Edgar Harold Smith born Jan 15, 1907-- London, England?

Question:I would love to find any information out there on Edgar Harold Smith born Jan 15, 1907 in London, England and died at age 69 in Holland, Michigan. He was a missionary in Nigeria for 40 years and had three sisters at the time of his death named Mrs. A. V. (Bessie) Blackwell, Nell Kemp, and Ethel Devereaux who were residing in London, England. I sure would love to know more about his family in England. Do any of you folks on the other side of the pond have any information on this Smith family? Your help is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I would love to find any information out there on Edgar Harold Smith born Jan 15, 1907 in London, England and died at age 69 in Holland, Michigan. He was a missionary in Nigeria for 40 years and had three sisters at the time of his death named Mrs. A. V. (Bessie) Blackwell, Nell Kemp, and Ethel Devereaux who were residing in London, England. I sure would love to know more about his family in England. Do any of you folks on the other side of the pond have any information on this Smith family? Your help is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

I am the son of Edgar H. Smith. I can supply some limited information. The three sisters mentioned have since died, Nell only recently. In addition, there were other siblings, most mentioned in other responses: Jim, Alf (Alfred), Dolly (Dorothy) whose married name I can't recall, and another brother, whose name does not come to me. My own sister Alyce has sustained much more detailed information about my father's side of the family and could supply you with that information. If you, the person posting the initial inquiry, wish to contact me by phone (724-843-2878), I could supply you with her email address and pass on other kinds of information, once I have a clearer sense of what you wish to know and what is prompting the inquiry.

My father has published a book, NIGERIAN HARVEST, that gives the history of the mission that my parents were part of. It was published by Baker Book House and used copies are available--check bookfinder.com. My mother, Nelle Breen Smith, has a chapter in a book of short biographies edited by Lilian Grissen. It tells quite a bit about their life together. It too could be found on bookfinder.com or other used book sites.

Paul E. Smith

Do have any ideas what his parents names are? If you do they could be looked for on 1901 census. 1911 census will not be available for a few years.
Do you have his birth certificate? The reference for it is probably listed here http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl (Lewisham is in or near London).
This site has passengers leaving England, maybe some kind person who has a subscription can look to see if he is listed
http://www.findmypast.com/migration.jsp - or you can buy credits yourself but there are a lot of 'Edgar Smiths' listed.
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I was thinking that maybe he originally left england with his family and the sisters later returned - if thats not the case then migration records aren't going to help - but you know how hard it is to find Smith in London!

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I've found a possible match for the parents in 1891 cencus,, based on information given by other poster.

Name: James H Smith
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Alice
Gender: Male
Where born: Forest Hill, Kent, England

Civil Parish: St Paul Deptford

Name: Alice Smith
Age: 23
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: James H
Gender: Female
Where born: Durley, Hampshire, England

ame: James W Smith
Age: 2/12
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891
Relation: Son
Father's Name: James H
Mother's Name: Alice
Gender: Male
Where born: Deptford, Kent, England

And here's the best bit!

Name: Lucy Dangerfield
Age: 16
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Relation: Sister
Gender: Female
Where born: Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, England
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Family in 1901

Name: James H Smith
Age: 36
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Alice
Gender: Male
Where born: Forest Hill, Kent, England

Civil Parish: Camberwell
Ecclesiastical parish: St George Camberwell

Name: Alice Smith
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: James H
Gender: Female
Where born: Hantsdurley

Name: Alfred Smith
Age: 8
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1893
Relation: Son
Father's Name: James H
Mother's Name: Alice
Gender: Male
Where born: Deptford, Kent, England

Name: Dorothy Smith
Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1894
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: James H
Mother's Name: Alice
Gender: Female
Where born: Plumstead, Kent, England

Name: Ellen Smith
Age: 5
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1896
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: James H
Mother's Name: Alice
Gender: Female
Where born: Plumstead, Kent, England

Now to find the Dangerfields!
I'll leave 1881 since there is free access.

