Looking for my great uncle Harry

[kismet]

Happy New Year to everyone!

I wondered whether anyone on Roots Chat might recognise these somewhat sketchy details.

My great uncle, Henry Blumenthal, was born at 22 Fairclough Lane, Liverpool, England on 22 November 1893, youngest of 13 siblings – children of Nathan Blumenthal and his wife Sarah.

Over the past 7 years I have traced his parents details and ALL of his siblings and their descendants, but cannot find any record of Henry, other than the 1901 and 1911 Census returns.

The main problem is that he changed his name to Harry Dale around the time of WWI.  I know he married because a sketchy tree done by a long-deceased maiden aunt has included a daughter of his who was apparently known in the family as Pepi, but unfortunately not the name of his wife.

He lived in the High Wycombe area after WWII, where he had an engineering business, but apparently sometime in the 1960s he sold his business, bought a boat and sailed for the Mediterranean.  He apparently ended up somewhere in Israel, where he sold the boat and bought another business.

I imagine he must have died in Israel – but when or where I don’t know.


Can anyone tell me how I might go about finding information about him since WWII? 

Kismet

[Spidermonkey]

Have you ruled out the death of Henry Ethell(?) Dale in Sept qtr 1974, with a DOB of 22 Nov 1893? West Lancs 40 2225

Or maybe not - there is a corresponding birth in Dec qtr 1893, Birkenhead 8a 495 

[IgorStrav]

Got quite excited when I found a tree with him on Ancestry - but of course, that's yours 

Do you know if he and the family remained close to Liverpool? 

I was wondering if a search for possible marriages, and then a search for children might pull up an appropriate child whose name could possibly be rendered as Pepi (Philippa? Penelope?) which might make it worthwhile a punt on the marriage certificate?

[IgorStrav]

Do you know if he and the family remained close to Liverpool? 

Prior to WWII I mean, ie in terms of where a marriage might have taken place?

There is a possible child birth in Oct qtr 1940 in Surrey North Western, with mmn Rogers (not giving full name as person may well still be alive, but it's one of the names I suggested above)

And then there is a Henry Dale/Rogers marriage in Todmorden, Lancs - but much earlier, 1920.

I may be off on a wild goose chase here!

[kismet]

I am not looking for his birth, I have his birth certificate and, as I said previously, he was born Henry Blumenthal and later changed his name to Harry Dale, which unfortunately is an incredibly common name!!!

The family scattered all over England after the death of their father.  Harry appears on the 1911 Census in Poole, living with an older brother, aged 17, and I also found a record possibly of him serving with the Royal Fusiliers during WWI.

Thanks for the suggestions for Pepi - I will now follow that up.  As his parents and siblings were Jewish I am wondering whether he found himself a Jewish wife - but at least you have given me something more to work on. 

Many thanks for your interest.

Kismet

[IgorStrav]

Yes, I appreciated you had birth details - it was just that the tree initially looked as if it had lots more details you'd not yet got!

I also understand your point re Jewish faith and names. Are there any common Jewish names which might have the nickname Pepi?

[Spidermonkey]

I am not looking for his birth, I have his birth certificate and, as I said previously, he was born Henry Blumenthal and later changed his name to Harry Dale, which unfortunately is an incredibly common name!!!

I don't think anyone was trying to find his birth - I found a possible death for someone who shared a birthdate and had a similar name.  I then found his birth so I could rule him out of the picture.

[kismet]

Hi Igorstrav

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that. 

I just thought that, as I have been banging my head against a brick wall where uncle Harry is concerned for such a long time, maybe someone on Rootschat might be able to "re-launch" me - so to speak!!

And to Spidermonkey

Sorry if I sounded ungrateful - it's so frustrating when I have all the information about all the rest of his huge family of siblings and nothing about him.  I believe he died in Israel, but have no proof!!


Kismet

[CaroleW]

See also
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,630511.msg4783659.html#msg4783659