How to search for one of my Grt Grand father's.
I am a Family Historian located in the UK. I have a long standing "brick wall".
One of my Grt Grandfather's emigrated to America & disappeared & never came home.
How can I search efficiently on the Family Search web site to see if I can find where he went, when he died, & what he did in America.
He was William Bradley born 1841 in Dudley, Worcestershire, England. He married Dora Eliza Swindin in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, 14 Aug 1864. They had 11 children together. He emigrated from England sometime late 1881, to early 1882. I have looked for him in the USA many times but found no definate trace of him. I am a novice searcher on your site & need help to solve this longstanding riddle. Any help would be appreciated very much. Thank you.
Answers
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Good evening @Adjer
What else can you tell us about him? Did he bring any of his family with him or did he leave Dora and the children in England? The more we know, the more we can help. Knowing if we are looking for a family group or a single person can make a big difference in the search.
If the family also came to America, can you share their names, please? We might be able to find marriages or deaths of his children. Even if we don't find William, knowing where the rest of the family settled may open doors.
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Thank you for your prompt reply. All of his children & wife continued to live in England. He was on his own traveling to America. There is a local press cutting (Sept 1882) which states that he was writing to his wife & that he was expected to return to England soon. I have not found him on any USA immigration documentation c.1881/2 to show he arrived in the USA. His occupation was a coal miner for most of his life but he opened a small shop in the front room of his home to become a Grocer. (General dealer) about 1875. His wife died in 1886 & all the younger children were taken in by their maternal grandmother & their older married siblings. Some of their children died young, & after he left England only 7 reached maturtity. So it's a one person search just for him. Thank you, Adjer.
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Then - what were the names of his parents? If he died in the US and if he was in a state that kept vital records at that time, then we could possibly narrow the choices of same-named people by knowing his parents>
Do you know where he was when he wrote to his wife in 1882?
Vital records are held separately by state and sometimes by city/county within a state. Narrowing by location or by his parents' names might help us find him. Not all locations kept vital records in that time.
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His father was: Thomas Bradley bap.5 Mar 1811, Sedgley, Staffordshire, marriage 20 Apr 1834, to Elizabeth Ward, bap.5th Nov1815, Dudley, Worcestershire. We do not know where he was when he wrote to his wife. All we have are family stories how he left his pregnant wife to go to America & the press cutting about an application by his wife to a local court for permission to sell Beer (alcohol) in the family shop. They refused the application on account of the fact that he was not at home.
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