Orphan Willie Woods – Help Please.

[J.J.]

Sorry, I was going by the Wilfred W. Wood entry on the 1911...( can't see the split view) Just thought it odd that he would be listed with his old surname but a new forename...
There's this freeBMD entry as well...but the date doesn't match...
Births June Q. 1901
Willie John Woods
Pontypridd  vol.11a    p.666

There's also a Willie Ernest Woods...but born in England.

Boy, finding the mother's death would surely open this one up... There's no telling which information is correct even if it is on a document...ie. Charles may have said Wales as being his own place of birth. Was anyone able to compare the information left at the Picton Orphange for James?

[geniecolgan]

Boy, finding the mother's death would surely open this one up... There's no telling which information is correct even if it is on a document...ie. Charles may have said Wales as being his own place of birth. Was anyone able to compare the information left at the Picton Orphange for James?

Hi J.J.,

By the time Willie started to try and prove his age, the orphanage in Picton was long closed and the  records , such as they were, had been moved to the Richmond Hill Home.

We have no infomation on James and contact has been lost with his family since Willies death.

The story goes that, from the time of his adoption and renaming, Willie chose his own birth date but this was from his childhood remembrances so is not ironclad.

So, you are right, finding his mother's death would open this tough one.

[dollylee]

atth2o 
Would it be possible for you to check the 1901 Census for Wales looking for:
George Charles Woods who would be married to either Ada Adeline Davies
or Emily Porter…………George Charles married one of them July, Aug.,
Sept. 1892.  He was married in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Monmouthshire.
Hopefully they have a son William George Woods b. 1901 Jan. - Mar. Newport M, Glamorgan Gwent, Monmouthshire.

And with a miracle they then had another son James, hopped on a boat and
came to Canada.

dollylee

Genie  I got an email back from the Thunder Bay Genweb and the lady there said she would check for any information they have in Nipigon for Charles Woods including his wife and family.  I think the cemeteries have been checked but she is going to do that again.

dollylee

** please forgive me if this George has been checked before I have read this post so many times I am not even seeing the words anymore 

[geniecolgan]

dolly,

thanks for that     At this point I'm stalled 

Hope the Thunder Bay lady finds something.

[willys son]

Hi
I am Willys son, my friend Genie posted details of my father as we have them.
I want to thank everyone who has so far found info.
We have never had any documentation before and this is very helpful, it makes it seem so real to see these things.
It seems you have the right man.
The marriage certificate for him to Alberta Kelly is correct. He was married twice, Alberta his first died in child birth.
His second wife was Helen Bowman of Toronto.
The big problem has always been finding records of his birth in what we have always been given to understand as Wales.
The marriage certificate for his brother is also correct.
James Woods married Maud in toronto.
The certificate was reversed by the clerk I guess, at the time.
It shows his wife being born in England and James Woods as being born in Toronto and it should be the other way around.
The only info we have states that they were actually born in Wales?
Willlys son.

[geniecolgan]

Hi Willys Son

so glad you could join us and welcome to RootsChat.

Everyone has done very well thus far and with you on board..... who knows..... we may eventually find your Gt. Granny 

Genie

[KarenM]

Hello Willy's son, pleased to meet you.

What about the younger sister?  Any thoughts at all what may have happened to her?

Karen

[willys son]

Hi Karen
Thanks you so much for this.
The sister was purely a memory on the part of my father.
He told me in his words that he always thought he could remember a sister which may have come over with them as a tiny baby and might have been born in Canada.
Unfortunately this was always only a vague memory and he could never be certain and did not know a name if she ever existed.
As so often happens in families even though my father and his brother kept contact they did not get along and were never close.
My Uncle Jim died while I was fairly young. I was probably about 20 something.
During the limited communication with his daughters (he had 4) we never discussed history and I don't think they had any interest.
My father was so bitter against his Dad for putting him in an orphanage that I couldn't talk to him about it.
He remained bitter until he died and it was tremendously emotional for him to even think about it.
Thank you.
Willys son

[J.J.]

  welcome, willys son !!!!!! 

 Oh, boy...posting went boing again...seems to happen when others post at same time...I forget to hit shift for a new page so that won't happen...(almost happened again but I was smarter this time...)

To make a long story short then, I found the home ( first I looked through all the Picton transcriptions... but then got smart & googled)
so from Olive Tree.... transcriptions of 1901 census... I got the proper district to look through....Hallowell

but no James to be found in there at the time of the 1911....
http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/SplitView.jsp?id=133642

http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/SplitView.jsp?id=133643