Julio/Julius de Castro - was he really a spy? Help please!

[jackieb]

I’m very new to family history research and seem to be getting nowhere fast! I’m trying to find out all I can about my grandfather, (my father’s father), Julio/Julius de Castro. I have viewed the 1911 census, plus marriage and death records, but the Liverpool Records Office say they can’t issue me with a death cert as I don’t know the exact date of death. I’m very interested in the cause of death and would like to find his grave – it’s a real mystery story from the days of WW1.

I know that Julio/Julius was born in Portugal in 1880. In the April-June period of 1902, calling himself Julius de Castro, he married Louisa Charlotte Pierson, a barmaid, and this was registered at West Ham, Essex. However, in the 1911 Census, he appears as Julio de Castro (a more likely name for a Portuguese national) married to Louise Charlotte and living at 106, Derby Lane, Old Swan, Liverpool. Parish = West Derby; Sub District = Enum district; West Derby Eastern = 29.

In the 1911 Census, Julio describes himself as a Merchant’s Clerk, working for a “General Merchant”. The 1911 Census records that they have 5 children, but only four Julius Richard (Uncle Dick)b. London 1903, Violette Charlotte (auntie Vi) b. Manchester 1904, Louise Rose (auntie Rose)b. Liverpool 1905 and Clarence Edward (uncle Clarence) b. 1909, appear. Missing is Aunt Ethel, b. West Derby, Lancs, 1906 - she was only 5, so where was she? They went on to have two more children: Charles, b. West Derbys, 1911 and Sidney (my dad), b. Birkenhead, 1913. Charles and Sidney were registered as Castro, rather than de Castro. All of these people are now dead.; my father died in 2004.

Years ago, I was told by my Aunt Rose that Julio changed occupation and became a foreign correspondent for a newspaper, since he spoke several languages fluently. She said that Julio had been arrested whilst trying to board a ship; this was during WW1 and he was carrying papers written in German. Apparently, he was imprisoned to await trial, but became ill and died before he could attempt to clear his name. I was once shown an old newpaper cutting about this event, but despite lengthy internet searches, have been unable to find any trace of it.
I have found a record of a J de Castro boarding the Lusitania for New York on 18th Nov 1911, but cannot find any later record. As my father was born after 1911, it cannot be that Julio was arrested on this trip.

I do not know what prison Julio/Julius was held in, why he was really arrested, why he died, or where he is buried. My father once told me that he thought the grave might be in Wallesey, but he wasn’t sure – he was only three when his father died. In the Registers of Deaths available on line, via "Find my Past”, he is listed in "Deaths Registered in April, May and June, 1916." He is listed there as Julius de Castro, aged 36. The District is West Derby, Volume 8b, Page 389.

After his death, Clarence and Sidney became boarders at "The Orphan Working School and Alexandra Orphanage, Maitland Park" - I have a card belonging to Mrs de Castro, allowing her to visit them on the first Weds of March, June, Oct and Dec and dated 1921. Why were they sent there? And why just those two boys and not Charles or Julius Richard? Although I'm most interested in Julio, I have the memorial card for Louise/Louisa - it was given to me by my father, who was present at her funeral, so it must be hers. She died in 1943 and is buried in Fulham. Oddly, the name on the card is Florence Louise de Castro. How odd that after the horror of her husband's arrest and death, she changed her Christian name, but not her surname?

If any of you can help in any way, or tell me how to proceed, I’d be very grateful. It is fascinating, but I seem to have hit a brick wall!

Thanks ever so much – Jackie.

[MaryA]

Hi and welcome to the forum. It is a fascinating story that I think our crew will enjoy getting their teeth into. Meantime, young Ethel Castro 4 and a half years old, must have been ill as she is in the City Hospital East, Mill Lane, Old Swan, Liverpool.

It might be worthwhile approaching Wirral http://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/co ... crematoria to ask if they know of a burial place, however, you will need the exact date I believe. Using the reference that you have already found you will be able to order the death certificate online at www.gro.gov.uk I feel it may give you some useful information, eg the person who registered the death and their address, and his own residence as well as the cause of death and exact date.

[jackieb]

Thank you MaryA! Can't believe how quickly you found Auntie Ethel!
Jackie

[Alison C]

Hello Jackie,

FreeBMD also shows the birth of a Joan G De Castro - mother's maiden name Pierson - in Birkenhead in 1915, follwed by a death in West Ham in 1921:

Births Mar 1915
De Castro Joan G Pierson Birkenhead 8a 1065
Deaths Mar 1921
De Castro Joan 6 W.Ham 4a 416

Alison

[Alison C]

...there is also a burial record on Ancestry for Julius Castro in Walton Park cemetery. Looks promising!

