Hi everyone, Ever read to the end of a detective story and still not known "who-dun-it"? I have a disappearance with no apparent way of solving it. You see, my maternal Gran had 3 uncles and 1 aunt on her dad's side of the family. Her father Alfred Jackson was born 23/07/1874 in Manchester England. His parents - Richard Matthew Jackson and Isabella Parsons were both born in London. They had 5 children - he was the youngest - and he was the only one not born in London. He often told my Gran about when he lived in Boston USA. In fact, he wanted to take his family to live there as an adult, his wife wouldn't go. In 1881, according to the census his family were split up - the two oldest children living with their paternal grandfather, the youngest two in and industrial school and the middle one with his mother in a workhouse. No trace can be found of Richard Matthew at all - was he still in America. That's not the mystery though. The oldest son Richard, also went to America in later life. His son William by this time was married, and stayed here. Father and son communicated regularly by letter, until the last letter arrived in 1915. Richard told William in that letter that he would be returning to England on board "The Lusitania". Everyone knows what happened to that ship on that voyage, but no-one knows what happened to Richard, his wife or her mother travelling together. What is known is that they were not mentioned among the people who perished, nor amongst the survivors, nor were they ever seen nor heard of since. If Richard did not perish aboard the Lusitania, where did he go, and why did he never contact his son after that last time? A true mystery - any ideas anyone? Good Luck and Happy tree climbing, love Beverley