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Colin and Louisa Campbell and 4 sons are living happily in Wycliffe Road West Ham in 1901.

By 1911 there is no sign of either parent and the four sons are spread far and wide. Joseph in West Ham workhouse, Colin jr signs up for 12 years in RN and on ship in Far East, David lodging with family in South Wales working in mines and my grandad George living with maternal uncle and his family in Walthamstow.

I have no concrete evidence as to what happened, did Louisa die?. Rumour that Colin sr may have re married and started another family, but where is he on 1911 if that the case ? He was born 1863 in Berwick on Tweed. Perhaps they both died but no concrete evidence on that yet either.

any miracle workers out there

thanks

Janet

..."Colin jr signs up for 12 years in RN "...

Colin would have had to list someone as his next of kin.

Have you been able to find his enlistment records ?

Did all the boys marry ?
Their marriage certificates should indicate whether their father is still alive. Unless they did not know.

I have printed off the papers from the National Archive, gives me details of DOB place of birth occupation, hair and eye colour etc etc etc and records but no next of kin

David also signed up for army in 1914 his papers say mother deceased, father's address unkown.

My grandad's marriage cert says father deceased although I know you can't always go by this.

jan

grandad married in 1918

Can not make out the occupation of father Colin from the 1891 and 1901 but some kind of engineer so could be anywhere

Hmmm

It could be that as your Grandfather hadn't heard from him at all, and a period of time has passed he's made an assumption he's died by the time he got married?

So the most accurate data we actually have is the 1914 enlistment info from David. Mother deceased and father addy unknown.

What are the birth details on the mother?



Tracey x

and David married in 1919 and says Colin Campbell Marine Engineer on his cert but not deceased ..............

she was born Louisa Adelaide Page 05/03/1861 in Clarendon Street Islington, earlier censuses show her as Adelaide as does her marriage cert in 1885 but she used Louisa in later censuses.

Have you already dismissed this death?

Deaths Mar 1905
Campbell Louisa 49 Islington 1b 124

I know the age is a little out, but that could just be ignorance or the BMD incorrectly written.

I ordered a cert last week of someone who was supposed to be 67, when i got the cert they were 57!!

Edit:

Looking at your following post born 1861, means she was more likely 44, so it's possible the second 4 has been read as a 9.

Tracey x

On a search of 1911 for engineer (why don't people give all the info they have to start with???)

CAMPBELL COLIN 1869 42 Southampton Hampshire

?

It's a household schedule, but no other Campbells in household

Marine engineer might mean he's left these shores?

Has he ran off to Aus?? Was a very common thing to do starting around that time, jumping on a boat and disappearing!


Tracey x

I haven't dismissed it yet, it looks promising as Colin the son signed up year after in navy.

I have nothing about marriage death or otherwise on Joseph and Colin after 1911 other than Colin's navy papers so I don't know if either of them married. Colin seemed to be married to the navy!

In the household:

LAWRANCE ALEXANDER 1899 12 Southampton Hampshire

Going through the alphabet ... that's the "A" ...


All the Lawrances living with Colin Campbell in Southampton:

LAWRANCE ISABELLA 1905 6 Southampton Hampshire
HOUSEHOLD LAWRANCE WILLIAM 1901 10 Southampton Hampshire
HOUSEHOLD LAWRANCE ALEXANDER 1899 12 Southampton Hampshire
HOUSEHOLD LAWRANCE ELIZABETH 1898 13 Southampton Hampshire
HOUSEHOLD LAWRANCE ELIZABETH 1869 42 Southampton Hampshire
HOUSEHOLD LAWRANCE WILLIAM 1864 47 Southampton Hampshire


So it seems that that Colin was a lodger ... boarder, to be exact.

Oh, he also answers to "Marine Engineer" specifically.

You might want to have a look at him!

That is another of my aunt's stories I cannot substantiate.................. how would I find that out ????
Sadly she is no longer with us to question about it

I think we were cross-posting and you may have missed the 1911 census info on the previous page, Janet. Or you're having a look.

Just read it ! thanks I will check him out. sorry I forgot to put occupation in original posting was just trying to put in what wasn't on 1901 census.

looks like my trail is off to Southampton now

Ahhhh, Janet, your Aunt has mentioned she thought he'd ran off?

The problem you have when a parent disappears, the family create 'stories' to hide the mystery of the disappearance and maybe create a little bit of magic for the children...they'd gone the Aus to find you a new home etc etc.....

...after time these become fact and then in 2009 your chasing your tail.

If Colin had died it looks certainly like it was after 1911, or indeed 1914, as David seems fairly sure his dad was alive just of unknown location at the time of his enlistment.

It is obviously possible Colin has died between 1914 and 1918 (the date of the marriage) but if Colin's location was truely unknow then they are probably not going to know when he died.... so for me the 1918 marriage info seems a little untrustworthy!


Tracey x

Many thanks for all of this I am going to check out the 1911 ref, buy the death cert of Louisa mentioned and see where it gets me.

The good news is that I have tracked down David's grandchildren and am in contact with them now

have to go now but will check later on today and reply again if more postings.

thanks v much

jan

Hi back again, thanks to everyone who helped this morning.

I have bought more credits for 1911 and got the return mentioned.

Details are Colin Campbell a Marine Engineer, a widower, age 42 born London Middlesex. Not Berwick on Tweed I know but I am prepared to accept that that is where he had been living if the death for Louisa in Islington in 1905 is correct, that is where her family came from. Also the occupation and marital status match up. I imagine the family he was living with didn't know all the ins and outs of his life etc.

Head of household is also a Marine Engineer /fitter working for the Union Castle Company ............guess Colin could have been working there too?

Will also send for Louisa death cert and see where that leads.

many thanks again everyone

Could this be the Union Castle Company mentioned?

http://www.maritimematters.com/union-castle.html


Tracey x