Find Ancestors

Margee - that's on page 2. :-)

I'm wondering if we can't find incoming shipping because they perhaps landed at somewhere like Cherbourg or Queenstown as there then mightn't be a record of the crossing into England as it would be inter-European?

Am also struggling to find Arthur John Beer (Frank Peers) or Mary Rees arriving in US in early 1890s.

(I really do wonder if the Brethren were able to conceal records?)

Final shot at this, can anyone trace a shipping passenger list for Alfred John Beer returning from the USA with his wife Mary and their 2 sons who were born in the USA, Elwyn and Hywel. It would have been between 1900 and 1910. Alfred may have changed his name to Frank Peers.

Another thing - I couldn't find a Mary Peers/Beer or son Elwyn on 1900 US census. Nor can I find any records of marriage or children's births in US.

Might this be because they were members of the Plymouth Brethren? Does anyone know any more about the Brethren and their approach to official records?

(Edward - go to page 1 and then to your very first post and click the "edit" link. You can then edit your heading to include something like US shipping records, that will hopefully attract attention. Would also be an idea to remove the answered tick).

Had exchanged pm's with Edward regarding the Ancestry tree I mentioned earlier and how to view on Mundia. Last pm from Edward:

"Hi marieCeleste, thank you for the mundia info ........
Do you think there is any point in exploring the possibility of there being a passenger list record for Alfred Beer arriving in the USA and also him, his wife and 2 sons returning to England, this time with the surname Peers? That assumes he changed his name in America and not after he returned to Wales. If so, what would be the best way of pursuing this?"

I had already looked on shipping lists but perhaps not exhaustively. Can fresh eyes possibly spot any passenger records in US or UK for:

Alfred John Beer/ Frank Peers b1870 Ash, Kent
Mary Marie Peers/Beer b 1870 Glamorgan Llengwicke
Elwyn Peers/Beer b 1898 Chicago
Hywel Peers/Beer b 1902 USA

(There are numerous records for Elwyn in his adult life, but we're looking for the period between c1900 when Alfred John Peers was on the US census and 1911 when they were on English census.)

MarieCeleste, I think you are right, Frank Peers was originally Alfred Beer, everything seems to fit, thank you and also Dea for persisting with this, it is much appreciated.

Dea - I think it would be this one:

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915

Name: Alfred John Beer
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1870
Registration district: Eastry
Inferred County: Kent
Volume: 2a
Page: 892

It might sound a bit mad, but if someone was changing their name for religious reasons then the name Frank may be adopted as in being open, honest and direct.

I have been following this, one as a possibility?

Births Dec 69

Beer Osborn Francis Dover 2a 864

Probably not right but I am working on it.

Dea Xxx

Alfred John Beer turns up again in 1911 with his brother:

BEER, Austin Harry Head Married M 34 1877 Tobacconist Ash Next Sandwich
BEER, Catherine Wife Married 1 years F 24 1887 Ireland
BEER, Alfred John Brother Married M 41 1870 Clerk** Ash Next Sandwich
** Business type is Timber Merchant - SEE ARTICLE I'VE ADDED BELOW
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Registration District: Eastry
Sub District: Sandwich
Enumeration District: 1
Parish: Ash

Address: Ash Canterbury County: Kent

(In one of the articles it says Frank Peers was a clerk with a timber merchant when he came back to England, and later worked in the colliery when times were hard. This chap in 1911 is married but wife elsewhere)

My theory - Alfred John Beer and Frank Peers are the same person. He's visiting his brother in 1911 and his brother records him under his "real name". His wife isn't with him because she and Donald are visiting his sister Ellen Jane nearby. Three other children are accounted for with other families, just leaving Gwyneth to find.

I can't see a death that is a good fit for Alfred John Beer born 1870.

What do you think?

ADDED:
For reference to my point about Alfred/Frank's occupation (I guess Edward will already have this)

" Frank Peers and Mary Rees married in America in 1894 where their first two sons were born. They then returned to Wales, first to Ystalyfera where Frank worked in the printing works of his wife's father, Ebenezer Rees. Ebenezer Rees had founded not just the family printing firm, which his three sons ran after his death, but also the leading political newspaper in Wales called 'Llais Llafur' (Voice of Labour). For some reasons ****** Frank Peers' employment by his father-in-law did not prove an ideal arrangement and he applied for and was given a job as a clerk in a sawmill ******** in Ammanford. Two daughters and Donald were born in Ammanford. During the depression yeas of the 1930s Frank Peers lost his white collar job in the sawmills and took work as a surface worker at the local coal-mine.

