? impossible task to find out who wrote letter
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1 | I have a postcard with a soldier/s photo on it, sent to my husband's grand mother Stella Moon. Doesn't seem to be from our family, & I wonder if some other family would like it, as it seems to me that 'Dick' referred to in the letter was possibly the writer's husband, going overseas to War. The photo she refers to is not in our possession. Ohingaiti starseeker - 2019-05-30 16:20:00 |
2 | Stella Moon: Marriage Edited by stock at 5:33 pm, Thu 30 May stock - 2019-05-30 17:28:00 |
3 | Stella Adeline Moon also of Ohingaiti in 1914 (supplementary electoral roll). stock - 2019-05-30 17:34:00 |
4 | https://www.facebook.com/Unknown-Warriors-of-the-NZEF-162977 https://www.facebook.com/OnwardProject/ Hook up to these two pages on facebook. They will find out who the soldiers. wenpen - 2019-05-30 22:41:00 |
5 | wenpen wrote: koru67 - 2019-05-31 07:00:00 |
6 | Was Ohingaiti the address of the sender? If so, check Wise's or Post Office Directories for names - even first names would be useful in a small community like Ohingaiti. Electoral Rolls and Enlistment Rolls might not have a search function for locations. amasser - 2019-06-01 13:47:00 |
7 | If the child was born 8 weeks / 56 days before Monday 24 December 1917, the birthday was Monday 29 October 1917. stock - 2019-06-01 17:10:00 |
8 | There are 4 "Richard" soldiers (excluding reserves etc) on the WW1 Personnel CD with Ohingaiti connections. Richard Linton 74979 I can't locate any births for the relevant date with father "Richard" nor mother Nell and its variants. Might Dick be a brother? Edited by stock at 5:15 pm, Sat 1 Jun stock - 2019-06-01 17:14:00 |
9 | There is a photo of Wrightson here, but not the others: stock - 2019-06-01 17:18:00 |
10 | The Onward Project has published 4 volumes of images of WW1 soldiers. There are images of Richard Russell (volume 3) and Richard Stent (volume 1). stock - 2019-06-01 17:25:00 |
11 | In message #8 I should have said the search was with those surnames. stock - 2019-06-01 17:31:00 |
12 | Much food for thought! Thank you all. I'm not very good at this.......... starseeker - 2019-06-02 15:54:00 |
13 | ............and "Dick" was on final leave, heading off after 21 days from 21st December, 1917, i.e., after 11th January, 1918. So which regiment could he have belonged to? punkinthefirst - 2019-06-02 17:55:00 |
14 | stock wrote:
I'm wondering about this Richard Stent that stock found? In the 1913 city and area directory there's a Charles Stent, David Stent and Stent Bros. (carriers) listed in Ohingaiti. Looking for babies born on 29 Oct 1917, there's a Jean Stent born to parents David and Lilian. Could "Nell" be a nickname for Lilian? It may be that the "Dick" the postcard writer refers didn't live in Ohingaiti himself. He may have been a brother-in-law of the writer, and not her husband. Dick's extended family may have been travelling up to Taumuranui to see him off? Registration Number 1917/26728 Registration Number 1912/3445 ed65 - 2019-06-02 19:07:00 |
15 | ed65 wrote: Edited by stock at 7:55 pm, Sun 2 Jun stock - 2019-06-02 19:54:00 |
16 | Richard Stent looks to be a red herring. His probate file is on Archway and while he was a farm hand from Ohingaiti, he appears to have died in July 1916. So he obviously won't be the "Dick" who was heading off in January 1918. ed65 - 2019-06-02 20:32:00 |
17 | Yes, Richard Stent 24/1489 died in Europe 1916. stock - 2019-06-02 20:38:00 |
18 | Richard John Linton 74979 enlisted 24/11/17; stock - 2019-06-02 20:46:00 |
19 | Richard Russell 23/588 embarked 1915! stock - 2019-06-02 20:49:00 |
20 | Richard Wrightson 10/1372 enlisted 1914; in hospital England October 1917. That accounts for the 4 soldier Richards of Ohingaiti or with next of kin at Ohingati. stock - 2019-06-02 21:01:00 |
21 | The member deleted this message. stock - 2019-06-02 21:17:00 |
22 | Using Ancestry to identify female kinds of names for births registered at Hunterville and Mangaweka Oct-Dec 1917 and then using those names at BDM with a date range 28-30 October 1917 I can't find a match. It shouldn't be this hard! stock - 2019-06-02 21:30:00 |
