Tracing Uncle who went missing in 1942 or 1943

[patmar]

Just checked my profile and it was November 2009 when I discovered this great site. At that stage I was through 15 frustrating years searching limited sources available to solve mystery that opened in 1994 when we discovered mother and her twin brother were "adopted". This was 20 years after mother had passed away. I had no interest in family tree until this mystery opened but a month after I found this site the Irish Government did a remarkable thing, they made available a terrific source online, the Censuses for 1901 and 1911. People familiar with the site will agree its exceptional and even freakish, its free of charge ! This meant I took a great interest in family tree research and then I think it was 2016 the Government made available FOC images of BMD certs covering certain periods. I became totally hooked on family tree but still getting nowhere on tracing the twins true origins. In the year 2011 it all began to happen, have 20000 words on my first draft of the journey since the mystery opened in 1994 but will just mention important dates. Would love to say hard work and brilliant research aided by sites like this solved my mysteries but really it was all luck.

In 2011 I learnt there was an attic in family home I never knew about. wasn't there when I left to get married moons ago. In a dusty box I found a birth cert for the Uncle and a baptism cert for the twins second baptism.

In 2013 browsing the BMD records of the church where first baptism happened, these are ledgers not digitised as yet, I paused for a moment going through the baptism ledger and out of corner of eye I spotted the name Ruth and thought "Oh some with same first name as mother was baptised here"  Looked at next entry and it was the name Rupert, nearly had a heart attack on the spot. The parents name were given as Matilda and Patrick Walsh. This was all happening in moments and I went from joy to sick. Then looked across page and the address given was the birth address in Liverpool. Remember I am looking at records of a church in Dublin.

In 2016 we were at an Over 50's  show here in Dublin that had a few genealogy stands including Ancestry and My Heritage. Never looked seriously at DNA but as someone who loves a discount I bought a kit from Ancestry who had special offer. Got a couple of matches months later but in August 2017 I struck gold. A name I knew nothing about turned out to be a 1st cousin with the same grandfather, one Patrick Walsh.

The rest is history as they say. Now have 4 biological grandparents and Patrick Walsh after his twins married someone else and produced 10 more children. Two of those children are still alive so I have half aunt and half uncle, also have 45 1st cousins.

Its a rags to riches genealogy story and my fellow enthusiasts here will understand why I am trying to put the story in book form to explain it all to myself. The only weakness left is finding what happened in the life of my Uncle Rupert Darlington/Jack Derwin/Adams/Walsh. When I applied for State Pension here in Ireland they had every detail of my employment record from time I began work. The Irish State Pensions Dept say they have no record of Jack and I have to believe them, not fully I hasten to add. The UK State Pensions say Data Protection rules prevent them helping out.

Sorry about being long-winded but had to explain a bit more in the hope someone on this site just might make the right suggestion and help me close the last brick wall in my family tree journey.

[Girl Guide]

Have you considered writing to a suitable local newspaper appealing for information?  I have done that in the past and received a few responses.

May be worth a try perhaps?   

[EeyoreBlue]

Have you looked at Wills for the various name variants?

[patmar]

Have you considered writing to a suitable local newspaper appealing for information?  I have done that in the past and received a few responses.

May be worth a try perhaps?   

 Good idea, will have a go at that. There was a belief in family that when Uncle emigrated it was to Birmingham. Strangely, only 2/3 months ago hints are gathered, friend of mind I rarely see mentioned his mother, great life-long friend of my mother, had told him that Uncle Jack had emigrated with a next door called Sherwood. Have traced the Sherwood and found they had 3 sons, one I know did not emigrate and struggling at present to find descendants of the family. moral of the story, simply never give up

[patmar]

Have you looked at Wills for the various name variants?

Have bad habit of dismissing Wills as part of overall family tree research. Probably its part of fixed notion only people with real money need to leave Wills. Bad mistake and add idea to list I am making for another onslaught in finding Uncle

[oldohiohome]

Ah, it seems Wallis Darlington did die in 1945 and Matilda in 1957:

https://irelandandthegreatwarblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/corporal-wallis-darlington/

Also, mention of a son, Ralph, born 1912. Looks to have married in Dublin in 1939, in Roman Catholic church. Ralph appears on an Ancestry tree. Wallace/Wallis and Matilda appear in several trees.

