Find Ancestors

Hi, I wonder does anyone have in their family History a William Henry Drake born in Hull in 1882 married firstly to Kitty Richardson and then "married" to Lydia Kristina Persson. She was born in Sweden came over to Hull and had two children Eda(Ida) Lydia born in Hull in 1915 and Eric William Drake born in Birmingham in 1917. William disappeared without trace in 1926/27 never to be heard of again!
I have been trying for 30 years to trace him with no luck. Did he go to Scandinavia as one family member thought. Any idea please of where I might try. Many thanks Jackie Evans

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
Name: William Henry Drake <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<interpreter
Birth Place: Hull
Death Date: 26 Apr 1918
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Hull
Rank: Private
Regiment: Durham Light Infantry
Battalion: 22nd Battalion
Number: 75732
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920
Name: William Henry Drake
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Age at enlistment: 32
Birth Parish: Sculcoates
Birth County: Yorkshire
Document Year: 1914
Regimental Number: 852
Regiment Name: 10th (Service) Battalion E York R
Number of images: 8

Father: Benjamin

Wife: Kitty Richardson married 1903 (Seperated) her father: John Richardson

Children: James Kenneth & Kitty

1911 England Census
about William Henry Drake
Name: William Henry Drake
Age in 1911: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Hull, Yorkshire, England
Civil parish: Hessle
County/Island: Yorkshire-East Riding
Country: England
Street Address: 14 Park Avenue Hessle
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Valness Clerk
Registration district: Sculcoates
Registration District Number: 521
Sub-registration district: Hessle
ED, institution, or vessel: 38
Piece: 28648
Household Members: Name Age
William Henry Drake 29
Kitty Drake 29
James Kenneth Drake 5
Kitty Drake 4

From CWGC

DRAKE, WILLIAM H.

Rank: Private
Service No: 75732
Date of Death: 26/04/1918
Regiment/Service: Durham Light Infantry 22nd Bn.
Panel Reference Panel 68 to 72.
Memorial POZIERES MEMORIAL

PM

This is my grandfather but where do I go from here as no mention of his later life and not sure how this works as am new to it. Have watched Who Do You Think You Are and need to be able to find out more and how I would go about it. All looks so easy on a TV programme with all the help available.


Hi Jacqueline

Its best to post on here, what you are looking for etc and we might be able to help you

Post as much detail as you have

x

1891 England Census
about William H Drake
Name: William H Drake
Age: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Benjamin Drake
Mother's Name: Mary A Drake
Gender: Male
Where born: Hull, Yorkshire, England

Civil parish: Sculcoates
Ecclesiastical parish: All Saints
Town: Kingston upon Hull
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Registration district: Sculcoates
Sub-registration district: West Sculcoates
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3928
Folio: 73
Page Number: 8
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin Drake 49
Mary A Drake 32
William H Drake 9
Arthur Drake 7
Rhoda Drake 5
Florence G Drake 2
Lily M Drake 7/12


1901 England Census
about William H Drake
Name: William H Drake
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Benjamin Drake
Mother's Name: Mary Ann Drake
Gender: Male
Where born: Hull, Yorkshire, England

Civil parish: Sculcoates
Ecclesiastical parish: All Saints
County/Island: Yorkshire

Registration district: Sculcoates
Sub-registration district: West Sculcoates
ED, institution, or vessel: 10
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 173
Piece: 4492
Folio: 84
Page Number: 24
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin Drake 56
Mary Ann Drake 42
William H Drake 19
Arthur Drake 17
Rhoda E Drake 15
Florence G Drake 12
Charles E Drake 8
Harold Drake 6
Edith M Drake 4
Walter Drake 3

Marriages Sep 1903
DRAKE William Henry Sculcoates 9d 358
RICHARDSON Kitty Sculcoates 9d 358

1901 England Census
about Kitty Richardson
Name: Kitty Richardson
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: James Richardson
Mother's Name: Augusta M Richardson
Gender: Female
Where born: Hull, Yorkshire, England

Registration district: Hull
Sub-registration district: Myton
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 27
Piece: 4503
Folio: 103
Page Number: 4
Household Members: Name Age
James Richardson 53
Augusta M Richardson 50
Lily Richardson 21
Kitty Richardson 19
John E Richardson 16
Wilfred Richardson 11
Charles E Richardson 24

There is no marriage to Lydia, I guess due to the seperation, they just became a couple

From the Hull Daily Mail - 3 March 1897

HULL AMBULANCE SUCCESSES

At the recent examination in first aid in connection with the Hull Church Institute class resulted as follows: (list of names, including) William Henry Drake.

