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I'm having real difficulty tracking down my father's side of the family tree, and I'm really hoping someone may be able to provide some insight.

Here's what I have so far:
My paternal grandparents were Ian Ronald Cole (b 9th Sept 1910, Quetta, India - now Pakistan, d 5th Oct 1978, Stafford, Staffordshire) and Evelyn Mary Lambert (b 19th Dec 1919, probably London, d 12th Nov 1992, Southampton). I know they met during WWII, my grandmother was an Army Nurse, and my grandfather was in REME, based in Stafford.

My grandmother's side ends quickly - I know her dad was Sidney or Sydney, who died 1969 in Margate, Kent, and was born around 1893, possibly in Streatham, London.

My Grandfather's parents were Robert Frank Cole, (born about 1877 somewhere near Cambridge, died 5th Dec 1952 in Amesbury) and Evelyn Mary West (born around 1889, Edinburgh, Scotland, died 27th July 1972, sorry don't know where, but probably in England). They lived in Quetta, India, for a while, and their 4 other kids (Laurence A, 1906-1986, Kenneth, 1908-1991, Marjorie, 1912-2002 and Robert Bruce (known as "Bruce", an RAF test pilot who died testing a USAF plane) 1915-1956) were also born there.

Unfortunately, I get very stuck about here, so this is the info I've got so far:
Robert Frank Cole's father was Thomas Cole, born about 1847 in Cambridgeshire and died about 1908 in the Andaman Islands (near India). He married someone with a surname like Battenson, Battison or Battson. I don't know if they married in England or elsewhere, but Thomas also appears to have links to India. I even have an old photo of Thomas Cole, but know very little about him.

If anyone can provide any info that would help me to extend this branch of my tree (which is my shortest branch), I'd be eternally grateful. Thomas Cole was a pretty common name in the mid-1800's, and I just can't find the right one...

Only candidate seems to be
Births Mar 1848 (>99%)
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COLE Thomas Mahew Chesterton 14 58

Clearly Cambridge area

There is no Evelyn Mary West born in Scotland.

Is this your ancestors death please?

Name: Eveline Mary Cole
Birth Date: 4 Nov 1881
Death Registration Month/Year: 1972
Registration district: Hounslow
Inferred County: Greater London
Volume: 5c
Page: 1056


There also is no Eveline Mary West born in Scotland.

England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
about Laurence Alan Cole
Name: Laurence Alan Cole
Birth Date: 5 Jun 1906
Death Registration Month/Year: Jan 1986
Age at death (estimated): 79
Registration district: Colchester
Inferred County: Essex
Volume: 9
Page: 2591

Groom's Name: Robert Frank Cole
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Eveline Nancy West
Bride's Birth Date:
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age:
Marriage Date: 23 Mar 1904
Marriage Place: Bombay, India
Groom's Father's Name: Thomas Cole
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name: William West
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race:
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M00207-2
System Origin: India-EASy
Source Film Number: 462970
Reference Number:
Collection: India Marriages, 1792-1948

I think you need to start again and look for the correct spellings (at least).

This then is your Grndmother's death?

Name: Eveline Mary Cole
Birth Date: 11 Dec 1919
Death Registration Month/Year: Nov 1992
Age at death (estimated): 72
Registration district: Portsmouth
Inferred County: Hampshire
Volume: 20
Page: 612


From the free to search indexes at FreeBMD

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page

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Births Dec 1919 (>99%)
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Lambert Eveline M Perkins Wandsworth 1d 1251


So you need to buy your Granmother's birth certificate to check if this is her parents' marriage.

