The attached profile of Albert Ernest Ferguson is:
- Born in Tasmania in 1880
- Had his father leave the family around 1885
- Was committed to a boys home in 1890 and again in 1892
- Absconded from the Cascades Training School in 1894
- Was on trial at least once in Sydney in 1908
I have been contacted by a family member who states that Albert Ernest Ferguson changes his name to Frank Roche and:
- Emigrated to England
- Married in Southampton in 1912
- Had three children in England before they emigrated to the US in 1919
- Had more children in the US before he died in 1936 in New Jersey
So far, so good. All the dates are sequential, nothing to see here.
The FamilySearch profile for Frank Albert Roche gives sources for the name change: US Military records that state (if I'm reading it correctly) he:
- joined the US Navy on the 13th April 1898 and was discharged on the 13th July 1898
- joined the US Army (Pvt Co D 3 Miss Inf) on the 23rd July 1898 and was discharged on the 15th March 1899
- was born 10th November 1873
I also have Census records that give his birth place as California, and birth years around 1882 to 1885.
He is buried in a US Veteran's Cemetery.
So I now have the following conflicts:
- Multiple birth places and years
- He's serving in the US military before his 1908 trial in Sydney
The family member stated that they have no sources, so I'm looking to reconcile the sources that I do have.
Does anyone have better access to US military records that might give next of kin or other evidence for or against a Tasmanian origin?
Does another family member have private sources that I can quote?
Thanks in advance.