Given the location and name it's got a good chance to be the right chap.

Jacqueline - you've said you want to know more about his life but you've marked the thread as answered, that means that most people will think you've now got all the info you need. If you go to your first post and click "mark this as unanswered" then you may get more info.

I wonder if William Henry ever got to see his son?

England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005
Name: Eric W Drake
Mother's Maiden Surname: Person
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1918
Registration district: Kings N
Inferred County: Warwickshire
Volume Number: 6d
Page Number: 33

(The baby could have been born late 1917)

Not seeing a birth for Eda/Ida

Births Sep 1915 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drake Ida L Perssan Sculcoates 9d 471

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

pms from Jacqueline:

Re: The first aid article

"As you say it has to be him he would have been 15 at the time.
I have a copy of a letter from Thos. Hart Solicitor, 4 Parliament Street Hull saying "W.H.Drake has been in my employ for the past 15 months . I have always found him to be hardworking and strictly honest", this letter dated 11th March 1901.
, William Henry Drake is mentioned along with a photograph of him with my grandmother in a book written about theHull Pals you may have seen it?
It was written by a D.Bilton"


Re: my comment about seeing his son:

"Yes he did see his son. In fact along with his "wife" Lydia(Persson) & daughter Ida(Eda) they moved to 49 Station Road, Northfield, Birmingham, where he disappeared from in 1926/27.
My Swedish Grandmother died on 12th March 1949 in Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham. "

I'm not convinced that the 1918 death posted above is correct. That is for someone who was in the Durham Light Infantry whereas the pension record is for someone who was in the East Yorks regmt.

The one who was in the DLI and died was the son of Charles James and Emma Drake of 7 Lorne Street, Hull according to his service records. He had brother John and sisters Ethel and Alice. Also, he was born 1899 so definitely not our chap.

So, we need to start again on the search for what happened to him!

Jacqueline - are you able to say what the event was in 1926/7 was that you knew he was still around for? (Please reply on here)

Me neither...but it could have been family hearsay?

Jacqueline ....can you come back here to help u please


x

I am not really used to using this part of the site so may appear unhelpful but am very appreciative of replies from you and Marie Celeste. I wonder what else I can tell you about William Henry. He seems to have been able to disappear from the face of the earth. Wonder if he has a third family somewhere?
Have made contact with , descendants of Kitty and Kenneth. So am aware of their existence.
However they thought that William had been killed in the First World War and were suprised to learn that in fact he had just disappeared from the lives of his first children only to do the same thing again to his second family!

Jacqueline, as I asked earlier can you tell us what was the event in 1926/7 that you knew he was around for?

The only thing that I can think of was perhaps he was taking part in a protest like so many others for the General strike. Am afraid I do not know what he was around for, I am just surmising on this. Know very little about him really and obviously would like to know more. My mother said he had died on the Russian Convoys during the Second World War but this has proved not to be the case. It has also been said he was good at languages. My Uncle Eric said he thought his father had joined the Warwickshire Regt but can find no trace of this but then if he was invalided out of the East Yorkshire Regt. this again must be untrue.
Sadly both Eda and Eric are dead so there is no way of finding out more from them as to what they may have remembered.
Kenneth the son of the first wife wrote down some of his memories. He said that his father could speak several languages, had a drapery business and was a buyer for his and other firms. When he was 5 which would have been 1911, the business took a downward turn and he went bankrupt. (He did not learn this he said until he was 16)
So all in all what a mystery it all is.