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Searching for my Dads Dad

Hello everyone

I am currently searching for my dads dad, were told hes Irish but I have very little information on him, so here goes. His name (on dads adoption certificate) is Yeo, no first name is listed. He was born (Im guessing) in 1919 and was a Chief Petty Officer at RNAS Eglinton / Gannet, Northern Ireland. He had anaffair with my dads mother (were told he was married)he asked for a divorce and was denied,and had 3 children with her, all of which where placed for adoption. Ive been searching for this man for around 5 years and have had very little luck so far, Ive reached out to every website I can find including Facebook. I cant see him being alive and I dont have any emotional connection to him but Id like to close a family mystery by tracking him / relations of his down because my dad and Uncle passed away before they were able to trace him. Its anitch I have to scratch. Is also like to point out that circumstances back then were different to how they are now, I have no ill will towards him or what ever family he had after my dads mum. If anyone has any comments or hints / tips / leads I would be beyond grateful. Please email me on: lauren.hampson5@gmail.com many thanks

Lauren.hampson…

3 replies

Yeo is not a common surname in Ireland. Indeed I think it’s fair to say it’s not an Irish surname.  In the 1911 census there were just 10 and they were from 2 families. One of those was a Coastguard born in England.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Rosguill/Rosepenna/504847/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Pembroke_East/Merrion_Road__Part_of/37670/

I searched for births of males named Yeo anywhere in Ireland 1911 to 1918. There was only 1. He was Ernest Arthur Yeo on 14.6.1912.  His parents were the coastguard and his wife. Mother’s  maiden name Walsh. The birth records from 1919 onwards are not on-line. Those for the Republic of Ireland are held by GRO Roscommon. You could contact them to see if they can find one born c 19191. Likewise GRONI will have the same records for Northern Ireland 1922 onwards.

Your Mr Yeo could have been from England and posted to Eglinton, rather than a native of that area.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

I am excited to find this post as Ernest Arthur Yeo is my grandfather. Could you please advise me how I can find more information regarding his birth and the early years of his life in Ireland. 
very excited 😊 

tina-ryder

Tina,

We have had some technical problems with our notification systems and your message has only just reached me. Sorry for the delay.

Here’s Ernest’s birth in Rosepenna, Co. Donegal.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1912/01492/1606640.pdf

Here’s the family in the 1911 census. You will see from the children’s places of birth that they had not long arrived in Donegal from Co Antrim and that before that they had been in England, where John & wife Mabel Walsh were born.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Rosguill/Rosepenna/504847/

No sign of them in the 1901 Irish census, so I would try the English 1901 for them there.

There’s a specialist website for Coastguards. You might find more there:

https://coastguardsofyesteryear.org/news.php

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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