can you help?

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:58 pm

Hi I'm new to this site and am hoping that I'm posting this in the correct place.

I'm trying to find out more about my grandparents. Up until Christmas I knew very little about either of them and then stumbled across my grandfather's army records. He joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1886. He enlisted in London and served for 18 years. He applied for discharge in 1904 and his intended address according to his discharge papers was Birmingham. He re-enlisted in 1914. In the intervening years he had married Alma Elizabeth Maycock and had had two children, one being my father. In 1906 he was back in London, where his first daughter was born.

However his marriage was recorded as being on 10 August 1905 in Horling, Scotland. I have no idea when or where he met Alma and I can find no trace of her. I know she died in Wrexham on 6 December 1924, aged 41, but she does not appear on any census records and I cannot find evidence of her birth. I have tried the Scotlands people site and found a William Reeves but no Maycock. I cannot find a place called Hortling or anything that resembles it.

I don't know whether Alma was Scottish or lived in Scotland or why they were married in Scotland when there seemed to be no previous connection with Scotland. I am completely stuck.

I don't know whether anyone can help with any of this. If anyone has any ideas I would be very very grateful.

Thank you Barbara

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:50 pm

Hello and welcome to Talking Scot Barbara,

All questions and no answers I'm afraid.

A daft one I know but are you positive William's wife's surname was Maycock? Have you actually seen it written?

Was your father born in Scotland or England?

Regards,
Annette

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:01 pm

Yes I think it was her name. I have a copy of her death certificate and a copy of my dad's birth certificate with her maiden name written on. I also sent for a birth certificate for Barbara Doretha Hewitt Reeves born in 1911 in Southwark, London with an idea that they may have been at the same address when the 1911 census was taken. If Alma is on this then I can find out where she was born. (Can't decide whether I want to spend £45 on this though!)

I must say, I am starting to come up with all sorts of scenarios. Was she a criminal? Did she try to hide her identity for some reason? There is another mystery. My dad had three sisters. One called Alma after his mother and one called Doris. Barbara died when she was 15. However, I cannot find any documentation about Alma, who was born between 1906 and 1911. She does not appear on William Hewitt's army records either - just the others! O and my dad was born in Sudbury, Suffolk in 1913.

I really am stuck.

Isabel H · Post by **Isabel H** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:12 pm

I've been experimenting with handwriting and wonder if "Horling" could actually be a mis-reading of "Stirling"?

Maisie · Post by **Maisie** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:23 pm

Can I ask another question - where did you get the information about the marriage. Was it on your grandfather's army papers, in which case a couple of scenarios:

1) your grandparents never actually married so he invented a time and place so she would qualify for a pension or

2) your grandmother was illegitimate and her birth and the marriage record are hiding somewhere under another name

Both of these happen in the best families!

I looked for Alma Maycock in the English BMD for 1883-1885 and got all excited until I realised the one I had found was actually a man so it was back to the drawing board.

Can you also clarify your grandfather's name, is it William Reeves or William Hewitt?

Maisie

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:08 pm

Sorry his name was William Hewitt Reeves.

Yes I'm thinking that she's changed her name or even made one up. I don't suppose anyone asked for documentation - would the army have needed proof of marriage? Maybe not. It was written on his army papers, Scotland, Horling - then the date.

I also found the Alma Maycock who turned out to be a man.

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:20 pm

I;ve also tried changing some letters in Horling but have drawn a blank. I've had another look and it doesn't look like Stirling I'm afraid.

Grendlsmother · Post by **Grendlsmother** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:18 pm

Are you certain its not the man - I found one of my ggxgrandmothers listed as M then crossed out and F inserted. The next census also had her as M but not corrected. I think sometimes when the forms were entered up, if the first name was slightly unusual a bit of guesswork might have been involved.

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:22 pm

I'll check

BarbieLLoyd · Post by **BarbieLLoyd** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:32 pm

I've just had another look. Alma C Maycock is in the 1901 and 1891 census as male and his birth records his name as Alma Charles. Thanks for the suggestion though.