Alison

[Blue70]

Burial details:-

Name: Julius De Castro
Address: 40 Wright Street, Egremont, Cheshire
Age: 36
Buried: 3 May 1916
Place: Walton Park
"Coroner's Order"





The basic information from the inquest register including date, place and cause of death is available on microfilm at Liverpool Record Office.


Blue

[Tina]

Hi Jackie
Thank you for sharing your story.
You've done well crew!!

1911 Gores/Kellys Directory (mostly recorded in 1910)
has Julius Castro foreign correspondent 22 Sark Road, Stoneycroft

[jackieb]

Thank you so much for all of this. I am SO excited! Tina and Blue70 - thank you!

I'll get on to the Liverpool Records Office again - I asked for Julio/Julius' death cert, but they've emailed me saying they can't supply it without an exact date of death. I'll emailed them all of the info I have, hoping the person who wrote the email might take pity on me and search - I measn, there can't be THAT many deaths in that quarter with that surname, surely? I'll try to apply online too, as suggested - don't care if I end up with two!

It's just brilliant that you've found the place of burial. If I can now get the death cert, I should find out the cause of death. Would the Coroner's report be filed anywhere for public scrutiny? I definitely want to make the journey up to his grave, if I can be sure it's still there - I'm right down at the bottom of Wales!

I've searched the online newspaper archive, but although hundreds of de Castros come up, none of them of him. I know the newspaper article exists because I have seen it! It isn't a front page headline, it's just a short column, detailing his arrest. I don't remember much about it, as I only read it the once many years ago. Any ideas where I might look?

The family members I knew (Dick (Julius jnr), Rose, Ethel, Clarence, Charles and my dad, Sidney), (I didn't know Aunt Vi) were all rather reluctant to talk about any of it. I assumed this must have been because they were probably drilled not to mention it as children, for fear of being socially ostracised, or perhaps they were too young to remember, or the detail was kept from them, or maybe they had a pretty rough time afterwards and didn't want to remember any of it? Dad (Sidney b.1913) wouldn't even talk about the Orphanage - all questions were met with "I don't remember - what do you want to know that for?"

Dad did tell me that there was a sister who died, but said nothing else about her - said he couldn't remember her name, so thank you to Alison for that.

I've got the visiting card for the orphanage, the Memorial card for Louise Charlotte (as I said above, now calling herself Florence) and an old pic of Julio, Louise, with three children; I know that the little boy is Dick (Julius jnr), but Dad didn't know who the two babies were - as they were mostly born 1 year apart, there are some children missing from the photo. I will try to scan and post what I have.

Thanks ever so much for your help - you've been just brilliant!

Jackie

[jackieb]

Can't understand how to post the images - when I click on Img, (and it says on the bottom left that img is ON )

appears in the text - but there's nothing to click on to browse my images.

What am I doing wrong? Sorry if I am being very dim.

Jackie

[Blue70]

Hi Jackie

I think your best option is to leave the inquest register info it will be the same info as the Death Certificate. Just order the Death Certificate using the index info through the GRO website:-

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/cert ... efault.asp


Blue

[jackieb]

Thanks for that, Blue.

I've ordered the death and marriage certs through the GRO website. Never knew it existed - and it's far quicker and easier than sending yet more info to the poor chap at the Liverpool records office (I think he suspects that I am a nutter).

I've ordered the death cert via priority delivery, so hopefully will be able to post something useful when I get home from work tomorrow.

Thanks again.

Jackie

[daggers]

Jackie
In defence of the poor chap at the Record Office, it is the Register Office which issues certificates of B M and D!
We will be following this saga with interest.
Daggers

[jackieb]

I've been on FindmyPast again and have found an entry in the Index of Marine Births reported during 1880 of a male child (unnamed) with the surname de Castro. He was born at sea in 1880, on the vessel Ravenscrag/Ravensorag (looks different on the actual entry) Page 10 of the GRO Marine Birth Indices.

Wonder if that's Julio/Julius. Would I be able to get a birth certificate for this person? I'm a tad confused, because on the 1911 Census, he describes himself as Portuguese resident, saying he was born in Portugal, so now I am not sure whether he means he is Portuguese, or British? If he isn't British (and I was always told that he wasn't) , presumably, I can't get a birth certificate?

Hi Daggers - I'm not cross with the man in the Records Office - that poor chap must think "Oh god not her again" every time he opens his email! However, I've just sent him a message to say it's OK, I have it via the GRO - that's probably made his day!

