General Chat

Hey guys *waves to anyone who remembers me*,

Just sticking my nose in, could do with a little advice from my old pals (and new peeps I don't know) here on general.

I'm not sure if any of you will remember my hunt to find out where my grandfather, John English Robson, came from (we were beginning to think he might be an alien). There was no sign of a birth and no sign of him on the 1901 census.

Today I bit the bullet and access the 1911 census. It through up an interesting possibility. I found a John E. Robson, b.1866 who would fit for a possible father for my missing John. He had 7 children, one of whom was called John 'A' Robson. His age is within the right time frame. The possible reason for him not showing up before is shown that four of the children were born in the USA (as was their mother), including John.

So, given the 2 year gap in ages between the last one born in the US and the next one born in W.Hartlepool, I hit Ancestry and the incoming passenger lists. This revealed the family coming back to the UK in 1902, which fits perfectly. On the passenger list John snr's occupation is listed as Merchant, which isn't a big leap to the 'merchant seamen'/master mariner that his son lists him as being on his marriage cert. The final point of intrigue is that the youngest daughter has the same name as my mother, a name that hasn't appeared anywhere else on her maternal side and that nanna had always said her dad had insisted on it.

So, this could be my missing John, it's not so farfetched that he could have changed his middle name to the same as his dad. The trouble is, I can't find a birth for his dad to find out what his middle name might be.

Am I going insane after searching for 5 years? Or is this a viable/plausible explanation for why he's been missing?

Also, does anyone know how I can go about finding a marriage/birth/census return in the USA when I have no idea what state it happened in without upgrading my ancestry? Is there a free site similar to the UK's freeBMD?

Thanks and *hugs for anyone who wants them* (it's been a difficult 7 months healthy wise)
Liz

Hi Liz,

Have you seen this birth?
Name: John English Robson
Year of Registration: 1887
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Hartlepool (1859-1938)
County: Durham
Volume: 10a

Hi keith,

Yeah, I've fully gone into him and he doesn't quite fit to be my guy: He's too old to be John jnr and too young to be his dad :(

Thanks though.
Liz

WELL hello stranger!! how ya diddling? :O)) x

You do seem to have progressed a bit more in your searches Liz.........and 1911 is great for fitting some of the jigsaw into place.
I found my Grandparents living in Lancashire,but like you can't find their BMDs anywhere.

Mau xx

Hey there :-) *hugs*

Yeah, I think it helped that I took a step back and concentrated on the other branches for a while (in between long rest periods). I'm quite excited about this possible development because it would explain so much. I'm trying to avoid losing the rest of my life searching quarter by quarter for a John E. Robson's death, because they're so damn common, but I doubt I can put it off for long.

Lancashire? That must have been a bit of a shock *laughs*.

Sadly, most of my recent developments have surrounded the prevalence of breast cancer in my mum's maternal line. I'm waiting to hear from the geneticists in Manchester about my 'increased' risk. Mum gets the all clear in Sept/Oct, but we recently found out that her half-sister was diagnosed and had a lumpectomy last year without telling us. So, it's thrown a spanner in the works as apparently having a mum & aunt who've had it greatly increases your risk. I was already worried about it after all I've found out :(

Hi Liz,
great to see you again, hope you prove to be free of the suspect gene.

Sounds as if you are making progress with your search. maybe somebody who has the worldwide ancestry may be able to help you, i hope so anyway.

Ann
Glos

Glad to hear your mum's got the all clear,but sorry to learn of family problems and concerning you Liz.
Try not to worry (easy for me to say) but it will keep you extra vigilant.
All the best xx

Liz is it the John Robson the Merchant and wife Lena that returned in 1902?

Name: John Robson
Birth Date: abt 1860
Age: 42
Port of Departure: New York, New York, United States
Arrival Date: 13 Jul 1902
Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England
Ship Name: Celtic
Search Ship Database: View the 'Celtic' in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping Line: White Star Line
Official Number: 113476

The family are actually listed as Foreigners on the image. So were they American subjects?