23 | I've just been through all the listings in Ohingaiti in the 1917 Wise's street directory, and checked whether any babies born 28 or 29 Oct 1917 have the same surname. There's only Jean Stent, as mentioned above in #14. Interestingly there is an H Moon listed as a farm manager in Ohingaiti in 1917. Perhaps he is the "Mr Moon" mentioned in the postcard, a brother-in-law or father-in-law of Stella Moon (the recipient of the postcard), and the writer Nell's husband Dick worked for Mr Moon on the Ohingaiti farm? I assume not all employees would be listed in the street directory. Here's one possible scenario.... the postcard writer's husband worked for Mr H Moon, the farm manager at Ohingaiti. Mr H Moon is a brother-in-law (or father-in-law) of Stella Moon, who had the "two little boys" Nell sent her love to when she signed off. Stella Moon's second son was born 15 Aug 1916 so sometime after that date, James and Stella Moon and their two sons visited their relative "H Moon" at Ohingaiti. There they met H Moon's employee "Dick" and his wife Nell, and the two women became friendly and struck up a correspondence. Sometime in 1917 Dick was called up for military service and went down to ?Trentham? for training. When Nell wrote to Mrs Moon, Dick had "come up" to Ohingaiti on leave, prior to shipping out. And Nell thought her husband's employer H Moon may have already told his ?sister-in-law? Stella about the new baby. If I'm on the right track, Nell and Dick's surname could be anything! For all we know, Dick was already away training when the baby was due so Nell went home to her family. And that's why she only got home the day before she wrote the postcard, nearly 8 weeks after the baby was born. Edited by ed65 at 10:20 pm, Sun 2 Jun ed65 - 2019-06-02 22:18:00 |
24 | 1919 electoral roll - an ALFRED Henry Moon is listed at Ohingaiti, occupation farm manager. This is probably the 'H Moon' from the 1919 street directory listing. Registration Number 1952/18548 Alfred Henry Moon married Annie Olsen in 1906 so I'd say he's of an age to be Stella Moon's brother-in-law, not her father-in-law. OP, did your husband's grandfather James Moon have a brother named Alfred Henry? ed65 - 2019-06-02 22:33:00 |
25 | I think I've found them! Margaret Jean Goodwin was born on 29 Oct 1917, to parents Ellen Margaret (Nell!) and Richard. Registration Number 1917/27290 In the 1919 supplementary electoral roll, an Ellen Margaret Goodwin (married) is listed at Ohingaiti. Her husband isn't. But they both also appear on the general roll in 1919, at Otunui, Taumarunui where Richard Goodwin is a farmer. Ellen Margaret Willis married Richard Goodwin on 21 March 1917. Richard Goodwin's WW1 file is on Archway. He names his wife as his next of kin, address c/- J Willis, Ohingaiti. It says he married Ellen Margaret Willis in Hunterville on 21 March 1917, and their daughter Margaret Jean was born in Wanganui on 29 Oct 1917. ed65 - 2019-06-03 08:15:00 |
26 | In the 1969 ER, Richard and Ellen Margaret Goodwin are retired and living at 27 Roberts Ave in Wanganui. Registration Number 1979/37118 Her probate entry on Archway says she was a widow living in Wanganui. Her probate file is held at Wellington Archives NZ, and will probably name her child(ren). I can't see a probate file for Richard. Richard and Ellen's burial records from the Whanganui District Council website: Reference G234781 ed65 - 2019-06-03 08:24:00 |
27 | Please don't mistake this for a skite but I found that search VERY satisfying!! Thanks for starting the thread, starseeker. Here's hoping you or someone else on this board can now find Richard and Ellen's children/grandchildren, so the postcard can be passed on to them. ed65 - 2019-06-03 08:32:00 |
28 | What a fantastic amount of work done by you all - thank you all very much for your time & trouble. There is also info you have given re the Moon family, thank you Yes it would be great to to be able to pass the postcard on to his descendants as it has his photo on the front, in uniform. starseeker - 2019-06-03 16:37:00 |
29 | stock wrote:
Probably not of use to the OP, but in just in case anyone else is interested, I have a few newspaper clippings that mention this man. The most useful two follow:-- Manawatu Daily Times, Monday 4 October 1954, page 1 Manawatu Daily Times, Friday 8 October 1954, page 3 Edited by dbb at 2:56 am, Wed 5 Jun dbb - 2019-06-05 02:54:00 |