Find Ancestors

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

find granfather

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Joanne

Joanne Report 31 May 2012 01:34

My grandfather William Smyth was in the BEF and went to Roorkee, India were he married Susan Endersby from Bedfordshire before they went to the army base. Their son David Patraick William Smyth was born there in 1910.
William was supposed to have come from Wexford, Eire. I cannot find any information on William and 'am trying to find a birth certificate for him, his marriage certificate or any kind of army record.

His father was Patrick Smyth also in the BEF and from Ireland and yet cannot find any info on him either. Can anyone help with the Indian end of this or anything else. :-S

Liam

Liam Report 31 May 2012 02:21

Hi' Joanne,
Is it possible,this is who your looking for ?

Marriage - 9th Dec 1908, Karachi,Bombay, India

William Smith + Elizabeth Endersby.

Grooms Father - Patrick Smith.

Brides Father - David Endersby.

Liam

BatMansDaughter

BatMansDaughter Report 31 May 2012 02:37

Hi Joanne,

if Liam has the right couple then this maybe of help;

"Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," William Smith, 1908
« Back to search results

No image available
Search collection
About this collection
name: William Smith
registration district: Karachi
event type: MARRIAGES
registration quarter and year: Oct - Dec 1908
estimated birth year:
age (at death):
mother's maiden name:
film number: 101261
volume number:
page number: 47
digital folder number: 4199363
image number: 00441

name: Elizabeth Endersby
registration district: Karachi
event type: MARRIAGES
registration quarter and year: Oct - Dec 1908
estimated birth year:
age (at death):
mother's maiden name:
film number: 101261
volume number:
page number: 47
digital folder number: 4199363
image number: 00441

Susan

Susan Report 31 May 2012 08:14

Nudge

mgnv

mgnv Report 1 Jun 2012 00:54

Re BMD's post:


The GRO(I) index thru 1958 (excl N. Ireland post-partition) is available at:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=UNITED_KINGDOM_IRELAND

One can purchase certs (or cheaper still, the uncertified images of the rego) via:
http://www.groireland.ie/

The Irish 1901/1911 censuses are free at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

mgnv

mgnv Report 1 Jun 2012 04:38

There are 2 groups of service records for those who served pre-WW1.
The first group retired permanently from the army pre-WW1 - their records survive.
The second either were in the army on 4/8/1914 or were recalled to service. Their records were placed with all the other WW1 army records - 70% of these records were destroyed by fire, during WW2, I think. (My grandad's survived, but you can only read 60% of them - in the middle of the pages - the edges are all charred.)
What did survive is the WW1 medal cards - these will show at what date he entered an active theatre - in your case, France, since you say they were in the BEF. I know some Indian based divisions went to Egypt/Palestine, Mesopotamia (i.e., Iraq), and German East Africa (i.e., Tanzania).

Susan

Susan Report 1 Jun 2012 08:23

I don't know if this man is yours.

1911 England Census
about Patrick Smyth Name: Patrick Smyth
Age in 1911: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891
Relation to Head: Private
Birth Place: Wexford, Ireland
County/Island: Military
Country: England
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Nil
Registration District Number: 641
ED, institution, or vessel: India
Piece: 34990
Household Members: Name Age
Patrick Smyth 20


Susan

Susan Report 1 Jun 2012 10:09

Another guess,I am just posting what comes up as there is not a lot on this family to be found.

Ireland, Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911
about William Smyth Name: William Smyth
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 12 Dec 1879
Birth Place: Brownstown, Kildare, Ireland
Father's Name: Patrick Smyth
Mother's name: Jane Conlan Smyth
FHL Film Number: 256039

Joanne

Joanne Report 12 Jan 2013 22:20

Thanks to everyone for helping in this. I am sorry I have not gotten back before now.
Liam and BatMansdaughter seem to be right on. I have managed to find out some info and my Grandfather Patrick Smyth was born abt 1877, he died in 1935 in Luton , Beds according to the census as did my Grandmother a year later.
His wife, my Grandmother Suan Elizabeth's father was David Endersby and I have managed to find information on the Endersby side of the family.
Her sister Catherine Endersby , my Great Auntie being the only one I meet.
Not sure how to go backwards and find info on William , Patricks father.
Thanks to Susan and mgnv for their help. Still trying to figure this out.
thanks again
joanne