Genealogy Chat

Hi i am trying to find information on my great grandfather my granddad never spoke about his father and left home as soon as he could. His father was a nasty man. I think my great grandfather was born in Scotland. My grandfather name is Douglas Ronald Victor MacDonald born 1919 i dont know where he was born he married my nan Ivy Elizabeth Gomm
Please help
Lou

Could be your grandfathers birth, this will name his father, if you don't know it??

England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 about Douglas R V Macdonald
Name: Douglas R V Macdonald
Mother's Maiden Surname: Scott
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1919
Registration district: West Ham
Inferred County: Essex, Suffolk
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 361

Start by obtaining a copy of your grandfathers marriage certificate.

Under normal circumstances this should have details of his fathers name and occupation. As your grandfather does not appear to have remained close to his father however it may not but it is worth a try as if it does at least it will give you a name to work with.

Marriages Sep 1945
Gamm Ivy E Macdonald Brentwood 4a 2246
MacDonald Douglas R V Gomm Brentwood 4a 2246

Good luck

A tree on another site has this;


Name: Douglas R V MacDonald
Birth: Jul Aug Sep 1919 (Jul 1919) - Essex
Death: Mar 1996 - Brentwood, Essex, England
Parents: Douglas MacDonald, Agnes Ellen Scott

If you obtain a copy of the birth cert, you will learn the names of both of Douglas's parents

I wonder if this is the parents marriage and Agnes was married before??

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1917 (>99%)
Barber Edith M Shaw W.Ham 4a 418
>>>>Macdonald Douglas Reddy W.Ham 4a 418
>>>>Reddy Agnes E Macdonald W. Ham 4a 418
Reddy Ellen Macdonald W. Ham 4a 418
Shaw Joseph Barber W.Ham 4a 418

Previous marriage??

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1898 (>99%)
French William Henry Woolwich 1d 2238
HEAD Alice Woolwich 1d 2238
>>>>>>>>>>Reddy James Woolwich 1d 2238
>>>>>>>>>>>Scott Agnes Ellen Woolwich 1d 2238

Douglas's mother??

Name: Agnes E Macdonald
Birth Date: abt 1880
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1956
Age at Death: 76
Registration district: Eton
Inferred County: Buckinghamshire
Volume: 6a
Page: 361

His father??

Name: Douglas V Macdonald
Birth Date: abt 1884
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1957
Age at Death: 73
Registration district: Poplar
Inferred County: London
Volume: 5d
Page: 242

??????????

1911 England Census about Agnes Ellen Reddy
Name: Agnes Ellen Reddy
Age in 1911: 31
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1880
Relation to Head: Wife
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Southampton, Hampshire
Civil parish: West Ham
County/Island: Essex
Country: England
Street Address: 16 Custom House, Winton Road E
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 12
Estimated Marriage Year: 1899
Registration district: West Ham
Registration District Number: 188
Sub-registration district: Canning Town
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Household schedule number: 302
Piece: 9481
Household Members:
Name Age
James Reddy 41
Agnes Ellen Reddy 31
James Reddy 10
Nellie Reddy 8
Thomas Reddy 6
Gertrude Reddy 3
Edward Reddy 1

Just thinking this may give us a better idea of how old Douglas Snr was.

2 possibles in the area;

1911 England Census about Douglas McDonald
Name: Douglas McDonald
Age in 1911: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Relation to Head: Boarder
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Madras, India
Civil parish: West Ham
County/Island: Essex
Country: England
Street Address: 50 Cambus Road, Canning Town E
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: General Labourer
Registration district: West Ham
Registration District Number: 188
Sub-registration district: Canning Town
ED, institution, or vessel: 42
Household schedule number: 209
Piece: 9512
Household Members:
Name Age
Charles Scorey 60
Agnes Scorey 50
Douglas McDonald 28





1911 England Census about Douglas Macdonald
Name: Douglas Macdonald
Age in 1911: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Devonport, Devon
Civil parish: West Ham
County/Island: Essex
Country: England
Street Address: 11 Humberstone Road, Tunmarsh Lane, Plaistow, West Ham, London E
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Clerk Civil service Admiralty
Registration district: West Ham
Registration District Number: 188
Sub-registration district: Plaistow
ED, institution, or vessel: 39
Household schedule number: 6
Piece: 9449
Household Members:
Name Age
Douglas Macdonald 41
Alice Macdonald 42
Harry Macdonald 11
Alice Macdonald 3

Douglas's sister??

Name: Flora M Macdonald
Mother's Maiden Surname: Scott
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1917
Registration district: West Ham
Inferred County: Essex
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 231

Name: Flora M Macdonald
Spouse Surname: Coleman
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1941
Registration district: Brentwood
Inferred County: Essex
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 2083

Name: Flora Margaret Coleman
Birth Date: 7 Sep 1917
Date of Registration: Jun 2000
Age at Death: 82
Registration district: Chichester
Inferred County: Sussex
Register Number: B54B
District and Subdistrict: 7792B
Entry number: 107

More from that tree;

Name: Douglas MacDonald
Birth: 1884
Marriage: Jan-Feb-Mar 1917 (Jan 1917) - West Ham, Essex
Parents: William Henry MacDonald
Spouse: Agnes Ellen Scott

Address that DRV Macdonald was born at is the same address that Agnes Reddy is living at in 1911.

thank you all i will sit down and go through them all

i know my great grandmother was Agnes they had 3 or 4 sons all died in the war or round the war apart from my grandfather.

My mother (she was told by my fathers dad she thinks) told me what my great grandfather did to my great grandmother i was shocked that she stayed with him this side of the family have shut down on me when i asked questions about all this. My father said that granddad never spoke about his father or mother and left as soon as he could