Many thanks. I haven't found him on a census and I think Charles Higgins isn't unusual a name to stand out especially for ship records as often it would be recorded as jus Higgins or with an initial. He was baptised at Tatworth and given the name Paul as a second name although this is the only time I can find with of the middle name give.
Being inquisitive I kick myself for not asking my grandmother more. It does seem a mystery though that someone can just disappear. I question why a young sols clerk would move away. Hopefully he didn't do anything wrong and wanted to hide or perhaps he changed his name or simply is there no record or was his name misreported? As his father had been the local policeman and the family had lived at Tatworth for years I would have thought that even if he died abroad that there would have been something recorded. It would be lovely to find out. I have a number of photos of that generation but none of him so my best guess that he died crossing the sea. Intriguingly at his brother's inquest in 1889 there is a reference to a brother visiting from abroad a few years before and I am confident that it couldn't be one of his other brothers. Thanks again for your suggestions. The US records probably will be my best hope. Mark
