Maybe a last grasp at Peter Henry Harrison

[Merry]

If he was a foundling he (and presumably others) wouldn't know he was Italian.

I would imagine someone might say they were not wanted if they were 'abandoned' as a baby through to being thrown out in their teens.

I note there is no birth reg for Horace Duke.

[Merry]

Benjamin Cole might be not Italian, but Jewish?

I do feel there's something dodgy about this baptism entry. Not a sign of any of them anywhere and no siblings or birth reg, marriage or death for Ben jr.

[Olde Crone]

Hmm. Myra Stokes, mother of Benjamin Cole, married JOHN Coleman in 1869. Maybe just a mistake in the baptism records?

OC

[Merry]

Oh, here he is with his widowed mother, Myra, in 1891, listed as Coley:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...38&pId=4852023

and the death of Myra's husband:

Deaths Sep 1887
Coley Benjamin 43 Rotherham 9c 380

Probably Mirah Nock married Benjamin Coley Q1 1864 Dudley district.

[Merry]

Finally, here is Ben's birth reg:

COLEY, BENJAMIN SAMUEL KNOCK
GRO Reference: 1885 S Quarter in ROTHERHAM Volume 09C Page 581

I've not found a marriage or death yet.

[Merry]

There were two Ben Coley births in Rotherham around the same time. Ben Sam in 1885 Q3 (above), dob 22 July 1885, son of Ben and Myra. Secondly, Ben son of William and Caroline who was registered one month earlier and had no middle name. He was born 25 Mar 1885 and baptised in April at Rotherham Minster.

In 1891 BSC was with his mother and siblings and BC was also with his parents both in Rotherham and both recorded as born in the town.

In 1901 the situation is exactly the same (Myra includes both her son's forenames in both these census records).

In 1911 and 1939 neither of these two Ben's appear; instead there's just Benjamin Reuben Coley who was born in 1884 in a different part of the country.

So, what happened to the Rotherham men (or their mother)?

There's a burial 11 Jan 1939 for a Benjamin Coley aged 52 in Rotherham. Find a Grave suggests this is the son of William and Caroline, but he is a bit young, but no middle name. His death reg is in Doncaster district. As I can't find either Ben in 1911 I thought I'd try 1921:

In 1921 there are two Ben Coleys b abt 1884/6. One is Ben Reuben who we can ignore. The other has born about 1886 in Rotherham and no middle name. He's living in Barugh, Barnsley. Really he could be either of the two I'm looking for, but I suppose it's likely he is the same man who unhelpfully died in 1939 before the Register which would have provided a date of birth!

If this Ben showing up in 1921 is married, maybe that might help....

Oh, he's single and doesn't seem to have anyone else in his household, though he isn't listed as Head. Strange? Maybe I need to try harder with the 1911 census?

[Olde Crone]

Merry

I think neither of these are who we are looking for, the difference between Cole and Coley means I no longer see a Jewish connection, lol. But need to be eliminated I agree.

On another note, I am sure I've read somewhere that the GRO holds a register of foundlings. I'll check!

OC

[Merry]

I had a look and saw trees with BSC travelling to Canada in 1906/1907 and dying there in 1948.

Here's Ben's travel record:

Ben S Coley b abt 1885 departure 14 Sep 1906 to Quebec; Montreal, Canada

He and his mother appear with all the correct details on the 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, so I guess that's him finally eliminated.

[Margaret in Burton]

Originally Posted by Olde Crone

Merry

I think neither of these are who we are looking for, the difference between Cole and Coley means I no longer see a Jewish connection, lol. But need to be eliminated I agree.

On another note, I am sure I've read somewhere that the GRO holds a register of foundlings. I'll check!

OC

Interesting OC

Thanks for that Merry

[Merry]

I found this about foundlings.

https://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boar.../thread/717337

There's a post from someone called An Olde Crone dated 2007!