Claude Henry Uhthoff/Parnall

[sparnall]

I discovered this Forum when I searched for my grandfather, Claude Henry Uhthoff/Parnall, and found a very interesting thread started by KatherineL. I have tried to PM her, but my message seems to be stuck in my Outbox. The thread that Katherine started is now 'parked', but I could add information that I have gleaned from family records. As a newbie I don't really know where to start on this, but I am assuming that KatherineL or others on that thread might get in contact with me.

All the best,

Simon

[peterd]

there two in brick wall archive

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=22066&p=211949&hilit=Claude+Henry+Uhthoff%2FParnall#p211949

and

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=22063&p=211943&hilit=Claude+Henry+Uhthoff%2FParnall#p211943

maybe grangers14, or BC Wench could re activate them into the general discussion section so you can add to it or ask a question

KatherineL may not able to answer her messages for some reason, 2019 was nearly 4 years ago the post

[grangers14]

Thank you Peter . I have moved both back to brick walls

[sparnall]

Here's what I know....

The address on Claude's birth certificate (which I have) is 150 Finborough Road, Kensington - with parents Enrique Antonio Uhthoff (Merchant's Clerk) and Annie Louisa Uhthoff (formerly Brookes). He was born on 19/6/1987 and baptised on 1/8/1897 at St Philips, Kensington.

They subsequently lived at 133 Finborough Road, Earls Court.

Claude changed his surname, using Parnall instead of Uhthoff, presumably when Annie married Arthur Parnall. Subsequently, on 29/7/1940 John Babbington Parnall signed a Statutory Declaration (which I also have). This says that Claude used the name Parnall from the time of his mother's remarriage. The declaration also shows that John Babbington Parnall honestly believed that Enrique Uhthoff had died in the South African War and that Annie Louise was a widow at the time of her remarriage, however he says he cannot explain why she had reverted to her maiden name of Brookes and declared herself to be a spinster on her wedding to Arthur Henry Parnall. The facts do appear to be rather different, don't they.

Claude arrived in USA 28/6/1903 from Liverpool on the Umbria, 29/11/1904 from Southampton on the Mesaba and possibly on 10/5/1909 on the Minnewaska.

He travelled from Southampton to New York 19/11/1903 to 29/11/1903 on SS Mesaba with his mother. Ellis Island records show Annie Louise (Lawson) Parnall as 25 years old and Claude as 6 years old, visiting Husband (Arthur) at 21 West 69th Street.

According to Claude's account in an article (Giants of Fleet Street) in the British Journal of Photography (29/2/1980), Arthur was a stockbroker who went to live in New York and there became a journalist on the New York World. Arthur lived there with Annie, whilst Claude remained in the UK, being educated at a boarding school in Worthing and travelling to New York by himself for the summer holidays. The article says that he then went to a boarding school in the USA - St. George's College and studied with Cornelius Vanderbilt with whom he became friendly. He must mean St. George's School, Newport - where William Henry Vanderbilt III (Cornelius' great grandson!, 24/11/01 - 14/4/1981) studied.

Claude recalls being present with his parents and witnessing the murder of Stanford White at Madison Square Garden. This event can be dated as 25/6/1906.

After Arthur's death in the USA (6/4/1911 - recorded in Manhattan, Certificate Number 11849, Soundex P654), Claude and his mother returned to England where they were befriended by Mr Pullitzer's private secretary on the New York World, a friend of Arthur's who was in England at the time. Claude's article suggests, and other sources confirm, that this man was Col Norman Graham Thwaites. Lodgings were secured for them in Pimlico until, when Claude was 15 and a half, his mother died and he was left on his own. Col Thwaites (his 'guardian') continued to help him and was instrumental in getting him a job on the Daily Mail.

Other characters in his life were his 'uncle and aunt', Frank Wilton, who owned Heath Barton at Goring on Thames. There is a record on the back of a photograph we have of the house at Goring on Thames, titled 'Holidays at Goring-on-Thames Aug 19th to Sep 3rd 1919', with a record of his address as 18 Denbigh Street Pimlico SW1.

Claude was an official navy photographer in the second world war, and many of his wartime photographs are online: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cate ... ry_Parnall

Claude and my grandmother retired to Bexhill-on-Sea and later both came to live with us with in Norbury, London SW16. He died in hospital nearby in Croydon on 21/4/1986. His half sister, Ida Uhthoff (daughter of Enrique and May) must have lived quite near to us - the London Gazette records Ida's death as 10/3/2000 at Coombe Hill Nursing Home, Adelaide Road, Surbiton. It seems sad to me that Claude and Ida were physically so near and yet, almost certainly, neither ever knew about the other.