I seem to have mislaid my grandfather. He has disappeared, again.
I started my search for Patrick Stanley in 2006. The lack of census returns for Ireland in 1891 was a known problem. I looked for him in both Ireland and England on the 1901 census (taken 31st March) without success. (I rechecked earlier to make sure that I had not missed him.) The record of him joining the military in Yorkshire in August 1902 was the first documentary evidence of his existence since his birth in March 1883. (see ‘Joining the militia’) I still have no idea where he was in 1901.
In common with hundreds of thousands of other people, I was looking forward to the release of the 1911 results (taken 2nd April) when they were made available in January 2009. I duly found him living with his sister, Mary, in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. His occupation was given as ‘Soldier, Private’. As a reservist, this is technically correct. He had completed his eight years of full-time service over five months earlier.
I have covered his two periods of service in Great War (follow the entries tagged ‘Great War’). He was discharged from the Army in October 1918. In April 1920, he married Edith Delves in Brighton, Sussex. Their first child, William Thomas Stanley was born a few months later. By the usual standards of tracing a descendant this is all quite satisfactory and predictable.
The 1921 census was taken on 19th June. (It had been delayed from the usual end of March schedule by industrial unrest.) It became available to view in January 2022. I did not rush to look at it for information on Patrick because I knew where he was living. Or so I thought.
Edith and son William appear in the return for 42 Grantham Road, Brighton. They are living with Edith’s father (Thomas Delves) and mother (Charity) and two other siblings. Patrick is not there. Where is he? And why is he not with the rest of the family?
At the time, Edith would have been about three months pregnant with their second child, Kathleen. That means that he must have been there in March 1921. He appears on the 1924 Electoral Register living at 42 Grantham Road. His health was not good because of his experiences in the Great War. He was probably unemployed so money would have been tight.
I have looked for the following:
- Patrick Stanley, born on any date. There were 34 of these, but no good match.
- Males with the surname Stanley in Sussex. 146 of these, but, again, no good match
- Males with the surname Stanley born in Ireland anywhere in the country. 77 of these, but still no good match (This search does find his brother John in Dewsbury)
- Any surnames born in Roscommon between 1882 and 1886. 288 of these but still no joy
- I also looked for ‘Stanley Patrick’
To quote from the Scarlet Pimpernel, “They seek him here, they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven or is he in hell? That demned elusive Pimpernel.” The same sentiment applies to my Irish Pimpernel.