Walter Edward PERRY

Looking for any lead on what may have happened to the above --

born Dec 1880 in Poole, to George and Emily
married Ellen BOWDITCH 7 Feb 1909 in Poole, at which time he was a labourer

on the 10 May 1909 he signed to the 'Gannet' as a fireman; signed again 10 Jan 1910, being discharged 12 Dec. Luckily the 'Gannet' was registered at Poole, and Dorset Crew Lists are available on Ancestry

when he first signed to the 'Gannet' he claimed to have worked previously on a ship from Sunderland called the 'Ld Ronderry(?)' -- I had a peek on FindMyPast in case I could identify him in their crew lists, but had no luck

I found him in 1911 in Swanscombe, Kent aboard the S.S. Calcaria -- I'm guessing some link to Yorkshire as Calcaria was a Roman settlement in/near Tadcaster --

This is my last sighting of him

There is a child born in Poole in 1915, but without a birth certificate I am not 100% sure she is his

His daughter born in 1910 is the adopted daughter of Ellen's sister Margaret and her husband William Barnes, who had no children of their own. She is named as such in his Army papers (he attested 17 Aug 1916, killed in France 21 Apr 1917).

Not sure what my next move is -- I haven't found a death that seems to fit, nor Army docs --

Hopefully this post makes sense, I have multiple scenarios buzzing in my brain ...

 

his army records are on FMP he joined up in 1900 discharged 1912
no doubt he may have rejoined will have another look

 

FamilySearch has a death in British Columbia indexed as "Walter Edward Perry Barnes" but the death certificate says "Walter Edward Perry alias Barnes"

https://
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SN7-DPR

He died of TB in a mental hospital in 1952. Lots of details (date/place of birth, parents' names) tie in with what you know but he has a different wife ("Mary unknown"). He'd been in Canada 41 years.

 

Hi Sandie, thanks for pointing that out I probably should take a look at them some time

Hello Jane, thank you for that

OK. That is interesting, and sad. It looks like the right man, Globe Lane is where he is in 1881 ...

Obviously I must do a bit more investigating ...

(should get a good night's sleep first, I feel frazzled worrying over this family )

 

wow didn't know such records were on familysearch great find hunacmunca

not sure this can be him as army record is definitely him and he didn't leave till 1912

 

Sandie

I agree I can't shake the feeling that I dealing with two people (and that is not a dig at his paranoid schizophrenia)

But there is only one Walter Edward Perry born in Poole c1881 -- I'll go through everything I have again, hopefully tomorrow, that is if I am able to sleep with this problem nagging

 

it looks like his wife Ellen Perry nee Bowditch died in Poole in 1950 so she may not have been in Canada at all

 

Yes, I have her death, thanks. That is another thing I am mulling over and hoping to look into later on. Did she go, and is that how Margaret ended up looking after her daughter? But then she came back (by 1915) without her husband? etc. All these things and more to be thought about and checked as far as possible ...

.... (I am going to log off now and try to relax ... and then sleep ... and then the answer will come to me in a dream ... )

 

I am more confused than you muggiecat his army record says discharged 1912
he married in 1909 had 2 children in 1910 and 1915 died in Canada in 1952 supposedly having been there 41 years ............both the Army and death records give same mother and father..........Army record mentions marriage to Ellen Bowditch ........death cert says Mary probably a common law wife as Ellen didn't die till 1950 in Poole

Sleep well!!!!

 

Ellen(Nellie)Perry and her daughter Eva and her son Jack( not a Perry) were with her Parents in 1911 census so she didn't go to Canada then

 

I do not know if this helps or hinders but on the 1901 census RG13/5328/137/10 there is a Walter Perry - Royal Navy at sea or in ports, aboard ship Orlando. His place of birth is given as Dorset Berrewood as per original copy (Verwood, perhaps?), he is an able seaman b1881.
Could this one be the other Walter Perry?

 

Hope you got some sleep in the end, muggy, and haven't been worrying about Walter all night. A few thoughts from me:

Is there a signature on the army papers for comparison with the one on the crew lists?

