X00169 Robert Westwell in 1865 news article - Solved!

A number of years ago I was searching through some online newspapers searchinf for ancestors. I did a search for Robert Westwell and came across this article in the The Times, dated 17 November 1865

The article talks about properties being sold in Blackburn on Cleaver Street and Larkhall Street and names Robert Westwell as one of the current occupants and I had wondered if this was the same Robert Westwell as mine.

Looking at the information that I have now, I can see that Robert Westwell was living on Audley Lane in March of 1865 and not on either of the streets mentioned in the article.

It is entirely plausible that he could have moved around from place to place - after all, he was 26 years old in 1865 and did move around quite a bit from the looks of it. But based on the evidence that I have, I don't have enough to conclude that the Robert Westwell in the article is the same one.

X00393 What happened to Robert Westwell (b. 1868) after 1891 - Research Strategy

What Happened to Robert Westwell After 1891?

A Research Plan for Tracing a Missing Lancashire Soldier

Every family historian eventually meets an ancestor who simply slips out of the records. For me, one of those people is Robert Westwell, born in 1868 in Blackburn, Lancashire, and last seen in the 1891 census, where he appears as a soldier living at 30 Riley Street. After that, he vanishes from the usual civil sources. No marriage. No death. No obvious emigration. Nothing.

When an ancestor disappears just as they reach adulthood, it’s often a sign that their life took a turn that doesn’t leave a straightforward paper trail. In Robert’s case, the clue is right there in the census: soldier. That single word opens up a whole new set of research avenues.

This is the research plan I’m using to uncover what happened to him.

1. Start With the 1891 Census Military Clue

The 1891 census lists Robert as a soldier, but doesn’t name his regiment. Identifying that regiment is the key that unlocks everything else.

My next steps

• Re‑examine the census page: Look closely for marginal notes, depot names, or other soldiers whose regiments can be identified.
• Study local military context: Research which regiments were recruiting or stationed in Blackburn in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
• Check newspapers: Look for enlistment notices or lists of local men joining specific battalions.

If I can determine his regiment, I can follow him through muster rolls, overseas postings, and service records.

2. Search British Army Service Records (1870–1920)

Men born in the late 1860s often served under terms such as 7 years active plus 5 years reserve, 12 years regular service, or militia service before or after regular enlistment.

Record sets to explore

• WO 97: Chelsea Pensioners (soldiers discharged to pension before 1913).
• WO 96: Militia attestation papers.
• WO 363 / WO 364: First World War service records (in case Robert lived long enough to serve again).
• Regimental muster rolls: Series WO 12 and WO 16, which track movements and postings.

Search tips

• Use surname variants: Westwell, Westwall, Westwill, Westall, Wesdell.
• Leverage birthplace fields: Search for Blackburn, Lancashire, or simply “Lancs” when available.

These records often include physical descriptions, next of kin, overseas service, and discharge details — all invaluable for tracking a man who moved frequently.

3. Investigate Overseas Military Service

If Robert continued in the army, he may have served abroad. Men of his age were commonly posted to India, South Africa, Egypt or Sudan, Malta, Gibraltar, or Ireland.

Records to check

• Boer War medal rolls (1899–1902): In case he served in South Africa.
• India General Service Medal rolls: If his regiment was posted to India.
• Regimental casualty lists: To identify those wounded or killed in action.
• British Army overseas death indexes: For deaths registered outside England and Wales.

If he died abroad, his death may not appear in English civil registration indexes at all.

4. Look for a Military Death or Burial

If Robert died while serving, several specific types of records might preserve his story.

Key record types

• British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects: Often list next of kin and place of death.
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths (GRO): Index entries for deaths occurring abroad.
• Regimental burial registers: For men buried on overseas stations or garrison cemeteries.
• Local memorials: Occasionally, pre–First World War conflicts are commemorated on town or church memorials.

These records can not only confirm a death but also tie Robert to specific campaigns or locations.

