John Lewis Blackbeer

[Blackbeer]

Hello, I'm trying to find information about my great grandfather John Lewis Blackbeer. He was born in 1892 Lithuania and married 1913 in Mile end old town England. I cannot find where he died or his parents name. I've been searching for years. He left England in the 1920s through Ellis Island and apparently landed in Brooklyn NY. That's all I know. Can anyone give me advice or help please

 

[brentor boy]

His father's name should be shown on his marriage certificate. You can obtain a paper copy or down load a pdf copy by application to the General Register Office (GRO) on line. The details you need are Louis Blackbeer, Jennie Weinberg. Sep 1913, Mile End. Volume 1c, page 770 ( see Free BMD). It might give you his original Lithuanian name.

Apply direct to GRO. Other commercial sites are almost always more expensive.

 

[brentor boy]

If that is the correct marriage, children - Morris born Apr-Jun 1917, Stepney, and Sadie M born Apr-Jun 1919, Whitechapel. That might help to identify the family in America.

 

[Blackbeer]

His father's name should be shown on his marriage certificate. You can obtain a paper copy or down load a pdf copy by application to the General Register Office (GRO) on line. The details you need are Louis Blackbeer, Jennie Weinberg. Sep 1913, Mile End. Volume 1c, page 770 ( see Free BMD). It might give you his original Lithuanian name.

Apply direct to GRO. Other commercial sites are almost always more expensive.

Thank you for this information. I will try that.

 

[gibbo]

Did all the family leave England or just him?

 

[Blackbeer]

He is the only one that left

 

[gibbo]

married 1913 in Mile end old town England

Do you have his marriage certificate?

If not it would be worth getting as Brentor Boy mentioned on a earlier reply, the certificate should have his father's name on it.

 

[brentor boy]

I cannot recognise any record on Free BMD of the death or marriage/remarriage of Jennie, Morris or Sadie in England, nor John Lewis on US 1940 census. It is possible, if spoken with an Eastern European accent, that the name may have been mis recorded.

Presumably you know the details of your grandfather. Without giving his name if he is still alive, do they provide us with any clue to the family's movements?

 

[Blackbeer]

Hi Brentor boy. Morris my grandfather moved to Canada in the 1950s and passed away in the 1980s.John Lewis Blackbeer his father left England after Sadie was born but I cannot track him after that. Apparently he went to Brooklyn NY but I'm not sure. Morris changed his name to Maurice Blackburn. My grandfather never talked about his father and his mother was Jane Wienberg. I tried to start an account with GRO to find a marriage certificate of John Lewis but it didnt send me the email verification. I really appreciate your helping me.

 

[Blackbeer]

Hi Gibbo no I do not. I would like to obtain a copy

 

[brentor boy]

It is impossible to know what was in JLB's mind when he left his wife with two small children to cross the pond. Did he intend to return or, perhaps, send for them later? Or was he, in effect, deserting them, to start a new life with a new identity and, at 28/30, a new family? Did he fall victim to illness or accident or move on to yet another country? He already had the experience of migration from Lithuania to England. Or was he just absorbed into the masses in unrecorded anonymity? Many questions, few answers!

There is just one more clue that could help towards an answer. His marriage certificate should show his occupation. If he had a particular skill or profession there is a chance he would have continued in it in America. Another fact to add to his personal profile.

 

[Blackbeer]

Hi Brentor boy, from what I've been told he left to start a new family. He had 4 children with Jennie aka Jane. I found out his fathers name was Lazarus. John Lewis was a tailor. Apparently on the marriage certificate it only shows the fathers name. Also at the time he was listed as Louis Blackbeer living at 34 Denmark St. Its a mystery whatever happened to him or who his mother was. Thanks for helping me.

 

[juliejtp]

Theres a death for a Jane Blackbeer 1973 - Southend - date of birth 9 Sept 1895. She is also recorded under Jennie Blackburn.

 

[Blackbeer]

Thank you Julie yes thats my great grandmother. Her name is recorded as both for some reason they changed Blackbeer to Blackburn along the way. Her son Morris/Maurice did at least

 

[brentor boy]

You may have seen that Ancestry is offering free access to their site this weekend. They have records of people emigrating from England. Find My Past likewise but you will have to pay to see their records unless you are prepared to wait until they offer a "free" weekend. I do not know where you live but, in UK, free access to both sites is often available at public libraries, although some have now withdrawn that facility as an economy. I believe similar arrangements exist in some other countries. It costs nothing to ask.

Another useful site is the Statue of Liberty -Ellis Island Foundation which has comprehensive on-line records of immigrants to America.

Not knowing the name JLB was using will make things difficult but it is possible to focus your search.
Hopefully he adopted a name not too dissimilar from his previous one. So he could have continued to use John and/or Lewis-Louis and some modification of Blackbeer -Black, Blackman, Beer, Beerman, etc. Possibly Weinberg. Do you know his original Lithuanian name? He may have used that or an English translation of it or a similarly sounding English name.

I suspect he left shortly after the birth of his youngest child. You said he had four although I can only find records of three. If Sadie was the youngest I would focus on the period 1919-21.

You know he was a tailor, born in Lithuania in 1892 (does his age on his marriage certificate match?) It is unlikely that he would have fabricated any of that. You mention that at some time he was in Brooklyn which suggests he had contact with his English family after he left for America. Do any of your older relatives have any other half-remembered stories about him? They could provide other important pieces of information.

If you find any names on passenger lists that seem to be a close match, see if there is any more information about them on Family Search to help fill out the individual's personal profile. This is where family stories could provide some corroboration.

Good luck. You have a serious challenge but you must believe that there is a chance you could strike lucky.