Carolynn Trimmer Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. My father is nearly 80 and is not in good health, he was raised by his grandfather in Belfast in Northern Ireland and was in WW1. I am going to try and locate his grandfathers records but don't know were to start. I know his name is William Rowan, he served in WW1 and came from the Shankill Road in Belfast. He was married to Annie Rowan. I don't have any dates of births or anything like that but I know he raised my father and his sister. Can you please point me in the right direction. This is the start of my journey to find his records and what happened to him as my father remembers that he came back a different person, of course we know now why that was. I really appreciate your help and happy to pay subscriptions to any sites, which one would be the best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 (edited) large amount of service papers were destroyed in bombing during ww2 so you might be unlucky. snippets can be found from other sources once and if we can narrow this down id suggest both ancestry and findmypast and use free trial Edited 21 February , 2020 by Coldstreamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 Hi Carolynn, Welcome to the forum. As a starter, there is some very good free advice on how to go about trying to research a soldier on the Long, Long Trail - click here. Do you have access to any of his medals? Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 Welcome...and good luck in your search. Any additional family details that you can provide will help immensely but as a starter for 10 from Ancestry are any of this chap's details correct for your great grandfather? George British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 Pension Records View Image Record information. Name William Rowan Mother Margaret Rowan Birth abt 1896 Residence 1915 63 Walton Street, Belfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 Or perhaps this family, also courtesy of Ancestry Name: William Rowan Gender: Male Age: 43 Birth Year: abt 1868 Relation to Head: Head Residence Date: 2 Apr 1911 Townland/Street: Woodvale Road District: Shankill County: Antrim Household Members: Name Age William Rowan 43 Annie Rowan 38 Stewart Rowan 13 William John Rowan 9 Kathleen Rowan 6 George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 21 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 21 February , 2020 Same record exists on FMP William was discharged in 1915 because of paralysis of muscles in his right arm. He was born in 1896. FMP Link Edit refers to George's first reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 His Birth probably explains why you do not have the information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyle3 Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 (edited) From the 1911 census, William Rowan senior seems too old, and William John Rowan seems too young. William discharged in 1915 wasn't a changed man with 40 odd days experience (unless he enlisted later under another name) the signature of a William Rowan from 201 Shankill Rd, Belfast appears on the Ulster Covenant database https://apps.proni.gov.uk/ulstercovenant/image.aspx?image=M0050570017 The 1918 directory has William Rowan as a Provision Merchant with addresses as 201 Shankill Rd and 102 Woodvale Rd https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/alphanames1918R.htm As already noted above, the 1911 census gives a William and Annie at 65 Woodvale Rd, married 14years. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Shankill/Woodvale_Road/172316/ They appear to be in Percy St in the 1901 census, eldest son Stewart aged 3 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Woodvale_Ward/Percy_Street/1007389/ The 1907 directory has William Rowan, Provision Merchant, at 201 Shankill, 26 Percy St and 2 other addresses in Lawnbrook Avenue. No Percy St reference in 1908 directory https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/alphanames1907R.htm https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/alphanames1908R.htm Stewart appears to have been born in 1898 in Woodvale and Annie's maiden name is given as Whiteside https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1898/02098/1799595.pdf based on a family tree on Ancestry, Stewart died 1929 in Australia. William and Annie appear to have married march 1897 https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1897/10440/5801690.pdf Nothing so far to confirm military service. EDIT : The NI wills index is another free resource. https://apps.proni.gov.uk/WillsCalendar_IE/WillsSearch.aspx Rowan William of 201 Shankill Road and of "Rossclair" 21 Old Cavehill Road both in Belfast provision merchant died 9 August 1936 at 8 Mount Charles Belfast Probate Belfast 19 October to Annie Rowan the widow and William John Rowan provision merchant. Rowan William John Whiteside of "Shanoge" Orlock county Down retired merchant died 8 December 1958 at Donaghadee county Down Probate Belfast 2 April to Elsie Rowan the widow. William Rowan of Emerson's Row, Shankill served in the Royal Navy during WW1 and settled in England. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Shankill/Emerson_s_Row/171877/ His younger half brother Edward Rowan was killed in 1940 https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2804573/rowan,-edward/ Edited 21 February , 2020 by doyle3 Added will info and another Rowan from Shankill area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyle3 Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 If your Dad is nearly 80, he was born in 1940/1. If he remembers his grandfather coming back a changed person, he must have known him? Did he serve in WW2 rather than WW1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 3 hours ago, Carolynn Trimmer said: I don't have any dates of births or anything like that I'm sorry Carolyn, but that's exactly where you must start. Everything else is just speculative guesswork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 34 minutes ago, doyle3 said: If your Dad is nearly 80, he was born in 1940/1. If he remembers his grandfather coming back a changed person, he must have known him? Did he serve in WW2 rather than WW1? I think we are talking about this man´s grandfather, in other words his grandfather would have been born almost certainly between 1880 and 1900. So would/could have served in WW1. It is difficult to see why OP has her father seeing a changed grandfather. unless it is a family story that WW1 changed him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 21 February , 2020 Share Posted 21 February , 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: I'm sorry Carolyn, but that's exactly where you must start. Everything else is just speculative guesswork. I am afraid Carolyn that is correct. We can spend hours postulating and trying to eliminate one William Rowan or another, but get nowhere For example the first George Rowan highlighted by George above can be followed through - and is internally self consistant - but it does not appear to be your great grandad when we did deeper. But he then appears on an Ancestry tree as married to Jane Simpson - click for tree - and they have children during the time your father was born Which states he died in Wigan in 19 Jul 1968 Carolyn, to progress you could start with 1. Your father´s birth cert which will give his parents, their address 2. Your grandparents marriage certificate, which will give the name of his father and his address at time of marriage 3. And who was your fathers sister We would be in a position at that point to find the family in 1922 census, and hence be able to hone in more closely on his trying to find his army record There are 36 Medal Index Cards for William Rowans, and we have nothing at the moment to eliminate any of those (assuming he did in fact serve overseas) Edited 21 February , 2020 by corisande Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyle3 Posted 22 February , 2020 Share Posted 22 February , 2020 Carolynn, well done for taking an interest!! Hope you ultimately find what you are looking for. Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolynn Trimmer Posted 22 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2020 13 hours ago, George Rayner said: Or perhaps this family, also courtesy of Ancestry Name: William Rowan Gender: Male Age: 43 Birth Year: abt 1868 Relation to Head: Head Residence Date: 2 Apr 1911 Townland/Street: Woodvale Road District: Shankill County: Antrim Household Members: Name Age William Rowan 43 Annie Rowan 38 Stewart Rowan 13 William John Rowan 9 Kathleen Rowan 6 George This is my dads family for sure now I have something to work with, thanks everyone for your help. I am even finding it hard to navigate through this system, hopefully I have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolynn Trimmer Posted 22 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2020 This is the right family for my dad. Sorry I sent that too quickly but this is my dads family. William Rowan as one of the household members is my fathers dad. So his grandfather was William and his dad was William. My dad was born in 1940, he is sure that his grandfather was in WW1 as he seen the medals. thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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