1871

Name: Alice Dangerfield
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Thomas
Mother's Name: Ann
Gender: Female
Where born: Durley, Hampshire, England

Civil Parish: Corhampton
County/Island: Hampshire
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability:

View Image

Registration district: Droxford
Sub-registration district: West Meon
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 17
Household Members:
Name Age
Alice Dangerfield 3
Ann Dangerfield 29
Caleb Dangerfield 5
Edward Dangerfield 9
Stephen Dangerfield 7
Thomas Dangerfield 30
William Dangerfield 1

The upside about seeing some of this forum's pro's on here asking questions is that we know it is a serious genealogy question. The down side is that I can never help you out because you already have access to the same sources I have, and being pro's at it, you have likely already exhausted those sources.

UPDATE: I feel honored to be called a pro by some of you, considering that I am quite the novice, comparatively speaking. While some of you have been at genealogy for years and years, I have been at it for only a year and a half. I have learned a lot, but have a lot more to learn how to do.

Information that I found:

Edgar Harold Smith b. 1/15/1907 in London, England
Visited the US 7/13/1937 on the ship Aquilana from West Africa and stayed with friends Mr. & Mrs. John Breen in New York City. Also visited 2/18/1941 from Lagos, Nigeria and stayed with the Breens. His Social Security card was issued in Michigan in 1956 so this is about the time he moved to the United States.
Edgar married Nellie Breen b. 8/15/1901 and d. 3/17/1990 she was the daughter of John Breen and Jennie De Pooter Breen.
Edgar and Nellie had one child.

Edgar's father was James Smith and his mother was Alice Dangerfield.

Hi: I have access to the Aquitania passenger list which identifies Edgar Harold coming to the US in 1937. He was travelling with wife Nelle and daughter Alyce Jean. Would be happy to forward it to you if you contact me at gensearchers@shaw.ca Nelle's birthdate is given, along with their birthplaces and other info.

Norm Dawson

www.ancestry.co.uk
Michigan Deaths, 1971-1996
Name: Edgar H Smith
Birth Date: 15 Jan 1907
Death Date: 1 Mar 1976
Gender: Male
Residence: Holland, Ottawa, Michigan
Place of Death: Holland, Ottawa, Michigan

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983
Name: Edgar Harold Smith
Year of Registration: 1907
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Lewisham
County: Greater London, Kent, London
Volume: 1d
Page: 1144

Edgar Harold Smith
Born: 15 January 1907 ,London, England, UK
Died: 1 March 1976 ,Holland, Ottawa, Michigan

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Name: Edgar Harold Smith
Arrival Date: 18 Feb 1941
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1906
Age: 35 Years 1 Months
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Lagos, Nigeria
Ethnicity/Race-/Nationality: English
Ship Name: West Irmo
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Nativity: England
Line: 1
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_6526
Birth Location: England
Birth Location Other: catford kent
Page Number: 145
Friend's Name: Mrs. John Breen

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Name: Edgar Harold Smith
Arrival Date: 13 Jul 1937
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1907
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Southampton, England
Place of Origin: West Africa
Ethnicity/Race-/Nationality: English
Ship Name: Aquitania
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Nativity: England
Line: 9
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_6008
Birth Location: England
Birth Location Other: Catford
Page Number: 53
Friend's Name: Mr. & Mrs. J Breen
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States

Social Security Death Index
Name: Edgar Smith
SSN: 385-38-6574
Last Residence: 49423 Holland, Ottawa, Michigan, United States of America
Born: 15 Jan 1907
Died: Mar 1976
State (Year) SSN issued: Michigan (1956

Spouse: Nelle B. Smith
Birth: 15 Aug 1901 ,Holland, Michigan
Death: 17 Mar 1990 ,Holland, Ottawa, Michigan

His parents:
James Smith
Birth: United Kingdom
Death: London, England, UK
Married to:
Alice Dangerfield
Birth: United Kingdom
Death: London, England, UK