Newly Discovered Cousins!

Some of you may have heard a loud, high-pitched shriek earlier this week and wondered if it was an air-raid warning. No it was just me and our new found cousins connecting through www.british-genealogy.com

 You might remember that I rediscovered this picture and wondered who it was.
I put it onto Brit-Gen and asked the experts what the uniform was. I am delighted to say that it was discussed and it appears to be a British Petty Officer's uniform and the star on the collar indicates the type of job he was doing. Either Cook, Steward, Wireless or something like that.



I had sort of deduced that it could be one of the sons of the real Uncle Charlie, both of whom died in WW2 and then there was another post on the thread with the next picture and the poster said that this was her Granddad's Dad - making him her great grandad Daniel Seymour



This Daniel Seymour was married to Luisa Braun and had been lost at sea in the early 1920s

I sat for ages in front of the computer, scrolling up and down the thread, not really believing my eyes.

Let me introduce you to the man that began live in December 1878 at 125 London Road, Southwark, London. The name his grandfather registered him under was John Daniel Guilfoyle Seymour. John for his maternal Grandfather, Daniel for his paternal Grandfather and the Guilfoyle-Seymour surname because this was the name that Charles Guilfoyle-Seymour used as his stage name.

This is the man that I have long called "the false Uncle Charlie because he borrowed his brother's name when he "married" for the third time. A bit more searching and I found his Merchant Seaman's record card - with a picture. He lies about his birthplace on there, saying that he was born in a) London Australia and b) Koolgartie W.A.
These records say he was 5'6 1/2" tall with brown eyes and black hair and a dark complexion - so he has inherited the olive skin that I have. It says that he is British and his father is Irish.

There is a third record amongst these MN cards for a Charles Daniel Guilfoyle who was, apparently, born in London Canada in 1881. The photograph tells me that it is the same man.

I sent a message to the person who posted the new picture and eventually modern technology allowed us to talk via Skype, Pamela - Ela I think of her - had her Mum, Patricia, with her and we sat staring into our screens and being amazed at the family likeness. Patricia told me that Daniel and Luisa had five children, one of whom died as an infant. That Daniel had been at sea for most of their marriage and she had either gone with him or had found lodgings in his next port of call and waited for him until the last time when he said "get a house in Liverpool, this is a bad ship I don't want you to come on this one." She got the house and waited and he was "lost at sea". We know that what he actually did was "marry" Fani in 1920 and in 1924 he immigrated into New York and spent the rest of his life being Charles John Daniel Guilfoyle in Nesconset, New York State. He is buried there with Fani

Pamela sent me this picture of her Grandfather John Benjamin Seymour, Son of Daniel and Luisa. Once again that family likeness is plain to see.

Oh how I wish this family had been more communicative, although Daniel would have had to keep his family unaware of the fact that he had married twice more after his Spanish Bride.

Patricia said that Luisa could not speak English, she was born in Germany, and she was afraid to make too much fuss about his disappearance incase she was deported or something


The last picture is of Luisa on her 100th birthday. Isn't that wonderful? She outlived Daniel by about 20 years I think. The gentleman second from the right is John Benjamin and the other gentleman is his brother

I will be adding more information as we get to know each other.