Herbert Maurice Douglas

[Timmonthamdoug]

This is great. I shall start looking Now.

[Coromandel]

The National Archives' catalogue is down at the moment so I can't double check . . . but I seem to remember that when I was looking for a First World War medal roll card for Herbert Maurice Douglas the only one I came up with was a Maurice Herbert Leonard Douglas. Could this be the same man? Perhaps someone could check the card on Ancestry to see if it gives any clues.

The reason that I have come back to Maurice is that FamilySearch in its 'India Births and Baptisms' collection has a baptism for a Maurice Herbert Leonard Douglas on 28 December 1885 at Ambala, Bengal. His date of birth is given as 18 August 1885 and his parents as Edward William Spencer Douglas and Florence Emily.

His d.o.b. would fit very nicely with the one shown as born in Kussowli/Kasauli on 1901/1911 census, and Ambala isn't far from Kasauli.

[Coromandel]

Other children of Edward William Spencer Douglas & Florence Emily (from FamilySearch):
- son John Ronald Douglas, born 26 Aug 1881 and bapt. 28 Aug 1881 at Fatehgurh, Bengal
- son Donald James Douglas, born 2 Jan 1884 and bapt 24 Feb 1884 at Jhansi, Bengal

This was possibly a second marriage for Edward, as there's a marriage of a 25 year old Edward William Spencer Douglas to Ellen Eaton Tulloch at Toondla, Bengal, on 18 Feb 1875; he was 25 and son of Edward Ronald Douglas; she was 19 and daughter of Henry C. Tulloch. Edward & Ellen had a son Edward Archibald Ross Douglas, born 28 Sept 1877 and bapt 1 Jan 1878 at Etawah, Bengal.

The 'Times of India' of 21 October 1878 had this death announcement:

'Oct 13th at Simla Ellen Eaton wife of Edward Spencer Douglas Assist Engineer Ganges Canal aged 22 years'

This is from the FIBIS database at
https://
search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/

[Coromandel]

Herbert M. Douglas, a farmer, aged 47
Violet Douglas, h(ouse) wife, aged 43

When searching for a possible marriage of Herbert and Violet, I did have a look on FreeBMD. I didn't find anything, and so assumed that the marriage had taken place overseas.

However, looking again for a marriage but this time for Maurice Douglas, I see that there is a marriage in the Maidenhead district in the third quarter of 1915 for Maurice H.L. Douglas and Violet D. Lee. You could send off for a copy of the marriage certificate from the GRO.

According to Ancestry24 there is an entry (dated 1943) in the Transvaal Deceased Estates Index (ref. 3399/51) for Maurice Herbert Leonard Douglas, passport no. 68361:

https://
ancestry24.com/search-item/?id=C2246108

I don't know how you would go about finding out more about this Transvaal record: I'm sure other members will be able to advise, though.

[Coromandel]

In fact, he died in England!

The death of 58 year old Maurice H.L. Douglas was registered in the Bedford district in the second quarter of 1943. (From FreeBMD). You could send off for a copy of his death certificate.

[Coromandel]

there is a marriage in the Maidenhead district in the third quarter of 1915 for Maurice H.L. Douglas and Violet D. Lee.

From the passenger list, the Violet Douglas travelling with Herbert M. Douglas was 43 in 1932, so born about 1889.

There is a birth registration for a Violet Dale Lee in the Chertsey district in the second quarter of 1889 . . . and there is an entry in the National Probate Calendar for a Violet Dale Douglas who died in South Africa in 1956. Perhaps someone could take pity on me and look up the details.

Edit: so Violet must have gone back to South Africa at some point.

[Coromandel]

FamilySearch has a baptism for Violet Dale Lee, daughter of Richard Dale Lee & Mathilda, at Chertsey on 19 July 1889. Baptisms for two of her sisters give their mother's first name as Mathilde. Also on FamilySearch is the marriage of Richard Dale Lee and Mathilde Heissinger at Atlow, Derbyshire, on 8 August 1880.

eGGSA has a photograph of a memorial to Violet Dale Douglas giving her dates as 23 April 1889 to 24 March 1956:

https://www.
eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=1869283

The memorial is in the old cemetery, Memoriam Street, George, Western Cape. One other side of the memorial visible in the photo is to somebody with the surname Lee. From the black markings on the top of the memorial I think this is the same memorial shown in another photo here:

https://www.
eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=1869286

This side of the memorial commemorates Norman Lee (b. 6 March 1883, d. 2 Feb 1955). Was he Violet's brother? Perhaps census returns would shed light on this.

[geneius]

Records at TNA for Herbert M DOUGLAS

https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...s?uri=C1072496

[geneius]

One to keep on the side, if you copy part of the text into google the item will come up!

An e book
John Alexander Henderson. History of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen. (page 10 of 45)

ANGUS John, born 1845, sometime of 79th Highlanders, 7th Royal

Fusiliers, and York and Lancaster Regiment. Lieut.-
Colonel, Army Pay Dept. (retired) ; served in Afghan
War, 1878-79 (medal). Married, in 1870, Edith Mary, dau.
of the late Edward Ronald Douglas, CLE., Dept. Inspector
General of Post Office of IndiaJohn,

groom's name: John Angus
bride's name: Edith Mary Douglas
marriage date: 05 Sep 1870
marriage place: Mussoorie, Bengal, India
groom's father's name: John Angus
bride's father's name: Edward Ronald Douglas
indexing project (batch) number: M75022-1
system origin: India-EASy
source film number: 499039

[Timmonthamdoug]

Isn't life irónic. In 1989,I Was in Simla backpacking. Little did I great grandfather buried his first wife hére.Again, Thank you so much. Is there any Way to find out Where edward ronald Douglas Was born?