Find Ancestors

Hello everyone.

I haven't been able to find any record of my father in a census, birth, or
marriage registry. I can't find any reference to his father either.

My father's name is Bruce Robert Munro-Smith, born in 1911 in Bideford North
Devon. He went to school in Taunton Somerset as a boy.

I also can't find his father. His mother was Ethel Sarah T. (nee) Hookway,
born in 1881 in Bideford. She married in 1904, and is registered as Ethel
Sarah T. Hookway. In 1960 she died as Ethel S.T.Munro-Smith.

I presume she married a Munro-Smith in 1904, but I can't find any record of
her husband, or her son who was my father.

Thanks for any help.

Allan Munro-Smith

Australia

she didn't marry a Munro -Smith in 1904 but one of these 2 men
Ethel Sarah T Hookway
Year of Registration: 1904
[1904]
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Bideford
County: Devon
Volume: 5b

Ethel Sarah T Hookway 1904 Bideford Devon
Rosa Jane Layton 1904 Bideford Devon
Rudolf Wilhelm Schmidt 1904 Bideford Devon
William Henry Shortridge 1904 Bideford Devon

this is her in 1911
1911 census transcription details for: 33 Bridgeland St Bideford

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHMIDT, Rudolf W Head Married
6 years M 32 1879 Tailor Scotland Dundee

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SCHMIDT, Ethel Sarah Taylor Wife Married
6 years F 30 1881 Devon Bideford

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SCHMIDT, Ruth Daughter F 1 1910 Bideford Devon

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HART, Elsie Maud Servant Single F 21 1890 General Servant Domestic Bideford Devon

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BEAR, Ernest Apprentice Single M 20 1891 Apprentice To Tailoring Clovelly Devon

Hello Allan
Going by your father birth -

Births Sep 1911
SCHMIDT Bruce R Hookway Bideford 5b 797

I would say this is the marriage -

Marriages Dec 1904
*********Hookway Ethel Sarah T Bideford 5b 1069
Layton Rosa Jane Bideford 5b 1069
***********Schmidt Rudolf Wilhelm Bideford 5b 1069
Shortridge William Henry Bideford 5b 1069

Your father was born too late to be in the census.

your father:

Births Sep 1911
SCHMIDT Bruce R Hookway Bideford 5b 797

Snap, Christine. So they must have Anglicised the name or she married again

1911 census
image

Looks like the surname was changed --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHMIDT, Rudolf W Head Married
6 years M 32 1879 Tailor Scotland Dundee VIEW
SCHMIDT, Ethel Sarah Taylor Wife Married
6 years F 30 1881 Devon Bideford VIEW
SCHMIDT, Ruth Daughter F 1 1910 Bideford Devon VIEW
HART, Elsie Maud Servant Single F 21 1890 General Servant Domestic Bideford Devon VIEW
BEAR, Ernest Apprentice Single M 20 1891 Apprentice To Tailoring Clovelly Devon VIEW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RG number:
RG14 Piece:
13431 Reference:
RG14PN13431 RG78PN781 RD286 SD1 ED2 SN48

Registration District:
Bideford Sub District:
Bideford Enumeration District:
2 Parish:
Bideford

Address:
33 Bridgeland St Bideford County:
Devonshire

ged

More than likely Anglicised the name around the time of WW1.

1881
Name: Friedrick R Schmidt
Age: 31
Estimated birth year: abt 1850
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Jane Schmidt
Gender: Male
Where born: Germany
Registration Number: 387
Registration district: Perth
Civil Parish: Kinnoull and Scone
County: Perthshire
Address: Carrick House
Occupation: Foreman Tailor
ED: 37
Household schedule number: 59
Line: 7
Roll: cssct1881_110
Household Members: Name Age
Friedrick R Schmidt 31
Jane Schmidt 28
>>Rudolf W Schmidt 3
Adelhide M Schmidt 1
Mary Watt 16

If you want to find Rudolph's birth you will need Scotland's People. You have to buy credits but not too expesnive and Scotland Certs have much more info than English ones. You can download the image from the website

Jennifer

1891 Munro was probably the maiden name of Jane , Frederick's wife

Name: Frederick Schmidt
Age: 41
Estimated birth year: abt 1850
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Jane Schmidt
Gender: Male
Where born: Germany

Civil Parish: Bideford
Ecclesiastical parish: Bideford
Town: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 8
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Frederick Schmidt 41
Jane Schmidt 31
Rudolf Schmidt 12
Adelhaide Schmidt 11
Albert Schmidt 7
Constance Schmidt 4
Schmidt 1 Day
>>Annie Munro 11 NIECE
Minnie Mitchell 20

Rudolph's birth certificate (available from Scotlandspeople) will give you the date and place of his parent's marriage. Their marriage certificate will give you their parents' names including their mothers' maiden surnames.

Credits for Scotlandspeople only cost £6 for 30 - 1 credit to view search results and 5 to view/ download register entry.

Marriage 18th December 1877 Fredrick Rudolf Schmidt, aged 28years father Fredrick William Schmidt, mother Ann (?) Elizabeth Schmidt maiden surname (looks like) Bochslkev. Jane Munro aged 25 years Father William Munro, Tailor and mother Elizabeth Munro maiden surname Hendry. All parents still living.
Marriages 1877 District 282, Entry number 0315

1861 (all children born Banff)

Name: Jane Munro
Age: 8
Estimated birth year: abt 1853
Relationship: Daughter
Father's name: William Munro
Mother's name: Elizabeth Munro
Gender: Female
Where born: Banff, Banffshire
Registration Number: 147/1
Registration district: Banff Burgh
Civil Parish: Banff Burgh
County: Banffshire
Address: 6/5 High Street
Occupation: Scholar
ED: 1
Household schedule number: 51
Line: 24
Roll: CSSCT1861_21
Household Members: Name Age
William Munro 37 Tailor employing 3 boys, b. Enzie, Banffshire
Elizabeth Munro 37 b. Banff, Banffshire
Elizabeth Munro 12
Ann Munro 10
Jane Munro 8
Alexandrina Munro 6
Williamina Munro 5
Alexr H Munro 7 MO
Ann Ross 20 Niece b. Buckie, Banffshire, General Servant

I wonder if Allan can't find his way back to his thread so this will nudge it to the first page again.

I have just sent him a PM telling him he has had replies and how to find his thread again

Jennifer

Good Lord! I'm completely blown away! You people are magicians.

Thank you all so very much. You've solved a mystery that I've been grappling with for many years. I'm 67 yo, and my niece (36) asked me about our family tree - to which I could tell her virtually nothing except vague heresay and family lore.

For the past two weeks I've been banging my head against a wall of secrecy as to whom my paternal grandfather was. I'm 'Munro-Smith'... my father is 'Munro-Smith'... so WHERE is his and his father's name mentioned in the records?

Family rumour had it that a 'Schmedt' - with an 'e' - arrived in Scotland from Flanders, and was allowed to marry a local girl ("one of five daughters") - only on condition that their married name would be changed to 'Munro-Smith'.

I've been creating a graphic of my family tree, mostly from other sources, (including from a book of collected memories gathered from Russian emigres in the UK in which my aunt gave an account of her earlier life in Russia before she emigrated).

Thank you again for your kind efforts towards helping me so generously.

Allan

Rutland Belle -- unfortunately the tests at ScotlandsPeople shows that my browser can't display their images.

The ActiveX doesn't work

Allan

See also

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/trying_to_find/thread/1257185?page=2

Allan, try using Java script instead of ActiveX. I find that I need to switch between the two depending on the computer I'm using. At home I need to use ActiveX and at work Javascript. Hope this works for you. Good luck.