Thanks for your help Caroline. I've printed them all out and am trying to work something out. I'm not convinced that the 1942 one is him, it's way out of his league and the age is different, I think a bit too old. Still, it will keep me entertained for a while! Lin -----Original Message----- From: sog-uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:sog-uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Caroline Gurney Sent: 26 June 2014 21:30 To: sog-uk@rootsweb.com Cc: prwalker51@gmail.com Subject: Re: [SOG-UK] A Brick Wall to rival Hadrian! Lin, I think newspapers may help breach your brick wall. The Nottingham Evening Post has reports of a number of court cases from the right time period involving a Robert Lees, hawker, who sold fruit from a market stall. He lived in Montfort Street, Radford. Do you have access to the British Newspaper Archive, either directly or via FindMyPast? Contact me offlist at research@carolinegurney.com and I'll let you have details of the newspapers in which the reports appear. Caroline Gurney http://www.carolinegurney.com On 26 June 2014 16:43, Linda <lin.taylor@talktalk.net> wrote: > Hi > > > > I wonder if anyone could help me with some research I'm doing for a friend. > His father was illegitimate and I'm having problems finding anything! > > > > He was Frederick Lees Walker born in Nottingham on 30th March 1913 to > Amelia Walker (nee Harwood) and Robert Lees. Amelia had left her > husband by the > 1911 census and the family story is that 'Uncle Bob' (Robert Lees) visited. > He was thought to be a greengrocer as he always brought fruit for the > children when they were sent out to play while he 'chatted' to Amelia. > I do realise that he could just have stopped off for a pound of apples > on his way! There is also supposed to be a London connection but nobody knows what. > > > > Amelia died in 1916 when Frederick was 3 years old and he went to live > with his older sister. It is known that Robert Lees kept in touch > with him during this time and Frederick went to live with Robert when > he was about 15 years old (about 1928). West Bridgford has been > mentioned and I assume this may be where Frederick lived with Robert as it's not where he was born. > > > > Frederick did spend some time as a jockey in Newmarket although we > don't know when. I have contacted the Horseracing Museum to see if > they hold any record of apprentices but they don't. > > > > After that Frederick became a painter & decorator and married in Much > Wenlock in 1939. This was his first marriage - his son was born from > his second marriage which was in Germany. I sent for a copy of this > marriage certificate and it gives his father as Robert Lees Walker > (which we know is > incorrect) and a hawker. It doesn't say he was deceased. Mind you, > the ages of both bride and groom are also incorrect so I don't know > how useful this is! > > > > We don't know where Robert Lees was born so birth records aren't of > any help. I'm assuming him to be about the same age as Amelia (b > 1872) If Frederick was born in March 1913, he was conceived in June > 1912 and assuming that Amelia had known him for a while, I expected to > find him on the 1911 census in or around Nottingham. The only Robert > Lees listed are all accounted for with wives and families. I know he > could have forgotten to mention them when he visited but I'm sure they > would have been mentioned when Frederick lived with his father. > > > > Assuming he WAS alive in 1939 and was about the same age as Amelia, > I've looked for death records in Nottingham for 20 years or so after > that but nothing promising. > > > > I've also searched the Nottingham directories (residential and > commercial) for 1910/11 and 1913/14 (when Robert Lees should have been > in Nottingham) and 1925 and 1928 when Frederick was living with him. > I know these only list householders and there's no-one obvious and > I've checked any other Lees in case he was living with family. > > > > I've thought about school records for Frederick (which are in > Nottingham Records office and I'm in Essex) but think they will only > give me the address of his sister if he was living with her when he > was registered at school. I've also asked about electoral records, > but these are listed by address and I don't know that. > > > > I've looked at what army records are left for the 1914/18 war just in > case but again, the only Robert Lees don't fit. > > > > I've thought about the 1939 register for identity cards but they ask > for all the details I don't have! > > > > Frederick joined the army in 1941, moved to Germany, divorced his > first wife and married a German lady. Ironically he did try to trace > his father in > 1951 but of course the GRO wasn't computerised in those days and > couldn't help him. > > > > If anyone could come up with any suggestions of where I could look > next I would be extremely grateful! > > > > Many thanks > > > > Lin > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SOG-UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SOG-UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message