Hi Folks
Following on from my brick wall regarding my Grandfather I've now received his death certificate. I'm posting this as a kind of update for all those who helped and also to try and clarify my thoughts (and if I'm getting things horribly wrong I'd appreciate any guidance)
It has confirmed a number of things:
- where he lived when he died and his second wife (thank you Grangers14 for your help in finding that in the first place)
- he was 68 on 4/7/66 so he was born between 5/7/1897 & 4/7/1898
Deductions:
- Given he was 23 on 14/3/1922 the date of his marriage. His DOB is between 15/3/98 and 4/7/98
New information:
- My father was the informant - so I'm confident this is the right guy!
- His Occupation at death was Skilled Labourer (Naval Dockyard) Retired
So absolute facts I know about William James Wells:
- Born in 1998
- Married in 14/3/1922 and was a "Driver RE" at that time. His spouse was my Grandmother
- Lived on Beacon Hill, Chatham
- Divorced in 1937
- Remarried (haven't found date)
- Died 4/7/1966 as a retired Skilled Labourer from the Naval Dockyard
- Died at Jubilee Terrace, Gillingham
- His Widow at death was Ellen Jessie Wells
- Never got to see England as World Cup Winners!!!
So.....where do I go with this?
I'm trying to trace alleged Maltese ancestry so I need to go back to find the correct parentage of William James Wells.
I'm of a mind to try and track down his employment record at Chatham Dockyard to see if that will tell me anything.
I'm aware of a number of military records in the Royal Engineers records (thank you SRD). I think I will get hold of those and see that they tell me. Based on what I find here I believe I can request his complete Military Record.
Any advice or guidance on these steps would be welcomed!
Phil