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You're very welcome Dave - we like to get to the bottom of a good mystery!

You guys are just brill at this thanks again for all your help . I think I've had my monies worth on this thread... take care, Dave :-)

Oops - sorry MarieCeleste. Must have been up too early this morning, don't know where I got 1914 from.

Also if I had double checked that death ties in with the birth of a John T in Birmingham

Very possible, Rootie. They may have thought that he was known as Jack as a nickname for John. However, Jack was born 1911 .....

I wonder if the person registering Jack's death thought that his birth was registered as John?

Name: John Thomas Swann
Birth Date: 16 Apr 1914
Date of Registration: Jan 2000
Age at Death: 85
Registration district: Birmingham
Inferred County: Warwickshire
Register Number: A16B
District and Subdistrict: 0611A
Entry number: 96

Going from a number of small newspaper articles John Vaughan Read was the son of Vaughan Read and was born c 1914. He attended Monkton Combe school and in 1928 won several golf trophies. In 1937 he was in court after committing the terrible crime of stealing several tankards from various hostelries in Gloucester during what was described as "a hectic weekend" - fined £5.

Looks like his death:

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2006

Name: John Vaughan Read
Birth Date: 16 Aug 1912
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1981
Age at Death: 68
Registration district: Bath
Inferred County: Avon
Volume: 22
Page: 0228

and Diana's

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2006
Name: Diana Catherine Vaughan Read
Birth Date: 21 Nov 1909
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1975
Age at Death: 65
Registration district: Taunton
Inferred County: Somerset
Volume: 23
Page: 1255

I think my theory about the military man being a son-in-law may be right:

In the Birth announcements in the Cheltenham Chronicle, Saturday 26 April 1941

READ - On April 21st, at Field Cottage, Prestbury, to Diana (nee Swann) and 2nd Lieut. John Vaughan Read, Nigerian Regiment, a daughter.

It looks like Diana and John had two daughters a year apart - their births are on FreeBMD. I won't post them on here as the ladies are probably still alive and it would be a breach of their privacy.

Dave, if they definitely did have a son who did well in the forces then it would have to be Jack Thomas - unless it was a son-in-law?

George and Elizabeth only seem to have had the three children that I can find:

Diana Catherine born 1909 (before they married in 1910)
Jack Thomas born 1911
Kathleen M born 1914

... and then George died 1915.

I suspect the Anne on the record you were given might possibly be the wife of Jack.

Military records, particularly ones post WW1, are not my strong point but I will have a look.

I cant thank you enough Marie Celeste, I've just one last favour to ask ... honest, my dad said they had a son who was quite high ranking in the army possibly a major, but that cant be Jack Thomas Swann. I know I'm pushing my luck , you've been so helpful my dad will be so grateful.
Dave :-)

Just some loose ends to tidy up:

This would be the birth of the Kathleen M who lived at Field Cottage:
SWANN Kathleen M SWANN SWANN TONE 1914 Cheltenham Cheltenham, Charlton Kings 7A 33
.....................................................................................................................

The death of George (from CWGC)

SWANN, GEORGE

Rank: Private
Service No: 2543
Date of Death: 15/01/1915
Age: 32
Regiment/Service: Gloucestershire Regiment 1st Bn.
Panel Reference: Panel 17.
Memorial: LE TOURET MEMORIAL

Additional Information:
Husband of Elizabeth Swann, of Field Cottage, Prestbury, Cheltenham.

Well, it took a while to get there but we've now established that the house that Ada took your dad to when he was a lad was that of George and Elizabeth Swann, who would have been her "adoptive" uncle and aunt.

Going back to the 1881 for John Thomas Swann that I posted a couple of pages back his parents were Thomas and Dinah.

Found this baptism for George who married Elizabeth Tone:

West Yorkshire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910

Name: George Herbert Swann
Birth Date: 27 Nov 1882
Parish: Leeds, St Peter
Baptism Date: 24 Dec 1882
Father's Name: Thomas Swann - press setter
Mother's name: Dinah Swann

Address: Waterloo Place
..........................................................................................................................

