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But where was he born? His army discharge papers (see here) stated he was born on 22 June 1855 at St Mary’s, Reading. However, no birth record could be found there, nor a corresponding baptism, and neither he nor his father William Curtis, the labourer, were in the 1861 census. It turns out Reading was not his birthplace, and we still do not know why he said it was.

In fact, the 1901 census (see here) states his birthplace as ‘Barnby’, Suffolk, but in this record he is misentered as George Carter and, in any case, at the time the research was being undertaken, the 1901 census had not yet been released. However, his army papers also gave his next of kin as Mary and, before his marriage, as ‘Mother, Harriet———Barnaby near Beccles [Suffolk]’.

Although it is most useful for events before General Registration began in 1837, the International Genealogical Index on www.familysearch.org can sometimes be helpful solving mysteries after then (see here). There was no George Curtis entry, which was obviously right, but further searching revealed a William Curtis, son of William and Harriet, baptised on 24 June 1860 at Barnby, Suffolk. This certainly seemed to indicate the right family – and the original entry confirmed that the father, William, was indeed a labourer.

As George was supposedly born around 1853–5, the 1861 census of Barnby was the next stop. This revealed William Curtis the labourer at Back Lane, Barnby, with his wife Harriet and children, including William’s step-son George Moore, aged eight.