Missing from Australia - Stephen Feening

[majm]

Hi there,

Just wondering if there has been any progress on this search for Stephen Fenning?

JM

[Weyman_85]

Hi JM,

Unfortunately the short answer is no. I keep reaching dead ends. Ros was ever so kind as to send me probates / wills from his family members. I was hoping there might be a mention of him somewhere in their final words...but no. I can't locate any death certificates under his real name and someone else searched the USA census around that time but couldn't locate him. Of course I think he changed his name, but to what? Someone else found a Stephen Feening on an Australian, NSW census around 1913 so I think he may have been in NSW for a few years after leaving Selina on their wedding night then his parents obituaries mention a Stephen, son in the USA from 1919 so I'm guessing he made his way there but not under his own name as he was a wanted man in the state for desertion. Oh, the mystery...

Selina

[majm]

 

I have this list,  surnames .....  etc - anyway,  basically a list of elusives  who might be hiding in NSW  somewheres  and I had been checking some transcribed documents of some 1920s handwriting for a family history group .... and came across their decipher ... as S. FEENING .... I checked and yes that surname was on my list....  and RChat next to it...  So in the last couple of hours Very careful checking ..   alas  ...
No  No  No   ..
Cannot be yours ... it is for a female with her aunt and on checking carefully the surname s not actually FEENING ...  I will check again with daylight tomorrow but sorry for perhaps geting your hopes up.

JM

[Weyman_85]

That list and information sound really interesting all the same, even if he isn't on there. You find some great stuff!! Thanks for checking through it all in search of him. He's a tough cookie this one. The 100+ years in between isn't helping, haha.

[majm]

   So I have confirmed the surname on the document I have checked for a transcription group IS ... FLEMING ... I share this in case your Stephen may have allowed his handwriting to adjust the spelling of his surname from FEENING to FLEMING... it would be easy to overwrite or simply ignore someone else's mis-spelling of FEENING ... 

So perhaps consider his date of birth would hold good for day and month, but perhaps adjust year and perhaps adjust surname ....  You should look around for example of his signature, to help with any possible sightings...  And of course, needles in haystacks are extremely difficult but, if you don't search ... well you know that answer already 

JM