Sorry if I'm driving you all mad too, but it is all so exciting! Thank you so much for all your help.

If I can work out a way of posting the visiting and memorial cards and the photo of Julius, I will do so.

Jackie

[Katie]

If his death was registered West Derby district then his death occured in that area. May be a report on his inquest in the papers.

[Blue70]

Unfortunately the full inquest papers are not in the record office there's only the inquest register on microfiche giving the same info as the Death Certificate.

Blue

[jackieb]

hi Katie

According to the family, he died in prison, awaiting trial. That would make perfect sense of a burial at Walton Park, as according to the map I've just looked at, it is right by a prison. Blue70 has found the record, so there seems to be no doubt about that.

Years ago (when I was a small kid) I remember Rose's daughter Betty (also long dead) told me she had been up there and had seen his grave. I don't know whether she really did, because on another forum, I see everyone is saying it's just a field which was a massed paupers' grave - maybe she was trying to make the story seem rather "nicer". But - Julio/Julius shouldn't have been a pauper; if he was a foreign correspondent, he'd have been earning a good wage ....hmmm.....the plot thickens! (My dad always said he thought his father was buried in Wallesey - but maybe he just didn't want me to find him. They were always a very secretive lot! )

Thanks again for all your searching

Jackie

[MaryA]

Lots of good information there.

Glad you have ordered the certificate, I would like to suggest that you read this post
http://forum.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk ... =25&t=6937
where I have tried to explain what information can be obtained from the Record Office and also that Certificates can be obtained from either the GRO or the local Register Office.

Unfortunately you can't upload a photograph to this forum, however, there are instructions for a method you can use http://forum.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk ... =16&t=9817

There are indeed headstones at Walton Park Cemetery, which is opposite the jail so it's definitely possible that he is buried and maybe identified there. Please see some more notes http://forum.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk ... ton#p85525 about approaching those who may be able to search for the grave and let you know it's whereabouts. Please read this contact information carefully if you think you will want to visit the grave as it's not just a case of turning up and finding it, sometimes it can take the volunteers a couple of weeks.

I am confused about the address on the burial if the death was registered in West Derby - they shouldn't be the same person, but hey ho, there's always the exception that proves the rule isn't there. The certificate will hopefully give the answer to that.

[jackieb]

Thank you for all of that, MaryA.

Hopefully, the certificate will arrive tomorrow - pity I'm working, so will have to wait until the evening to find out!

Yes, it is all a massive puzzle; the entry posted by Blue70 must be correct as all details match eg, age, date, coroner - and the change of address makes sense, since the last births were registered in Birkenhead. I suppose they just dumped prisoners in the nearest plot, but it does seem odd that (IF he wasn't actually convicted) he wasn't taken back to Egremont, to be buried near the family home. Another oddity is that he would have been Roman Catholic - all of my father's family were (I'm not) so one might have thought he'd be in a RC plot... hmm....

Wish I could track down that newspaper article - have spent hours trying to locate that by trying all sorts of random things into the newspaper archive search, but to no avail.

Now I'm going to have a go at photobucket!

Thanks again -

Jackie

[MaryA]

I think the answer as to why you can't find anything in the newspapers is that it is too recent, unfortunately I believe a trip to the Record Office will probably be required to search the date in question.

[jackieb]

Hello again

Here is the link to the photos on Photobucket - thanks for this suggestion MaryA. I thought a few photos would make this search so much more interesting for those being kind enough to help me.

1. Julio/Julius with his wife Louise /Louisa Charlotte and three of their children. I know that the little boy standing is Uncle Dick (Julius Richard), but don't know which of the others are pictured.

2. The Memorial Card for Louise's funeral. This was given to me by my father. I also have a photo that he took of her (from quite a distance) in a hospital room, being attended by a nun. It's odd that she changed to calling herself Florence - I could better understand changing her surname after the scandal of her husband's arrest. But maybe the family always called her Florence? My husband has a relative called Antonia - everyone knows her as Polly, and my daughter Hannah is known as Cissie, so that's a definite possibility.

3. The visiting card for the Orphan Working School and Alexandra Orphanage at Maitland Park. The date has been cut off in the photo - it says 14 Sep 1921. Maybe "Florence" moved back to London after the death of Joan in 1921. Must have been so hard to lose a husband and then a child, poor thing.

http://s1070.photobucket.com/albums/u49 ... img047.jpg

I'm definitely up for a visit to the Record Office in the summer months! And I'd love to see where Julio lived and where he is buried.

Thanks again to everyone for your kindness,

Jackie