Hi all, I know this is a very old thread, but rather than start a new one I thought I would re-activate it. I am also a grandchild of Joseph Eligah Seeley, though from a different stem than that of Susan. I have carried out much research into the elusive J E and have acquired a lot of additional info, but still cannot find his family on the various Canadian censuses.
I suppose the best place to start is to list the additional information I have. So in no particular order (as they say), here goes.
On his son James(my late father) birth cert, he is listed as Joseph G. Seeley.
On his marriage cert in 1920, he is listed as Francis Joseph Eligha Seeley and his father's name is listed as Francis Chas Seely(no final E) and his father's occupation is listed as a miner. My only surviving uncle has told me previously that Joseph's father died of copper poisoning at a young age from working in the mines.
My uncle has also previously informed me that Joseph had 2 brothers, Charles and Ned.
The following information is taken from Joseph's Canadian Army service record.
His mother's forenames are variously listed as J E and Mary Ann. i think we can discount the J E as these are Joseph's initials! So that leaves his mother called Mary Ann something. In different parts of his service record her surname is listed as Dubroy, Dubriel and Dubreil.
Her place of residence is variously listed as Coniston, Sudbury and Dill Siding. Tellingly, I presume, the details listed on where Joseph's army pay should be sent to are
Mrs Mary A Dubreil, Dill Siding Ontario.
His DOB on his attestation papers is given as 18-1-1898 but at his demob he gives his DOB as 25-1-1900.
He travelled from Canada to England on 30-4-1917 on board the SS Megantic and returned to Canada after the war on 4-10-1919 on board the SS Belgic.
The only other piece of info I have that may help identify his family is that in 1908, as a young boy aged 8 or 10, depending on which DOB is correct, he lost half of the thumb and 2 fingers of his left hand in the exploding of a dynamite detonator. This event may or may not have been newsworthy at the time.
As I say, although I have all this information, I appear no nearer to finding his family in any census.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
