John Robertson disappears after 1871

[christanel]

1881 RG11 Piece 985 Folio 15 Page 26
5 and 6 Royal Terrace (Montrose House) Margate St John Baptist Kent
Catherine Robertson,16, Boarder/Scholar born London Kilburn, Middlesex

Berlin, Germany, Births, 1874-1909 for Catharine Dietrich
Catharine Dietrich
Maiden Name Robertson
Spouse: Carl Dietrich
Child Friedrich Alexander Dietrich
Certificate Number - 1979
The original image is in German and is on ancestry.

Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934
Kath.a Dietrich
Ethnicity/Nationality: Preußen (German)
Marital status: verheiratet (Married)
Departure Age: 36
Birth Date about 1865
Residence Place - Berlin
Departure Date: 10 Jul 1901
Departure Place - Hamburg, Deutschland (Germany)
Destination - London
Ship Name - Viola
Shipping Clerk: Hamburg-Amerika Linie (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft)
Shipping Line: A. Kirsten, Hamburg
Ship Type: Dampfschiff
Ship Flag: Deutschland
Accommodation: ohne Angabe
Travelling with her
Carl Dietrich age 8
Alex Dietrich age 4

[PDietricjh]

Christina, you are awesome.
I am on Ancestry.com and see now they have many more records than previously.
Can you tell me what GRO is and how I register? And FreeBMD?

Also, going with what you showed me, I did find John Henry Robertson, whom I believe to be the same as father of my grandmother Catherine, whose own father was a "Licensed Victualler." Like father, like son? I wonder if it was the same establishment??? Likely not.

I do not believe the second John Robertson you mentioned is the same man since my great-grandfather died in 1874.
Last questions before I completely wear out my welcome: how did you find out my grandmother Catherine Robertson was in a boarding school after her parents' death? And how do I find out how and why her parents died?

Just for you, I do have the records of my grandmother Catherine's husband, Carl Friedrick Dietrich, death in Germany, 1897, and her subsequent travel to the US. From what I can gather, she must have died during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. She was living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (one of the hottest flu spots of that time) and she was a nurse. If she did die then and was put in a mass grave as so many were, that may be why I can find no trace of her death records or grave here in the US.

I do not know how I may contribute to this website, but if anyone ever needs research done on something here in the US, I would be most happy to help!
Patricia

[christanel]

Hi
GRO index https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ype=Individual

FreeBMD https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

You can use the sights in conjuction with each other. FreeBMD is not as restrictive with their year range and you can just search by county which you can't do on the GRO index. However FreeBMD doesn't give the mother's maiden name starting Sept 1/4 1911 whereas the GRO index has them from 1837 Sept 1/4. So it is sometimes better to start with FreeBMD for possibles, narrow it down and then use the GRO index for the mmn.
Christina

[PDietricjh]

Thank you, Christina, you are very patient. I have been wallowing around on GRO Index, totally unsuccessfully. I cannot find any page that indicates I may start searching. I only find categories of "what" I may search, how to pay for copies, and how to register events now, but I will persevere! Thank you for the suggestion to start with FreeBMD, which I will do.
Patricia

[Squaredancer]

The link Christina gave takes you to the GRO site, where you need to register and set a password. (You do not need credit card details.)Then you log in - the place to do that is quite a long way down the page - and the next page asks "What would you like to do?" so you choose Search the GRO indexes.

[PDietricjh]

Hello Squaredancer,
Thank you. That worked! (Surprising what can be accomplished when one follows directions.)
I will remember you when I begin my search for my mother, who was born in Cardiff.
With renewed patience I will try again the FreeBMD.
Patricia

[christanel]

I do not believe the second John Robertson you mentioned is the same man since my great-grandfather died in 1874.

In my posts #9 and 10# re John Henry Robertson born c1866 I think this is the son of John Robertson and brother of Catherine your grandmother.

Last questions before I completely wear out my welcome: how did you find out my grandmother Catherine Robertson was in a boarding school after her parents' death?

You say you are on ancestry, does that mean you have a subscription? If so you can find Catherine on the 1881 census reference details RG11 Piece 985 Folio 15 Page 26
On ancestry search page look for the UK census collection on the RH side of page. Click on it then on the next page scroll down until you come to the list of years the census was taken. Click on England 1881. Then on the next page just enter the reference details I gave you in the appropriate boxes. In this instance you can enter her name as it is the correct spelling.
You can also use familysearch.org which is a free site and where you will find a transcription of the image but can't access the original image as you can on ancestry.com
https://www.familysearch.org/search/ type Catherine Robertson 1864 - 1866 London England in the approrpriate boxes and the 1881 transcript is the first result in the list.

And how do I find out how and why her parents died?

To find out the cause of death you will have to purchase the death certificates from the GRO site.
Christina

[christanel]

I am not allowed to be on my feet today so to fill in the time
Birth registration of Catherine's brother
Alexander Edward Robertson
Registration March 1/4 1868
Registration District Hendon, Middlesex
Vol 3a Page 120

March 1/4 was when the birth was registered but he could have been born in late November or Dec 1867 because births had to be registered within 6 weeks of birth. So with this in mind there is a birth reg for an Alexander Robertson in Dec 1867 also and he may be the one who is a physician in the 1939 England and Wales register with a birth date 5 Dec 1867. He is in Islington at Mildmay? House Conference Center. So we'll put him to one side at the moment.

Another as a maybe
London, England, City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Registers, 1841-1966
Burials
Alexander Robertson, age 63, 73a Devons road Bromley
Buried 13 April 1932

There is this marriage on FreeBMD
Marriages Sept 1/4 1899
Alexander Edward Robertson registration district Prestwich Lancashire
Frances McKinley (in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. He was born c1876 Dundee, Scotland so he can be discounted as a candidate.

Finding your Alexander Edward in the censuses is a little difficult but there is this one in 1881

1881 RG11 Piece 1493 Folio 99 Page 11
"Howard House (School)" High St Oxfordshire
Alex. Robertson Age 12 Estimated Birth Year about 1869, Boarder/Scholar
born London, Middlesex, England.

Can't see a suitable candidate in 1891/1901/1911 I wonder if he died sometime between
1881-1891 or even 1871-1891.
This is the only death 1881-1891 anywhere any time close to the correct age

Deaths September 1/4 1884
Alexander Robertson age 16 registration district Sunderland Co Durham vol 10a page 308

All of the above is speculative at the moment.

Christina