I can't find Alfred John Beer b1870 on the 1901 English census, but look at this:

1900 United States Federal Census

Name: Alfred J Beer
Age: 30
Birth Date: Jan 1870
Birthplace: England
Home in 1900: Chicago Ward 31, Cook, Illinois [Chicago, Cook, Illinois]
Race: White
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1891
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Marriage Year: 1894 <<<
Years Married: 6
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Occupation: Grocery Clerk
Household Members: Name Age
Alfred J Beer 30

The years married ties in with Frank Peers marriage. No mention of where his wife is.

This is Ellen Jane's family in 1881 (she's with her grandparent's, the Bournes)

BEER, Daniel Head Married M 35 1846 Baker & Tailor Ash Kent
BEER, Eliza Wife Married F 36 1845 Canterbury Kent
BEER, Alfred J Son Single M 11 1870 Scholar Ash Kent
BEER, Minnie Daughter Single F 8 1873 Scholar Ash Kent
BEER, Annie M Daughter Single F 6 1875 Scholar Ash Kent
BEER, Austin Son Single M 4 1877 Scholar Ash Kent
BEER, Victor C Son Single M 1 1880 Ash Kent
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Registration District: Eastry
Civil Parish: Ash Next Sandwich

Address: Ash St Cottage, Ash Next Sandwich County: Kent

(I might be completely off on the wrong tangent but, nothing ventured - nothing gained!)

On the 1911 Mary and Donald are staying with the Court family in Kent. This is the marriage of the couple they're staying with:

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1890
Beer Ellen Jane Eastry 2a 1760
Court Henry William Eastry 2a 1760

There's something about Ellen's surname .......

Could Ellen Jane be a relative of Frank's? Perhaps he was a Beer and when he came over all religious he changed it to Peer(s)?

Let's dig around ....

(Apologies to GB who, I now realise, had already posted this).

Edward - the only child that might have been with Donald in 1911 was Gwyneth.

As you say, Donald was with Mary. Glitterbaby has already posted the 1911 that shows Hywel and Janie with the Rees family and I've posted the 1911 that shows Elwyn with the Morgans.

It's possible that Frank was a nickname or a middle name. Another possibility is that his father died and his mother remarried and the family were recorded under the new family name. Or, Peers could have been a variant of Pearce, Peirs, Pearse .........

You really need to get your hands on his marriage certificate. We'll see if we can find out how to do that ......

MarieCeleste, that account seems true, whether Frank's beliefs in relation to the Pilgrim Bretheren made him decide he couldn't complete the 1911 census form I don't know, but that wouldn't explain why there is no trace of Frank in the earlier censuses when he lived in Kent. Frank's wife is on the 1911 census, together with Donald, as visitors to a house in Kent, while Frank was presumably at home in Wales with their other children.

MarieCeleste, thanks for the Ausie connexion, Donald visited there twice so maybe it was to see his brother. Thanks Dea, I have found several accounts but they mainly describe Frank's life in Wales after his return from America, and say very little about his early life in Kent which is my main interest as I live in the village where Donald said his father was born.

Quite a bit about Frank on here:
http://www.terrynorm.ic24.net/donald%20peers.htm#2

(Extracts from Donald's autobiography)

This Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Peers mentions:

"His father was a colliery worker and a prominent member of the Plymouth Brethren who disapproved of the variety theatre, and never heard or saw his son work. Donald's family were hoping he would become a schoolteacher, but he had other ambitions and left home at the age of sixteen to live his life elsewhere."

So that tells us a bit about Frank (if it's true).

MarieCeleste, thanks for Donald's sibs names. GlitterBaby, it looks like you were correct with Jane Irene Peers b1905.

As Donald became quite famous in his time, have you tried googling for any biographies which might give details or clues regarding his family - parents and siblings?

Dea x

Death of Elwyn:

Australia Death Index, 1787-1985

Name: Elwyn Victor Aus Peers
Death Place: Kew, Victoria
Age: 77
Father's Name: Frank
Mother's Name: Mary Rees
Registration Year: 1976
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration number: 22385
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899

Elwyn wasn't actually home alone in 1911!

MORGAN, David Head Married M 54 1857 Coal Miner Hewer Saundersfoot Pembroke
MORGAN, Eliza Wife Married 32 years F 53 1858 Begelly Pembrokshire
MORGAN, David Son Single M 23 1888 Coal Miner Hewer Wigan Lancashire
MORGAN, Owen James Son M 7 1904 Platt Bridge Lancashire
PEERS, Elwyn Visitor M 12 1899 School Chicago U S A

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Registration District: Llandilofawr
Sub District: Llandybie
Enumeration District: 14
Parish: Ammanford Urban

Address: 61 Margaret Street Ammanford County: Carmarthenshire