WILLIAM PERCY ALLEN - MY BIGGEST BRICKWALL!

[HistoryFan]

Have you considered that Charles, Sarah and William may have gone over to Canada after their (possible) marriage?  Have you looked on Find my Past for shipping records? I wonder if they were over there until mid 1890s or even later, and William  came back alone to join up.  By 1911, Charles would have been 75 (if 1881 census is him).  He and Sarah may have died in Canada or wherever else they may have gone and the next of kin address may have been out of date.  Perhaps if you post on the Canada board, someone may find them there  

This is a good thought!  I will check this avenue out also.  Thank you.

[jorose]

How about the Sarah Mason (38, unmarried, b. Aslock(?), Nottinghamshire) at 8 Court C Humberstone Gate, St. Margarets Leicester in 1881 with a son William, aged 2? 

This address is very close to Charles B. Allen's address of Charles Street.

[HistoryFan]

How about the Sarah Mason (38, unmarried, b. Aslock(?), Nottinghamshire) at 8 Court C Humberstone Gate, St. Margarets Leicester in 1881 with a son William, aged 2? 

This address is very close to Charles B. Allen's address of Charles Street.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.  It could well be, and I will check out Sarah Mason a bit more.

Thank you again.

[heywood]

hello,
I think Sarah Mason marries George Bigley who then dies.
1891 RG12; Piece: 2496; Folio 75; Page 18
has Sarah Bigley with son Willie Bigley 12 yrs

I would appreciate someone checking it .

I have following this and always having another look when there is a new post- it's very frustrating.
I can't seem to find William Allen's military record- would just like to have had a look. Is the Nottingham address his address on discharge or entry to the army?
I was thinking that if it was earlier, then both Charles and Sarah may have died by 1911.
heywood

[HistoryFan]

hello,
I think Sarah Mason marries George Bigley who then dies.
1891 RG12; Piece: 2496; Folio 75; Page 18
has Sarah Bigley with son Willie Bigley 12 yrs

I would appreciate someone checking it .

I have following this and always having another look when there is a new post- it's very frustrating.
I can't seem to find William Allen's military record- would just like to have had a look. Is the Nottingham address his address on discharge or entry to the army?
I was thinking that if it was earlier, then both Charles and Sarah may have died by 1911.
heywood

Thank you Heywood for popping in too.  Yes, I am really scratching my head with this mystery, there seem to be so many variables.

A very kind Rootschatter found William Percy Allen's military record for me on the Ancestry site and it has all fitted in with the information we have so far.

He enlisted first with the 3rd Leicestershire Militia but it's very hard to read what year he enlisted on the scanned form.  It gives his birth place as either St Marks, St Marys or St Margs Leicester (due to hard to read writing).

He then moves to the 2nd Leicestershire Regiment in 1899, transfers to Guernsey, and is officially discharged from the regiment in January 1911 due to ill health - it is on the discharge form that the Nottingham address is given and the parents names Charles and Sarah Allen.

To date I've not managed to find William on the 1881 or 1891 Census.  He is at Glen Parva Barracks on the 1901 Census, aged 24 born St Margarets Leicester.  At the time of the 1911 Census he is in Guernsey with his wife and family, but now he is sited as being 30 and having been born in Nottingham.

His Wedding Certificate of 1904 has Charles Allen (father) Watchmaker noted upon it and that William is in the 2nd Leicestershire Regiment.

So yes a few variables indeed, one being his birth sometime between 1876-1880 (his death certificate on 1st February 1916 has him being 39)

Perhaps this will remain one of life's unsolved mysteries.

[tedscout]

Ive been following your hunt, but have had nothing to contribute.

But I did want to add a suggestion from your last post

He then moves to the 2nd Leicestershire Regiment in 1899, transfers to Guernsey, and is officially discharged from the regiment in January 1911 due to ill health - it is on the discharge form that the Nottingham address is given and the parents names Charles and Sarah Allen................

..................At the time of the 1911 Census he is in Guernsey with his wife and family, but now he is sited as being 30 and having been born in Nottingham.


It is highly possible that his wife filled in the census due to him being ill. She may not have remembered or known where he was born, especially if she has always known his parents lived in Nottingham

Cheers Ted

[heywood]

Did you ever find out who was at 22 Garden Street in 1911?

I spent quite a time yesterday looking at the couple who were there in 1901 and they too are very difficult to follow back through censuses

Sorry-just read back and you say there is no 22 in 1911

1891 has a Robert and Ann Askew at 22 Garden Street so unless his family lived there briefly between censuses that seems to be another dead end 

[heywood]

Hello,
I found him at last- I had seen that one before but for some reason didn't read far enough into it to establish him.
There are one or two points - although they don't help to find him  which I think are here:
Enlistment
Birth: I do think it says St Marks for parish
Age: 18 yrs 3 months
Occupation: Coster Monger
Dated:  January 18- date has 180 printed and then there is a 9 with blots
Description states ages as 18yrs ? months and is dated ? January 1899
which would give a birth for late 1880
Parents- as named earlier - I'm not sure if they would be current on his discharge but I have no reason/evidence to disprove the date- the writing does look the same as discharge though and your wife is not your next of kin I suppose - 

other form still dated Jan 1899 - he is a labourer
another form for enlistment to militia 21 November 1899 - age 18 yrs 1 month - but this is dated January 1899 so perhaps should have read 1898 for enlistment date.

I'm  not at all sure of these various forms but you would think that on enlistment you would give true age (or older if a means to get in the army) rather than give a younger age so perhaps he was born late 1880.

[HistoryFan]

hello,
I think Sarah Mason marries George Bigley who then dies.
1891 RG12; Piece: 2496; Folio 75; Page 18
has Sarah Bigley with son Willie Bigley 12 yrs

I would appreciate someone checking it .

I have following this and always having another look when there is a new post- it's very frustrating.
I can't seem to find William Allen's military record- would just like to have had a look. Is the Nottingham address his address on discharge or entry to the army?
I was thinking that if it was earlier, then both Charles and Sarah may have died by 1911.
heywood

I found the Bigley's and Sarah Mason on the 1881 Census.  So it pretty much rules out my William being related.

Sarah Mason is on the Census as George's Bigley's housekeeper.  He is sited as a Widower and she is a single Housekeeper.  So it looks like William Mason was possibly his son and they later married?