Hi Ann,

I really hope so, it would be great to finally have an answer for why we couldn't find him. We just really wanna know who he was, etc. Regards the genes, I hope we're clear too, trouble they think there might be another gene that they've not located yet so... we'll just have to see. Either way, I'll start having mammograms at 40 and possibly ultrasound/MRI before then, depending on what the geneticist says. I think I'd just rather know so that I can be prepared (I always wanted to be a scout when I was a little girl but that was before they allowed girls to join - that came in a year or two after I was too old :( lol )

Mau,

Yeah, gene or not, it has definitely made me more vigilante, it's just a shame to have to tell the next generation (who're 16 and under) that they've got to watch out for it. They have the right to know though...my aunt wasn't going to take her 16 yo daughter to the geneticist with her but as I pointed out, it affects her, as hard as it is for a 16 yo to have to deal with she needs educating early as it could save her life.

Keith,

Yes, that's the one that I found.

On the 1911 his wife is listed as Linne, and born in USA but a British Citizen by (something - possibly marriage) as are the four kids that were born in the US. I did notice that they're all listed as foreigners on the return voyage but then they also butchered the children's ages (I think they got them all mixed up). However, on the 1911 it says John snr was born W.Hartlepool. I tend to believe the 1911 census on the subject of nationlity/where born, I think. I just don't know where to look for the marriage or the birth of the older children in the US.

They were presumably married in the US too Linne/Lena is from the USA, that would have been c1893.

The children as they're listed on the census are:
May Florence c1896
Jean Victoria c1897
Thomas E. c1899
John A. c1901


(not sure why it gave the girls' names in full but not the boys')

Thanks :-)
Liz xx

I pretty sure the 1900 US census is on the Family search pilot site

Good to see you back with us.

Claire why did I not think of that?

1901 US census from Ancestry
Name: John Robson
[J Robson]
Home in 1900: Ironwood, Gogebic, Michigan
Age: 33
Birth Date: Oct 1866
Birthplace: Scotland
Race: White
Ethnicity: American
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1891
Relationship to Head of House: Head
Father's Birthplace: Scotland
Mother's Birthplace: Scotland
Spouse's Name: Sene
Marriage Year: 1893
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 7
Residence : Ironwood City, Gogebic, Michigan
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
John Robson 33 Cannot make out occupation. immigrated 1891
Sene Rabson 21 b Sweden Housewife, parents b sweden, immigrated 1891
May F Rabson 5 b Michagan
Victoria Rabson 8 b Michagan
James E Rabson 1 b Michagan

Census Place: Ironwood, Gogebic, Michigan; Roll T623_711 Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 67.

Unfortunately cannot see any of the childrens births.

If you would like the images pm me your e-mail address and I will send (but not tonight, its midnight here lol)

Oh, Claire *waves* Not sure I'm up to spending much time around here still, but it's good to check in with everyone :-) Thank you for the suggestion and Keith, thank you so much. :-) I really appreciate it.

Michigan, interesting. Also, confusing that they give John snr's birth place as Scotland when the 1911 says W.Hartlepool. His wife certainly moved around though, didn't she? I wonder which version i her actual name lol.

I just hope this all leads to something.

You are a star :-)
Liz xx

This might help:

Gobenic, Michigan
Date of marriage:6 May 1893
John E Robson, groom
Groom's age 27
Birth year: 1866
Birthplace: England
Groom's father: Robert Robson
Groom's mother: Jane English

Bride: Sumie Anderson
Bride;s age: 25
Birth Year: 1868
Bride's birthplace: Sweden
Bride's father: Gust Anderson
no mother named
Marriage by License

Note: Gust is most likely a shortened August-common Swedish name. Also note that the Victorian S looks very much like our present day L--so that census may actually say Sena/Sina.

Janis