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No !! - the OP thought that this was the case but it was proved to be incorrect.

Dea x

Have now received the birth certificate for John Speirs. He was born 13 December 1900 at 2 Derby Grove, Boaler Street, to parents Thomas Speirs (Police Constable) and Margaret Speirs, nee Brock. This is confirmation of my John Speirs … probably doesn't help us though.

if anyone has a sub to ancestry worldwide there is 1 . J Spiers going from Australia to Durban. Guessing he could have gone to Australia first ???

Is this the one you mean, Elizabeth?


J Spiers
in the Western Australia, Australia, Crew and Passenger Lists, 1852-1930
Name: J Spiers
Rank: Chief Engineer
Arrival Port: Durban
Departure Date: 17 Dec 1919
Departure Port: Albany
Vessel Name: Waipara

It doesn't give his age.

I don't think the man we're looking for could have been a Chief Engineer at only 19 years old.

Going back to the 1939 register - John's DOB seems like too much a coincidence not to be the correct man:

???

Marriages Dec 1927 (>99%)
Spiers John Williams Chester 8a 898
WILLIAMS Annie Spiers Chester 8a 898

If the son was born 1926, as per 1939, that would fit with his surname being Williams.

[EDIT:
Although I must admit, having the hyphenated surname at that time does imply they weren't married. ]

Incidentally, Nancy's DOB given in 1939 as 28 Nov 1900 was corrected to 28 Nov 1898.

I am confused - I thought the son (Jack) was born in 1913 on the 1939 register not 1926 ??? or am I looking at something different?

Dea x

Oops, sorry - senior moment!

I was thinking he was 13, rather than born 1913.

I agree AG , it was just a thought as was the only one with a connection to Durban
Think you could be right about the 1939 reg, because a lot of people christened Annie ended up being called Nancy . Iv'e got 2 in my family

I think to put all our minds at rest one way or the other, I will get the marriage certificate for John and Annie in 1927. Let's see what info we can get from it.

It really is a mystery - thanks for sticking with it.

I am once again working on my Speirs/Spiers, etc., connections.
As mentioned in my earlier post, John was said to have gone to South Africa, but we've been unable to find any records.
Now, I've found in the 1921 census a record of a John Speer as a patient. It gives his occupation as Ship Steward and in another column says British visitor. I can't tell if he's S. African born and visiting Britain or the other way round.

His BIRTHPLACE is recorded as Capetown South Africa

Posting for info, because of the DoB

1939 Register
43 Sheldon Road, Sheffield, Sheffield C.B., Yorkshire (West Riding), England

John Spiers-Williams 13 Dec 1900 Male Costing Clerk Married 230 1
Nancy Spiers-Williams 28 Nov 1898 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 230 2
Jack Williams 29 May 1913 Male Snow Grinder Single 230 3
Dorothy Pritchard 09 Feb 1855 Female Incapacitated Widowed 230 4

1921 Census Of England & Wales
284, High Street, Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales

Dorothy Annie Pritchard Wife Female 1857 64 Bethesda, Caernarvonshire, Wales Home Duties Own Account
William John Pritchard Husband Male 1848 73 Caernarvonshire, Wales Man But At Present Western In Garden Hurbert Brown Friddoldd Garden Baryor
Annie Williams Daughter Female 1896 25 Caernarvonshire, Wales Drapers Assistant Messrs Warts Bangor
Morgan Ellis Boarder Male 1884 37 Merionethshire, Wales Collier Penalder Wounded Soldiers On Hospital Treatment
Richard Evans Boarder Male 1884 37 Towyn, Merionethshire, Wales Railway Motor Conductor Barry Railway Corp Wounded Soldiers On Hospital Treatment

Marriages Dec 1927 (>99%)
Spiers John Williams Chester 8a 898
WILLIAMS Annie Spiers Chester 8a 898


If the above has been posted before, I apologise for the duplication, but I didn't fancy reading every old post on here ;-) ;-)

Get the marriage cert for father's info

And 'our Jack' could have been Jack Williams...at a pinch

Yvonne -
did you get the 1927 marriage cert, as you said in 2018 you were going to do?

If so, did it turn out to be the correct one?

Thanks. I wondered about that birth, whether it was South Africa, it confused me a bit. Guess it's not him then.
Trying to think back and I'm not sure if I ended up getting that certificate as we moved house that year, and guess what, we moved again in April of this year - still unpacking boxes. Thanks for your help ... it looks like the search goes on!.