5. Consider Emigration After Military Service

Many Lancashire men emigrated after completing their army service, taking the skills and experience they gained into civilian life overseas.

Where to look

• Passenger lists: Ships bound for Canada, the United States, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
• Naturalization records: In countries where he may have settled permanently.
• Overseas marriages and deaths: Civil registrations outside England and Wales.

It’s entirely possible that Robert left no further English records because he started a new life somewhere else.

6. Search for a Marriage or Civilian Life After Discharge

If Robert survived his army service and returned to civilian life in Britain, he may reappear in more familiar sources.

Records to revisit

• Marriage indexes and certificates: Look for a groom named Robert Westwell of the right age.
• Parish registers: Especially in Blackburn and surrounding Lancashire parishes.
• Electoral rolls: After 1918, as suffrage expanded.
• The 1939 Register: If he lived into the Second World War period.

When examining marriage entries, I’ll pay special attention to the name and occupation of the bridegroom’s father, looking for a match to Robert’s known father, also named Robert Westwell.

7. Explore Local Newspapers

Newspapers can be the missing link for soldiers whose official records are thin or incomplete.

What I’ll be looking for

• Enlistment announcements: Notices of local men joining a regiment.
• Service reports: Mentions of Blackburn men serving overseas.
• Injury or death reports: Articles about casualties from the town.
• Desertion or court‑martial notices: Rare, but occasionally reported.
• Homecoming stories: Soldiers returning after campaigns.

Useful search terms will include “Westwell Blackburn soldier”, “Private Westwell”, and “R. Westwell Blackburn”.

8. Use DNA as a Long‑Term Strategy

If the paper trail remains stubbornly cold, DNA might still tell part of Robert’s story.

What DNA might reveal

• Descendants overseas: Indicating emigration after military service.
• A second family: Children born in a different region or country.
• Surname changes or variations: Explaining why documentary searches fail.
• Clusters of matches: Pointing to a geographic area where Robert (or his descendants) may have settled.

DNA is a long‑term, collaborative approach, but it can sometimes answer the questions the records cannot.

9. Re‑evaluate All Known Records

Before drawing any conclusions, it’s always worth revisiting the records I already hold for Robert and his family.

Records to review

• Robert’s baptism and birth records: Double‑check all details and any marginal notes.
• All census entries: Look again for neighbours, lodgers, or notes that might hint at military connections.
• His parents’ records: Wills, burials, or obituaries that might refer to a son “serving abroad” or “deceased”.
• His siblings’ lives: Marriage records or obituaries sometimes mention brothers and their whereabouts.

Sometimes the clue we need is already in our files, waiting to be noticed.

Final Thoughts

Robert Westwell’s disappearance after 1891 isn’t unusual for a young man in military service. Soldiers moved constantly, served overseas, and sometimes died far from home. But the combination of military records, newspapers, and emigration sources gives us a strong chance of discovering his fate.

This research plan lays out the path forward — and with a bit of luck, one of these avenues will finally reveal what became of Robert after he left Blackburn behind.

X00392 Eleanor Westwell after 1882

Eleanor Westwell was the daughter of Robert Westwell and Elizabeth Glover and was born 2 March 1865 in Blackburn, Lancashire England. I have found her in the 1871 and 1881 censuses living with the rest of the Westwell family. She then appears as a witness in the 1882 marriage record for her sister Mary Ann Westwell and Lawrence Ashton. But I have not found her in any records beyond that.

She isn't found living with the rest of the Westwell family in 1891 and I wasn't able to find another record for an Eleanor Westwell in the 1891 census that fits with the name, location and year of birth, which means that she had either died before 1891 or married before 1891 and was under a different name.

I had a look at the death records between 1882 and 1891 and again, nothing seemed to match with the name, location and birth year. But I did find a marriage record for an Eleanor Westwell in 1883 in Blackburn. The location, name and date does match. So I'm going to order the marriage certificate and see if that gives any clues. Stay tuned for more!