Help needed looking for my Great Grandfathers and his family

[alisonb123]

Hi everyone

Hoping someone can help me. My Great Grandfather was William Reeves, Reeves was not actually his surname it was Anderson. He left home at a young age and didn't really know much about his family. He said he was a twin and that his brothers name was John, we know that John killed himself around 1903 and William did eventually find this out through John's wife. Not sure how he got in contact with John's wife but we have a collection of letters that she wrote to him. In these letters she explains that John and Williams fathers died and their mother Elizabeth married Reeves, on Williams marriage cert to my Gt Grandmother Frances Ada Dines he states his father as being Edward Reeves. Their mother then dies and Reeves re married leaving the children living with two step parents. This was the trigger for William to leave home he was about eleven at the time. He ended up joining a circus and then eventually walked to London where he stayed and meet my Gt Grandmother and married and had my Grandmother Ethel Emily Reeves. We think he was born abt 1875 and we know he lived in Hamilton although not sure if that is where he was born. From the letters we have we know there was also a sister called Robina. On Johns death cert it states that his father was John Anderson and mother was Elizabeth Fraser. I cant find either of Elizabeth's marriages although there is one that state a James Anderson but the Reeves marriage I have found nothing. I really need to find Williams birth certificate but have had no luck.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Alison

[nelmit]

Hi Alison and welcome to TS.

A couple of questions for the moment.

What was John's wife's name and where did they live?
Did John die in Scotland around 1903 as I can't find a death around that date? (later - I see from the Ancestry tree it was 1904 and he was called Anderson)

Curiously enough I have found a John Reeves born 1875 in Glasgow who has a wife named Robina. He is living with a Henry Reeves and his wife Elizabeth Wood in 1891 at Airdrie. Henry and Elizabeth were married in 1881 and both state they were not married before. I can't find Henry in 1881 but there doesn't appear to be a John of the right age living in Elizabeth Wood's household.

I can see now this is all coincidence right enough but I'm leaving it anyway so others know what's been looked at.

There is a huge amount of info on Ancestry about the family have you seen this?

Regards,
Annette