WiggyHobbes Scavenger Hunt - Part 2

[Wiggy]

Right - well as quite a few of the people concerned are still living, I am being careful with what I am now writing - but I have permission to tell some of the story.   Had a long chat with my distant rellie last night.

Edward abandoned the family as I already said - but the timing of his abandoning is unclear - apparently after Edna was conceived.

My informant doesn't know much because the next generation was also a bit tricky, and he had little to do with his mother.

Apparently Edna was also left with a child and  after some time, and chat with her MiL with whom she got on well, she followed her husband out to East Africa with the child - that's the one we found in the shipping indexes - where the second child was born - another split with her husband,  followed by yet another reconciliation at which point the third child was born, also in East Africa.   Edna was a 'bit of a socialite' and George was not convinced all the children were his - they split up again and both parties remarried.  George had another family with his second wife - not sure about Edna, but I don't  think so.

George died in Mombasa as we know. He'd been a ship Engineer also like Edward. The family returned to UK I think and my informant was brought up there - he later came to Australia tracing the rest of his siblings who had been split up after Edna and George parted company - Edna took a couple and George took the other.

What is very interesting is that I was able to track Edna to QLD where she died in 2005 - because by that time she had remarried and her death cert. is in her second husband's name - even though I traced her by her first husband's name - work that one out - 'cos I can't!

The end result is that I am no further ahead with finding Edward - but my informant is going to UK later this year and will go searching at N.A. Kew, in the hope of finding  Edward on the crew lists!  (If he hasn't surfaced in the meantime.)  He might even look for Matthias Gaunt while he's there, if I remember to ask him nicely - 'cos he's his Gx3 too!   I wonder if I can stretch the friendship and ask him to look for another missing seaman while he's there!!       

It would seem that the family in Tasmania were in ignorance of the UK family - from what we can gather.

Wiggy

[Wiggy]

JM - you keep saying primary documents and I do understand what you are saying - but when I send for what I think are the best I can get, I get the transcribed documents - I don't know how to go about getting primary docs other than visiting the actual records office,  and right this minute am not going to chase them either - I think my informant is now sufficiently interested to carry on searching himself, and it is his direct family.
 
- I actually asked him if he felt annoyed/affronted that others were rummaging round in his immediate family history - but he didn't, so that was OK.   
I was trying to put myself in his place and think how I would feel if I suddenly came across people finding all about my immediate family.

Thanks so much for all your help everyone - will post more if anything conclusive comes to light!

Wiggy   

[Rufous Treecreeper]

Straight from the horses mouth so to speak, Wiggy.  I think, while not a definative answer to what became of ECG it is almost better.  Certainly much more interesting than an entry in a death index.  Your perseverance has paid of and you've got a handy new cousin as well 

All the best,
Mo

[majm]

Congrats Wiggy,

Agree with Mo

Much better to have 'meat on the bones' than just an index reference, especially as your new found cousin IS interested in his own direct line ...  Yes, do ask him for those favours to add to his TO DO list.  I am sure that if he can progress your research he will.  When I go to archival offices I tend to have my own TO DO list and also try to have a couple of "FOR OTHERS TO DO" lists. 

Cheers,  JM

[Tephra]

Well done to Wiggy and to Wiggy's rellie........... while he's at Kew, I wonder if he'd have a look for...........    that man!!!       

[Wiggy]

Ernest would that be??   

[majm]

Ernest's shadow could be hiding behind the fourth row of the second set of the double doors that you get to after you have gone down past the basement's hidden passageways and found the back door and then used the BIG key on the other set of keys that were hidden by Ernest when he sought to disappear.

[Wiggy]

Well anyway I am feeling proud of myself for finally finding Claude Cecil going to Canada and returning 4 years later - Yes I know everyone else found him for me - but now I have found him for myself which is rather clever - but thanks for being pointed in the right direction!! 

Can't find him leaving and heading in this direction though - that's what I was searching for at the time!!  Oh well it isn't a complete waste of time!   

Can't be looking for Ernest - he's too shifty - worse even than Edward - actually i reckon they are secreted together somewhere!

[Tephra]

Mmmmmmmmmmm, I reckon majm's right.........  he's behind the...................