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page

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Marriages Dec 1914 (>99%)
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Lambert Sidney A Perkins Camberwell 1d 1695
PERKINS Rose Lambert Camberwell 1d 1695

???
Groom's Name: Thomas Cole
Groom's Birth Date: 1834
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age: 28
Bride's Name: Rebecca Battinson
Bride's Birth Date: 1842
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age: 20
Marriage Date: 05 Feb 1862
Marriage Place: Secunderabad, Madras, India
Groom's Father's Name: Robert Cole
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name: William Battinson
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race:
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race:
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M00060-0
System Origin: India-EASy
Source Film Number: 521852
Reference Number:
Collection: India Marriages, 1792-1948

Wow, thanks everyone for the great info, especially safc for the Indian marriages - I've found it particularly difficult to get records for India, and didn't have that info at all. I've finally manages to get Thomas Cole's wife and father - a big step forward!

Jim the Ferret, thanks, I also found that Thomas Cole, but have no evidence to show it's the correct one. As Thomas Cole was a common name, I can't assume that there weren't 2 Thomas Cole's born the same year in Cambridgeshire.

LadyKira, thanks for the info on Laurence. I'm actually sharing trees with Laurence's son Barry, so have quite accurate info for him...

rootgatherer - I can't find Evelyn Mary West in Scotland either, which is really frustrating, as it's one fact I'm quite sure on, as she told my aunt this. Yes, Evelyn Mary Cole's Portsmouth death seems to be correct, although the DOB is 8 days out, and I remember that she died in Southampton General Hospital (I was staying with her in Ringwood, Hampshire at the time she got ill, and she died about a week later). As for the Lambert/Perkins marriage, that's a huge help, thanks sooo much!

So if 1834 is correct, how about this one?
1851 England Census
about Thos Cole
Name: Thos Cole
Age: 17
Estimated birth year: abt 1834
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Sarah
Gender: Male
Where born: Gt Morden, Cambridgeshire, England

Civil parish: Guilden Morden
Ecclesiastical parish: Oxford
County/Island: Cambridgeshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View image

Registration district: Royston
Sub-registration district: Buntingford
ED, institution, or vessel: 13a
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 72
Household Members: Name Age
John Cole 48
Sarah Cole 51
Wm Cole 22
James Cole 20
Thos Cole 17
Joseph Cole 13
Edward Cole 11
George Cole 7



Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1707; Folio: 552; Page: 21; GSU

hi
heres the web address i found them on

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start

THOMAS COLE Pedigree
Male


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event(s):
Birth:
Christening: 27 JUL 1834 Guilden Morden, Cambridge, England

Death:
Burial:


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Parents:
Father: JOHN COLE Family
Mother: SARAH

Can't find the 1834 Thomas on 1861 census.

Jim

JOHN COLE Pedigree
Male Family


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event(s):
Birth:
Christening:
Death:
Burial:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages:
Spouse: SARAH CHARTER Family
Marriage: 10 NOV 1827 Guilden Morden, Cambridge, England

Thanks Jim the Ferret for the excellent research,

Still not 100% sure that 1934 is correct, as I'd got his DOB as 13 years later around 1847. The marriage to Rebecca Battinson does make sense though, with the India link. This shows the Groom's father's name as Robert Cole, however, and your result is showing it as John Cole, so one of them is probably the wrong Thomas. Just don't want you to do unnecessary research until we can establish which Thomas is the correct one.

rootgatherer, while checking your info on the Sidney A Lambert/Rose Perkins marriage, I found two instances in 1914. The first was Sidney Arthur Lambert and Rose Perkins on 18 Sep 1914 - Southwark, Middlesex. The second (on FreeBMD) was Sidney A Lambert and Unknown Perkins in Dec 1914 - Camberwell, Greater London, London, Surrey. I guess it's possible that these are the same marriage from 2 different sources, but don't want to go astray by entering incorrect data onto my tree. What are your thoughts?

If marriage in 1862 is correct, then he must be born not later than 1843.

Jim

These are the same marriage Stefan.

On the FreeBMD entry if you click on the page number it will show you the others on the page and you will see Rose there. If you buy the marriage certificate it will give you their father's names and occupations and you can then probably pick them out on the 1911 census.

Good point - I hadn't considered that... ;)