Oswald Maurice Wooster after 1901

[keith.robinson]

Hi all,

I have really drawn a dead end on this one. Oswald Maurice or Morris Wooster. Born 1888 Wealdstone Middlesex England. Son of Moses W and Thirza Wooster. He is last recorded as a 13 year old living at home with his parents in Wealdstone on the 1901 census. I have been all through the categories on my Ancestry subscription and looked at Family Search, The Great Wooster Tree and Google. He just disappears.
If anyone has more suggestions, I am happy to follow them up.

Happy hunting

Keith

[wimsey]

on the 1911 census does Moses give his total number of children and if any had died ?

why can't I find Oswald's 1888 birth registration ?

[Megan Roberts]

His birth was registered in 1888 as Oswald Morris PEARCE, so he must have been born before his parents married.

According the 1911 census for his parents they had had 4 children 1 of whom had died. That child was Agnes Daisy who was born in 1895 and who died in 1897, so therefore Oswald was alive in 1911 - now we just have to find him.

[Megan Roberts]

He appears in the 1911 Census as Oswald Morris Pearce, married to Elizabeth with 2 children and living at 6 Greta Road Wealdstone, Pinner.

He survived the 1st World War and died in 1955 in Harrow.

[keith.robinson]

Absolutely correct Megan. He was born Feb 1888 and his parents married July 1888. From that he is easily traced to his marriage and on to his death in Harrow in 1955.

[wimsey]

actually I find that quite interesting

did he have to marry as Oswald Pearce or could he have married as Oswald Wooster if he wanted to ?

[Megan Roberts]

I don't believe that he would have had to prove his identity to marry - people didn't in those days. In fact I would guess that people only started to get their birth certificates after 1911, if they were children, in order to prove their ages for the purposes of the Factory Act. The birth certificates that I have for my grandparents (born 1899) specifically state that's why they were issued.

I wondered about him reverting to Pearce, and maybe he had fallen out with Moses, or maybe Moses wasn't his biological father.

[wimsey]

thanks Megan

[keith.robinson]

It looks like he was registered at birth in 1888 as a Pearce, was a Wooster when he was baptised in 1889 as son of Moses and Thirza and in the 1891 and 1901 census as son of Moses and Thirza. He became Pearce by 1907 when he married and stayed that way when he enlisted for WW1 and until his death in 1955.

[christanel]

He is on the 1939 register
Oswald M Pearce
Birth Date 28 Feb
Occupation General Labourer Heavy Work
Address 139 Byron Rd Harrow, Middlesex
with Elizabeth B Pearce
Frdk W Pearce born 20 November 1910 Bricklayer
Jessia M Pearce born 1 May 1923 Printer's packer apprentice

Also on numerous Electoral registers
1919 at 7 Greta Rd.
1950/1951/1952 at 836 Kipling Place
1953 836 Heather Way Harrow
1955 Oswald, Elizabeth and Charles Pearce and Ellen Pearce at 136 Kenton lane, Harrow.
Christina