Here's the family in 1891:

SWAN, Dinah Head Widow F 51 1840 Living On Her Own Means Leeds, Yorkshire
SWAN, Lucy Daughter Single F 24 1867 Tailoress Leeds, Yorkshire
SWAN, Jno T Son Single M 20 1871 Painter Leeds, Yorkshire
SWAN, Sarah A Daughter Single F 16 1875 Tailoress Leeds, Yorkshire
SWAN, George H Son Single M 8 1883 Scholar Leeds, Yorkshire
LANGBRIDGE, George Boarder Single M 20 1871 Shoemaker Leeds, Yorkshire

Piece: 3686 Folio: 5 Page: 3
Registration District: Leeds
Civil Parish: Leeds
Municipal Borough: Leeds

Address: 24, Ascot Terrace, Leeds County: Yorkshire (West Riding)

This looks like the missing George in 1911:

SWANN, George Servant Married M 28 1883 Butler Domestic Yorkshire Leeds
TONE, Teresa Servant Single F 19 1892 Domestic Servant Cook Kilkenny Urlingford

RG number: RG14 Piece: 15545
Reference: RG14PN15545 RG78PN947 RD333 SD2 ED10 SN166
Registration District: Cheltenham
Sub District: Cheltenham
Enumeration District: 10
Parish: Cheltenham

Address: 34 Clarence Square Cheltenham County: Gloucestershire

That must surely be Elizabeth's sister that he's with? Perhaps they were all in service together?

Found this marriage on GlosBMD:

Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
SWANN George TONE Elizabeth Cheltenham Cheltenham Register Office 1910 39 168

So George Swann must be the connection.

Although Annie Tone is described as sister-in-law on the 1911 that can also mean step-sister. This looks like her with her family in 1901:

Residents of a house 95 in Main Street (Urlingford, Kilkenny)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion
Tone John 39 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic
Tone Kate 38 Female Wife R C
Tone Mary 17 Female Daughter R C
Tone Kate 15 Female Daughter R C
Tone James 13 Male Son R C
Tone Teresa 10 Female Daughter R C
Tone William 8 Male Son R C
Tone Bridget 7 Female Daughter R C
Tone John 5 Male Son R C
Tone Anne 3 Female Daughter R C

Link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Urlingford/Main_Street/1456809/

Image: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000935142/

EDIT: Just realised, on the 1911 she would have been sister-in-law to Elizabeth's husband.

Possibly the Annie on 1911:

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958
Name: Anne Tone
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1897
Registration district: Urlingford
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 3
Page: 503
FHL Film Number: 101066

(I believe Urlingford is in County Kilkenny)

This 1911 is obviously the connection going by the address

SWANN, Elizabeth Wife Married F 27 1884 Urlingford Ireland
TONE, Annie Sister In Law F 12 1899 Urlingford Ireland
SWANN, Diana Daughter F 1 1910 London West Hampstead

RG number: RG14 Piece: 15525
Reference: RG14PN15525 RG78PN946 RD333 SD1 ED8 SN106
Registration District: Cheltenham
Sub District: Charlton Kings
Enumeration District: 8
Parish: Prestbury

Address: Burgage St Prestbury Gloucestershire County: Gloucestershire

Could this be the Mrs E Swann in the Kelly's directory? She'd been married 2 years and just had the one child. No mention at all of who the husband is or where he was.
....................................................................................................................

This looks like the birth of Diana:

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Name: Diana Catherine Swann
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1909
Registration district: Hampstead
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1a
Page: 545

and her marriage:

England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Diana C Swann
Spouse : John V Read
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1936
Registration district: Cheltenham
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 730

It may be worth getting this birth certificate to see exactly who the parents were:

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Name: Jack T Swann
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1911
Registration district: Cheltenham
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 379

Lucky that the birth was on GlosBMD:

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
SWANN Jack T SWANN SWANN TONE 1911 Cheltenham Cheltenham, Charlton Kings 6A 48

So now we need to find a Swann/Tone marriage but haven't found an obvious one yet.

Hi Dave, no idea what MOP means.

Seeing as Jack is often used in place of John then I'd guess that the John Thomas referred to in the newspaper article must be a son.

Hi Marie Celeste, me again!
Just had an e-mail from Gloucestershire Record Office see below... what does MOP after Anne's name mean??

' In 1950 there were four individuals by the name of Swann listed, all as at Field Cottage, The Burgage (no number given). The four residents as they appear in the register are as follows:

Swann, Anne M.O.P
Swann, Elizabeth
Swann, Jack Thomas
Swann, Kathleen M

So it 's now about the link between the two families. I asked my dad about John Thomas Swann and he is adamant that he never drove a car in his life!! I wonder if it was actually Jack?
Dave