Wife of Glendenning Howard

+3 votes
379 views
Looking for the wife of Glendenning Howard who was living in Montreal in 1880 and a daughter called Winnifried Howard.
in Genealogy Help by Sue Ashby G2G Crew (640 points)
You might search for the census, what was his birth date,parents, siblings, anything else?

He has a different first name here, going by his initials only in the 1881 Census  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW59-DZM
Thanks Lyn, my grandad was born in Canada and he was French Canadian. The only information I have is that his dad's name on his marriage certificate was Glendenning Howard. No other information. Know my grandad had a sister called Winnifried and a brother who joined the Canadian Mounted Police Force.

Think my grandad gave a false first name when he joined the Canadian Army. Know idea of his mums name.

He never went back to Canada. My grandads was born 21.11. 1900/ 1901. He died 28.3. 1958. I Halifax. West Yorkshire. His name on his marriage certificate was 'Arthur Glendenning Howard.  

Thanks for your help.

Take care.
Thanks for clearing that up.  

Your grandad might have been born in Canada but unless his mother tongue was french and he grew up in the french culture he would not be considered french canadian, his surname is English.  

The RCMP records/archives are on line you might try searching for his brother and find out more about the family. Quebec also have their records online, just search for Quebec genealogy or records.  

Why would he use a false name?  By the 1900's people's shipping records and records were pretty consistent ie. census, birth records of children, baptisms, marriages, city directories, etc.
Sue stumbling in the dark with no real records is not worth anyone's time.  Go back to where you have actual documentation of the family ie. marriage, birth, census, records and find more information about the family where you find those.  If he was in a hospital for years look for the hospital records, census records where he was in hospital, etc.  Search out his parents and any information about the family in the area where he lived, search out his burial, death records.  It would be a little unusual for a British citizen to go to Canada to enlist when they would have enlisted at home to defend their country.
The problem we have is apart from marriage, death certificate and Arthur Glendenning Howard being in hospital in Derbyshire just after ww1. There is nothing. I know he was in the Canadian Arny in ww1 as he told my mum this. He also told my mum he couldn't talk English until he started school in Canada. Not many family to ask. No idea who his mum is. Glendenning Howard is the only name I have for his dad.

Thanks for your help.

Take care.
Family stories have to be proven with documentHation.  If he was in hospital the hospital would have records or the area archives of Derbyshire would.  If he was in Derbyshire there should be records of him, as well as his death records.  If finding records of census, marriage, death, military, hospital is not what you are looking for what is the problem?  If you are not sure of what name he used search by birthdate or death date.

Here are the records for the Canadian Military for WWI, Howards:   https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/list.aspx?SurnameSearch=Howard&

These are the census records in Canada https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx

1 Answer

+4 votes
I took a look at your profiles for Arthur, Winnifried and Glendenning here and on FS, as well as the note you left for Arthur on FS. I have not been able to find a single record for any of them (census, baptism, or marriage) in Canada - to the point I am a bit suspicious - Quebec in general is not such a tough place to research.

I also see Arthur had served in the CEF during WW1? I could not find a service file for him either.

Unless you have some other sources, my suggestion would be to take a step back and check what you're sure of. Do you have a copy of Arthur's marriage or death records in the UK? Could they have been using a different surname in Canada?
by Matthew Sullivan G2G6 Pilot (157k points)
edited by Matthew Sullivan
Thanks for that Matthew. We are really struggling to find records for my grandad. I have his marriage certificate in the UK. His dad's name was Glendenning Howard on the certificate and was deceased in 1933. He was married in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1933. My grandma was Phyllis Howard,  nee holdsworth. My grandads Name was 'Arthur' Glendenning Howard . B 190/1901.He told my mum that he and his best friend joined the Canadian Army and was sent to France in ww1. He was injured and shipped to the UK. He spent several years in a hospital in Matlock Derbyshire. My grandad told my mum he was French Canadian. And that he had a sister called Winifried. Also a brother who joined the Canadian Army.

We have spent years trying to find him and his family.

Thanks for yr  quick response.  Am at a loss now as where to start.

I had a message from My Heritage saying they had found a Glendenning Howard in Montreal in 1880, with a daughter called Winnifried.  

Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.  

Take care.

Sue Ashvy.
Hi Matthew, I think my grandad must have swapped his names round. I have tried Glen Denning Howard , Howard Glendenning.

I am a loss as what to do next. Is there anywhere else they could have lived which would have been French speaking area?.

Thanks for yr help.

Take care  

Sue Ashby
Hi Sue

Some observations, perhaps you have already concluded the same...

That would certainly be an unusual name for a French Canadian. But it wouldn't be unusual for a French Canadian to anglicize their name after emmigrating. Of course, it is possible his father was Anglo and his mother French Canadian.

The birthdate you provided above is a good clue, but unfortunately it's not helping me find his CEF attestation, birth, or any census record. (Of course, young teens often fudged their age in order to enlist.) I don't suppose you have any documents pertaining to his army service, like a regimental number?

Do you have any more info on the 1880 finding? It wouldn't have been a census of course. It would also mean Winnifried was much older than Arthur - not impossibly so, but gives me pause.

Have you done an Ancestry DNA test? Genealogy and DNA testing is pretty popular in Canada, you may get some useful matches.

You may also want to update your post with tags such as 'Quebec', 'Canada', 'Great_War' etc. to get more visibility with Wikitreers more clever and knowledgeable than I. Best of luck!
Thanks Matthew , I am completely new at this so will have a re think. No Army service records. Don't think Arthur was his real first name.

Am looking into DNA testing. Hope it will shed some light on this issue.  

Take care. X
Hi Matthew, just a thought maybe my g.grandad might have remarried and that could be why his has older siblings. I have no idea what his Canadian family name could have been. My cousin is joining me on my quest for answers and will be taking a DNA test soon.

Thanks for your suggestions.  So glad I joined this group.

Take care. X

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