Joseph Beakhurst on the census for 1921 which shows him as a soldier in St Jean-Iberville, Quebec.
The following year it looks like is is hoping to live in the US but an examination card (below) seems to show he is going to live with his aunt - is it Sarah Chester (?) but what is her address?
It also shows his occupation as a tailor but he was a soldier which seems confusing.
But it says rejected at the top of the card, does that mean he wasn't accepted into the country?
After 1922 I can find any trace of him in Canada or the USA. Does anyone know how I can trace what happened to him?
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What does it say his occupation in England was?
teamster
what does it say after Object in coming to Canada? join Royal Cand[ia]n Drag[oons]?
At the bottom it says Destined to and a few things are crossed out, but what has been written here?
his aunt - is it Sarah Chester (?) but what is her address? Mrs. Sarah Chester, 900 North Ave., Bridgeport, Conn[ecticut]
Occupation edited. See reply below which gives occupation as seamster which makes more sense with other occupation as tailor.
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Seamster = Tailor ;D
Fom Wikipedia
The Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd. Wilson Carlile (afterwards prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral), who brought together soldiers, officers and a few working men and women whom he and others trained to act as Church of England evangelists among the poor and outcasts of the Westminster slums.
In 1888, the Church Army established labour homes in London and elsewhere, with the object of giving a "fresh start in life" to the outcast and destitute. The inmates earned their board and lodging by piece work, for which they were paid at the current trade rates, and were encouraged to seek other positions for themselves. The Church Army had lodging homes, employment bureaus, cheap food depots, old clothes department, a dispensary and a number of other social works. There was also an extensive emigration system, under which many hundreds (3,000 in 1906) of men and families were placed in permanent employment in Canada through the agency of the local clergy
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Occupation - Teamster
Object for coming to Canada - Join Royal Canadian Drag.
I think the Destined to says Army and Genl (abbrev General?) _ely Quebec PQ?
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"With these forms is the reverse usually shown before or after the front side?"
What site are they on?
"But it says rejected at the top of the card, does that mean he wasn't accepted into the country?"
I'd say yes. His medical certficate says he has gonorrhea. That could have been the reason.
My guess at the General's name is Dely. You could look for the name in Quebec during that time frame. There is a Quebec stamp on the form so they probably got the spelling of the name correct. If the whole form had been filled out in England I might have said different.
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FindMyPast has a "US, Canadian Border Crossing" record. These record " ... entries into the US through St Albans, Vermont". The 1st card on record is illegible but looks pretty bare of detail, the 2nd is blank. The transcript reads
Joseph Beakhurst, male, age 22, Event - immigration, State - Vermont, Date - 1895-24
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Thanks to all who have replied. There's a lt to take in there, I completely missed a lot of this info including the ref to veneral disease!
oldohiohome - the form was found on Ancerstry. It looks like the page before is the reverse as the date matches up but logically the reverse should come after the front of the form.
So the implication is he stayed in Canada and was probably still in the army but I can find no other mentions of a Joseph Beakhurst in Canada or the US, and I tried diff spellings.
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Occupation - Teamster
Object for coming to Canada - Join Royal Canadian Drag.
I think the Destined to says Army and Genl (abbrev General?) _ely Quebec PQ?
I think Destined says Army
Genl Dely Quebec PO
usually written:
General Delivery
Quebec PO
My former husband was in the Navy and when on the move letters to him were usually addressed to his name/ship
General Delivery
Chief Post Office
Auckland
NZ
So sent to the main post office of the main base in NZ and then sent on by various means to him on his ship.
I think the means of contacting him ie his official army address would have been
General Delivery Quebec PO
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I think Destined says Army
Genl Dely Quebec PO
usually written:
General Delivery
Quebec PO
This makes a lot of sense. I think that is it.
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Ah yes PO, that makes much more sense shanreagh. The difference one tiny line can make.
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hanes teulu - I saw the "US, Canadian Border Crossing" record on Ancestry which says he was applying for admision, but it looks like he didn't make it to America, at least not at that point.
shanreagh - thanks for the explaination about the army address on the card, that does make sense.
What isn't clear is that if he had signed up to join the army in Quebec in 1920 how he was able to apply to move to the USA about 18 months later.