Headstone for Walter and Matilda says 'our dear father' and 'our dear mother', possibly implying more than one surviving child at 1957 (or could just be that as Ralph was married, he was including his wife in 'our').

Would it help to find out who owns/owned the burial plot? Will the cemetery tell you? Is that possible in Ireland?
And have you located Ralph's descendants? Maybe they know something. - Maybe you mentioned that earlier or on another thread.

[rubybrookstop]

are you still searching matilda and wallace darlington
Ruby

[Kildarefan]

Some background on Wallis Darlington & Matilda Adams:
Wallace Darlington [later known as Wallis] was born on 8th March 1884 in 89 Cork Street, Dublin son of James Darlington Compositor and Ellen Cochrane. His mother registered his birth on 18th March 1884 [Dublin South 1884 Group ID 9521316 https://bit.ly/2GBFhNa]; in 1901, Wallace Darlington was living with his parents and three siblings. He was aged 17, single, born Dublin, Engine Fitters Apprentice, Church of Ireland, living in 2 Spence’s Terrace, Dublin [1901 Census http://bit.ly/2fr7nPF]. He married Matilda Jane Adams on 14th September 1908 in St Jude's CoI Parish church, Dublin [Dublin South Group iD 1879743 http://bit.ly/2z4jYUs]; Wallis was aged 24, bachelor, engine fitter, 2 Spence's Terrace, Cork Street, son of James Darlington compositor. Matilda Jane was aged 21, spinster, office clerk, 3 Tyrconnell street, Inchicore, daughter of William Stokes Adams, coach painter. The witnesses were James Darlington and M. Callander, celebrant Rev H McVitie Taylor.

Matilda Jane Adams was born 20th July 1885 in Crosbie Row, Limerick, daughter of William Adams, coach painter and Mary Jane Kane [Limerick 1885 ID 9706364 https://bit.ly/3DkFH9j].

In 1911 Wallis Darlington and his wife Matilda were living in house 16 Tyrconnell Street, Kilmainham, with their daughter Charlotte. Wallis was aged 27, CoI, born Dublin City, engine fitter, married two years with one child; Matilda was aged 23, CoI, born Co Limerick; Charlotte was aged 1 year [1911 Census http://bit.ly/2zMfj6E]; Charlotte died on 9th August 1911 in Cork st Hospital from scarlatina, She was aged 1, daughter of an engine fitter, residing in Inchicore [Dublin South 1911 Group ID5191427 https://bit.ly/2MXEkqg]. Wallis died on 18th May 1945 in 24 Emmet Road, Inchicore, from VDH & DAH? auricular fibrillation & cardiac failure. He was married, aged 61, a fitter. His son Ralph Darlington of the same address registered his death on 19th May 1945. He was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin on 19th May 1945  [Dublin South 1945 Group ID 2553324 http://bit.ly/2i1OvXY & Death notice Dublin Evening Mail 18 May 1945 p1]. Matilda Jane Darlington nee Adams died on 30th July 1957 in St Anne’s Hospital [residence 24 Emmet Road, Kilmainham]. She was a 70 years old widow, cause of death carcinoma of the urethra and post operative shock. Her death was registered by Patrick Byrne, St Anne’s Hospital who was present at her death [Dublin South 1957 Group ID 2197852 http://bit.ly/2jnCL6g; Irish Independent 31 July 1957 p1]

Wallis and Matilda had the following children:
Mary Charlotte Darlington 1909-1911
Ralph Darlington 1912-1989 m. Elizabeth Kavanagh
Wallace Victor Darlington 1918 [b. Dublin, father a soldier/engineer]
Emmeline Darlington b. 1920
Phyllis Darlington
Nellie Darlington m. Joseph P. Murphy
Patricia Darlington

Since Wallis was away at war in 1916, I suspect that his wife Matilda had a liaison with Patrick Walsh? which resulted in the twins born in Liverpool & being registered as children of her husband Wallis. The 'scandal' was covered up when the twins were brought back to Dublin and baptised under the Walsh name.