Gordon Blair - Mystery? or Not!

[Ruskie]

If Gordon left for Australia on the 15th of April, by rights he should appear on the Scottish or English census as pointed out by JM way back in this thread.

I did have a fairly good search for him in both England and Scotland, but did not find him.

Might it be worth revisiting that search? It just struck me now that I neglected to search for initials - he may be enumerated thus if he was in lodgings with numerous others prior to setting sail. (Or, he may not have bothered to provide his personal details as he was leaving.

The Scottish census can be difficult as the transcriptions sometimes leave a lot to be desired accuracy wise. 

Added: apologies to you JM. I see we are thinking along similar lines - I neglected to read your post before posting mine regarding the 1861 census.

[majm]

As always, it is fine Ruskie, no need to apologise, very long thread, and some difficult posts, and I was posting at same time as the RChat system was finalising its daily re-boot. 

ADD and I was trying to modify my post to set it out better, with sub-headings etc rather than as I had originally typed it up in my word document, before getting 'hung' on the 'waiting for' queue for that re-boot that currently comes through at around 11:15 am NSW Standard time. 

JM

[OZScot]

Ruskie thanks for searching.

Gordon I see as not a meticulous man going on his past record keeping of dates and places of birth certainly in his mind. I don't see him looking to be accounted for with 7/8 days to go in his old life.

A life he may be running away from if it's him assaulting his wife. He's looking forward to his new life.

A note from his daughter's bad copy MC to Mr. Bamber. She correctly states her parents names and says Gordon Blair is a [unreadable] Clerk. She doesn't say 'deceased' on either of them. Probably a guess with her father Gordon but she would know of her mother Jane  she calls Blair MS Norval.

She married in 1868 so Jane was still alive presumably then and not remarried.
There is yet to be found her death date.
Thanks.

[majm]

Attaching a snip,   I suggest that Georgina's dad was noted on her 1868 mc as Gordon BLAIR, Mercantile Clerk.

JM

[OZScot]

Thanks JM.
I thought it may have been Mercantile but I couldn't see a crossed 't' so stayed out.

Gordon may have written her letters - Sounds better than a guess & would like to think so.
Mercantile Clerk: Trade & Commerce. Customs Clerk: Trade, Commerce & Tax.

[majm]

There's actually a grand board at RChat, the Deciphering Board... Here's a link, there's some real experts across on that board. 
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/handwriting-deciphering-recognition/

If Georgina is connected with your friend's Gordon BLAIR, then I suspect any contact would have been via his sisters or his mum, which is why I asked the question about if your friend had had contact with their descendants, with a view to any private family papers.

   
JM

[OZScot]

She's very old I'm afraid, has a reasonably good memory still but has very little if any paper work.

To get information from her is very slow, I have to go through my wife then to her daughter and her daughter asks her mum when she goes and visits her as she is still independant ... and it comes back the same slow way. When she get's any updates from me that are confirmed fact she asks her daughter where did he get that from? 'the internet Mum'... 'I don't understand all that dear'. God love her.

She proclaims she doesn't know any of her other [father's] side she says. I have found out probably why. She would have had a very hard time of it growing up in her family and I don't intend to give her anything other than names and dates after I speak to her daughter. Sometimes little said is enough said.

[isobelw]

Flora Sinclair was living at 157 Holm Street in 1861 and is described as a Lodging House Keeper.
Isobel

[Ruskie]

OzScott, as obtaining any information from elderly relatives is so convoluted, I would suggest something which you may already have tried, and that is writing out a list of questions and leaving them with her to think about and answer if or when she can. This might be easier than firing off a load of questions she feels unable to answer and perhaps not recalling immediately or getting muddled.

I'm sure that collectively the rootschatters who have contributed to the thread can put together a list of questions for you to pass on to this lady. The questions need to be very straightforward and simple. I always end with something along the lines of "can you recall any family stories or gossip no matter how small"  and " if you think of anything at a later date please let me know".

I did something like this and it was very worthwhile. I posted an elderly relative of my OH's a sheet of paper with a dozen questions and left a space for replies. I included a self addressed envelope. The sheet was eventually returned to me with most of the answers to the questions unknown, however a couple of vague answers to a couple of the questions was enough for me to eventually track down the illusive ancestor I had been searching for. Sometimes people do have some nuggets of information which they feel are not important enough to bother with, but they can prove quite the opposite. 

Just an idea.