Dyer family

[jennifer lancaster]

I would like to know where my great grandfather was living in 1851. He was Philip Dyer , a master mariner and could have been at sea at the time of the census. If on land, he could have resided in Withycombe Raleigh, or Exeter, Devon.

 

[benny1982]

Hi Jennifer

I couldnt find Philip in 1851.

However, I found him in 1861 census with his wife Martha Dyer residing at Portsea in Hampshire, a Mariner Artillery. He was aged 43 and born in Devonport. There was an elderly woman with them called Ellen Currel, mother, aged 70, a widow laundress.

Ben

 

[jon attwood]

Mariner artillery suggests a royal navy role, as does the address on portsea island (better known as Portsmouth and Southsea, home of a naval dockyard and marines barracks). you may be able to find records of him in the ships musters at the national archives ( nationalarchives.gov.uk) probably on the file ADM 38, but you would need to know the name of the ship he served on, as the files are indexed by ship, not by personal names. also it might be worth looking at the pension records for widows and orphans of commissioned officers, which can be found at the national archives (also in the ADM series of files). A good book to get information on what is held in the national archives is 'tracing your ancestors in the national archives' by amanda bevan, isbn 1-903365-89-9, chapter 28 covers naval records. I appreciate though that kew is a fair way from where you are, but maybe there is someone who could look at the records on your behalf.
do you know anything of his ancestry?, if he has a link to the Dyer families of Minchinhamton (Gloucestershire) or Bristol he may be one of my distant relatives too.
Jon

 

[jennifer lancaster]

Hi Jennifer

I couldnt find Philip in 1851.

However, I found him in 1861 census with his wife Martha Dyer residing at Portsea in Hampshire, a Mariner Artillery. He was aged 43 and born in Devonport. There was an elderly woman with them called Ellen Currel, mother, aged 70, a widow laundress.

Ben

Hi Ben
Thank you so much for your help in checking both the 1851 and 1861 census lists. This Philip Dyer was older than my g grandfather would have been at the time, but I am very interested in this family as it is very possibly closely related to mine. Both the name, locality and occupation strongly indicates this so I now have a new"trail" to follow.
Thank you again for your fantastic help which is greatly appreciated.
Jennifer

 

[jennifer lancaster]

Hi Jon
Thank you so much for your very detailed advice on how to trace information regarding my g grandfather's naval career. The Philip traced by Ben in his reply may not have been my g grandfather but he is very likely to have been a relative, of my gg grandfather's generation. Most male members of this branch of the Dyer family followed a naval career. Both Philip and his father John had the naval rank of Captain and his uncle William was a Commodore, presumably in the Royal navy.

This branch of the Dyer family came originally from Ilfracombe with roots in Somerset and Bath (many were mayors of this city in the middle ages) going back to the 14th century. There were branches of this family in all counties, in England and Wales; the poet John Dyer is supposed to be an ancestor but I have not found a link. (This information comes from letters written in 1918 by John Rankin Dyer of St Louis USA to my grandfather Arthur Dyer).

Incidently, the following names are "family names" which occur again and again through succeeding generations: John, Thomas, Philip, William.

I have living relatives in Bristol, descendants of an uncle who emigrated from SA in about the 1930s.

Your information regarding researching naval records in the National Archives is very useful as I have long wanted to trace Philip, John and William's records. I have friends and relatives in the UK who may be able to help me. Thank you too for the title of the useful book which I may be able to borrow on international inter-library loan.

I am truly delighted and overwhelmed by the responses to my briefly written request and do thank you again for your help.

Jennifer