Hello: My father disappeared 40 years ago without a trace. My mother had moved away and he sent a letter giving the Victoria Post Office, General Delivery, as a mailing address. An empty fishing boat was found floating, he was the last person to rent it, but a body was never found. This was around 1959-1960. In 1966 he was declared legally dead. I believe he may be out there somewhere, but I need to know either way, dead or alive, and have been searching everywhere for the last 6 months. His name was William James Lawrence Hamilton, he went by the name Bill, born on or around Salt Spring Island, BC Canada. Birthdate (around) July 19, 1935, this may not be accurate, but close! He would be about 63-64 years old now. He loved to go fishing, was 6 ft tall, with glasses and blue eyes & blond hair. He had a brother named Ross, who had a daughter named Sheryl, she was probably born in the 1950's. If anyone knows what happened to my father, please contact me! Any information or advice welcome! Deborah Reid ----- Original Message ----- From: gayle <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 1999 10:15 PM Subject: Re: [GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES] Missing Grandmother > Connie, have you looked at the 1920 census for New York to find your > grandmother with her parents (or Uncle?) Have you tried to follow her uncle > through the NY city directories, in hopes of discovering a time frame for > his death? He may have had children who could help you with information > regarding their cousin. > Your father would have been 4-5 at the time of the divorce. Most small > children can recall older folks who came to visit when they were > small....were there older people who could have been the maternal > grandparents, does he remember any cousins? Did he get Christmas gifts from > anyone after his mother left? These people might be able to help. Often > times, a cousin on the father's side may have heard stories as a young child > that could help you. > Was your father baptised? If so, the entire family (maternal and paternal) > may have attended that particular church if they all lived in the same > neighborhood. There are still people living who remember when I was > baptised, and I was born in 1940. > Am I correct in thinking one of the few reasons accepted for divorce in > early days in New York was adultery? There may have been more to the story. > While it would be nice to start with facts for today and find your > grandmother, you may need to really go back further. I would also check the > 1910 census to see if her parents are in the census. If she were one of the > younger in a family, she might have older brothers and sisters in 1910. > Does your father's birth certificate not give the birth date of his parents? > What about their marriage license application. If they were married in a > church there may be additonal information there. > Keep looking and let us know how it all turns out! > Gayle > [email protected] >