Was he still in the regular Army up to the time of his discharge, or had he been transferred into the Army Reserve? If the latter he would presumably have been able to do other work unless recalled to the Army.

He does remind me rather of my ancestor Robert Cavill, who seemed to disappear off the face of the earth after marrying and having three children in Devon. Eventually I discovered he had gone to London, married bigamously there (claiming to be a widower) and changed his surname (he chose his mother's maiden name).

 

I think the ship mentioned in Walter's 1909 Dorset Crew List is the SS Lord Londonderry which, according to a Google search, was built in Sunderland in 1891 and was a steam cargo ship. Not that this helps you trace him at all, but is a bit more background information.

Janet

 

Well, I was worrying too much and couldn't sleep (at least not until the early morning) but did some useful work

Sandie, I have both Ellen and Walter in the 1911 -- so he went to Canada after 2 Apr 1911, but that is as close as it gets so far. I'm not being judgemental, but the fact that Ellen already had an illegitimate son (coupled with the apparent disappearance of Walter plus the 5 years between children plus her sister adopting one of her other children) is what made me doubt that the 1915 child was his to begin with -- I think it safe to assume she isn't his (maybe when I am feeling rich I will get the birth cert )

MollyMay, this one caused me a few concerns at first but last night I worked out that this is a different Walter At first I thought that Berrewood was Bearwood, which is an area of Poole -- but looking at a map I realised that Bearwood is nowhere near Globe Lane where he was born and his family didn't live there at any time. I confess Verwood didn't occur to me, but there is no Walter Perry born in the appropriate RD around 1881. Then I went back to searching censuses for any Dorset born Walter born c1881 and there is only one, born in Bere Regis, and there is a Bere Wood just outside of Bere Regis

Huncamunca, this is what I am thinking I haven't looked at the Army papers yet, but it's on my to-do list. He does have a lovely signature

Thanks Janet ... I did wonder if that was the name ...

Thanks everyone for chipping in it's good not to feel alone on this one ... But I am feeling better about the problem now. My feeling is that he did a runner, or maybe he was supposed to send for Ellen and somehow never did, or she said no thanks I'm staying put

 

Looking again at army record does say transferred in 1908 and again in 1909 so maybe he could do another job in that time. He was discharged in1912 so would think he didn't go abroad till after that

 

Just tried Canadian libraryin case he had joined up for CEF. No joy

 

ooooh . . . looks like he did serve in CEF, not as Walter Perry or Walter Barnes but as Edward Barnes. See this page from the Canadian Great War Project:

http://
canadiangreatwarproject.com/searches/soldierDetail.asp?ID=78742

(luckily a note says "AKA Walter Edward Perry" which is why Google found this page for me). There is a link to a "death card" which confirms his alias.

There's an attestation form for him on the Library and Archives Canada site - and because he served as Barnes not Perry he is in the bit of the alphabet whose service files have been digitised. There are 47 pages! Had a quick look - interesting to see that (p.11) the address, for forwarding pay, of his wife Mary A. Barnes is changed from Toronto to 173 Cronin Road, Peckham, London and a bit further along she's called Mary Angelina Barnes. Needs a much more thorough look in search of more clues . . .

 

Thank goodness for the 'Angelina', which should make her easier to find. Here (second line down) is Mary Angelina Barnes, going back to Canada in May 1918 on the Aquitania:

https://
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6159-M1L

She was born in England, in about 1878 according to the age stated on the passenger list. She says she'd last been in Canada (Toronto) in July 1916 and had been there 12 years.

 

Not many Mary Angelina anythings born in England at around the right time. One of the few is a Mary Angelina Whitton (birth registered in the Croydon district in Q2 1876).

Mary Angelina Whitton and Edward Barnes married in Toronto in 1915:

https://
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBLH-RY4

He claimed to be a bachelor and said his father was Henry Barnes and that he didn't know his mother's maiden name.

 

Wow huncamunca. Am coming over to witney for a lesson in searching. I did put Barnes in but not one must be the way I do it