Find Ancestors

My grandfather, ROBERT JOHN HARRIS, claimed that he was born in Liverpool c1889 and when he was apprenticed as a Seaman in 1901 to Fenwick Stobart & Co Ld in London, he stated that he was aged 15.

His father's name was also ROBERT JOHN HARRIS, his profession stated as Doctor and he was married to ANNIE THORNICROFT.

I have no other information. Do you?

Regards
Carol

have you found them on any census.You should be able to find his birth on FreeBMD

I'm not seeing a marriage for them. When and where were they married?

Rose

So far have not been able to find anything about either Robert Snr or Jnr or Annie either - no births, marriages or deaths in Liverpool or anywhere else! Do you hear my pain?

Regards
Carol

A bit of a long shot but trying to alleviate your pain!! On lancashirebmd there is a Robert J. Harris born 1875 in Liverpool and an Annie ThornEYcroft born 1872 in Salford.

Also, some people think that places on the wirral come under Liverpool. Could they be from somewhere like Birkenhead perhaps?

When and where was your father born?

I'm only seeing one Harris/Thornicroft birth but he seems to belong to another couple in Bristol.

Rose

do you the names of any siblings, of either of the Roberts?

could he actually have been younger than 15 and his father not really a doctor? just to get taken on?

have found a Robert T Harris in 1901 as a printer married to Rosina
Robert bc1875 liverpool seems too young to be R jnr's dad

It would seem that ROBERT JOHN HARRIS is a very common name, whilst THORNICROFT / THORNEYCROFT / THORNYCROFT / THORNEYCRAFT etc is quite common in the Lancashire area especially.

I don't have any details re IF they were married, WHERE they were married, WHEN they were married and if so, IF there were other children, and WHO they were!

Robert Jnr arrived in Australia as a Seaman, and the only information we have was taken from his Indenture papers as a Seaman's Apprentice in 1901 and on his marriage certificate in 1910 when he married my grandmother in Brisbane, Australia. The date of birth given on these two documents do not match - he states that he was 15 years old in 1901 and 21 in 1910, so his DOB would have been 1886 and 1889 respectively. I am wondering if he put his age up by a few years to be accepted as a Seaman, but if Robert Snr was a Doctor, would he have been happy for his 12 year old to go to sea??? I guess it depends on the Doctor and the Seaman???

I also cannot be sure that he was born in Liverpool or that his father was a Doctor! I can only work on the information as I have it. I started looking at every Robert Harris and every Annie Thornicroft in Lancashire, but went mad in the process...

I have also tried looking at the 1901 Census, including Robert Jnr, and have found nothing, and the 1911 Census for Robert Snr and Annie (Robert Jnr was living in Australia by then) and could not find them there either.

I have found a Dr Robert Harris living in Ormskirk, but he was married to Jane and their son was Robert Aspland Harris, born 1881. He was the only Dr Robert Harris practicing at around that time.

I am very interested to find out more about the Harris/Thornicroft birth in Bristol though, Rose! Can you tell me where you found them please?

The trouble with various other "known as" etc variations - I just don't know! Could have been anyone, anywhere!!!

Many thanks for all your efforts.
Regards
Carol

Hi Carol,

Use FreeBMD;

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

You can search for births and marriages with both surnames.

Rose

Thanks so much, Rose. I have had a wonderful time checking the freebdm site - but no luck so far...

Will keep trying!
Regards
Carol