William Anderson/Henderson

[alisonb123]

Hi

I know this is a long shot but I live in hope. My Gt Grandfather was William Reeves who married my Gt Grandmother Frances Ada Dines from Bethnal Green, London.  Although William was using the surname Reeves his name was actually Anderson or Henderson. I think his mum died and his dad remarried then his father died, he decided at the age of 11 to leave Hamilton and go to London where he joined a circus and ended up being taken in by  Edward Reeves whom he states is his father on his wedding certificate. I am told that he had a twin brother called John and I do know that John jumped off a bridge, killing himself leaving his wife to bring up their 3or4 children. My dad had a letter that the wife had wrote to William and his wife telling them of the brothers suicide. A family member took this letter and has never returned it.

Any help would be appreciated, I don't know William's DOB but I think it will be around 1870 and he was from Hamilton.

Thanks

Alison

[Forfarian]

Do you have an approximate date for John jumping off the bridge? And any idea where the bridge was?

I see from FreeBMD that William Reeves married Frances Ada Dines in Stepney in 1897. However there is a family in Bethnal Green in the 1901 census consisting of William Reeves, 26, born Millwall; Frances Reeves, 29, born Millwall; William J Reeves, 3, born Stepney; Thomas E Reeves, 1, born Bethnal Green. FreeMBD has a birth of a Thomas Edward Reeves in the 4th quarter of 1899, and a William John Reeves in Mile End in the 4th quarter of 1897.

I have failed to find a William Reeves, born in Scotland, in either the 1891 or 1901 census.

[sancti]

The marriage was 1897 and the 1901 census gives William's place of birth as Millwall 

Just noticed your addition Forfarian

[sancti]

in 1911 census he is a dock labourer born Scotland

[Forfarian]

Is he 36 in 1911? So born 1874/5?

There is no William Henderson or Anderson, born in Hamilton, with a twin brother named John, in the CD-ROM version of the 1881 census in the southern half of Scotland, including Lanarkshire.

There's a 4-year-old William Henderson with a 1-year-old brother John in Maryhill, Glasgow and a 9-year-old William Henderson with a 12-year-old brother John in Hamilton itself.

[alisonb123]

I think the letter that was wrote regarding John's suicide was dated 1903, I do not remember what bridge it was only that it was in Glasgow.

Alison

[Forfarian]

Right. If I were you this is what I would do.

If John and William were indeed twins, and William's age in the 1901 census is correct, John should be aged about 28 in 1903.

So I would go to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and buy 30 credits for £7. I would then search for a death of *nderson, John, between 1901 and 1903, aged 20 to 50, in Lanark(shire), which will produce 22 matches. Or maybe 1901 to 1904, age range 20 to 45, which produces 24 matches. Then I would use one credit to view the matches, and see if there are any which look likely. 
 
If the listed matches contain one aged about 28, death registered in Glasgow*, I'd use 5 more credits to look at his death certificate and see the cause of death. I'd still have 24 credits, which is enough to look at 4 more certificates if I got the first one(s) wrong, plus enough to view two 'Registers of Corrected Entries' which there are likely to be as it was a case of suicide.

*Glasgow contains a number of registration districts, e.g. Kelvin, Partick, Gorbals, Dennistoun etc etc.

The death certificate would tell me the full names of both of John's, and therefore William's, parents, including his mother's maiden name.

Happy hunting!

[sancti]

Found it

John died 1904 from a fractured skull at Auchincampbell Bridge in Hamilton. John's parents were given as

John Anderson and Elizabeth Reeves previously Anderson maiden name Fraser both deceased

Send your email address by pm and I will forward the certificate

[sancti]

RCE confirms it was recorded as suicide