George Georgeopoulo
Posted: 10 Jan 2021 13:01
2020 was the year I had hoped to get up to Liverpool to do some detailed research into my paternal grandmother's family, named Jackson. But for now I'm just concentrating on a few loose ends, like my great aunt Elizabeth Jackson, born 29 Nov 1894 (according to 1939Reg, birth certificate awaited*). She was the eighth child of George Jackson, a marine engineer (b1854) and Mary (nee Willcock b 1855). The Jackson family were then living at 35 Lind Street, Walton. She had an interesting life it would seem. On 2 December 1912 she married Erle (baptised as Earl) Clarence Edmonds at West Derby Register Office. The witnesses were William Johnstone (my grandfather) and the bride's sister Mary Ellen Jackson, later to become Mrs Johnstone (ie my grandmother) the following year. Clarence was born around August 1892 while his family were living in Walker Street, Everton. He was a bioscope (ie cinema) operator. The marriage only lasted a few months during which he was violent towards Elizabeth, before deserting her, according to her evidence when she later obtained a divorce in June 1939. Clarence then disappears from the record for a while only to reappear in South London at his marriage to Florence V Moss in 1940. Elizabeth doesn't sit around moping for long however. In the first quarter of 1915 a son Christy Jackson is born, only to die within a couple of months. The father was George Georgeopoulo, a cotton merchant. He had been born in about 1881, the son of Christos Georgeopoulo, also a cotton trader. He is the subject of this thread.
I know that he was Christy Jackson's father because Christy's death is registered under both surnames (Q2 1915 Liverpool 8b 108). A second child Nicholas was born in late 1916 or early 1917 (birth registered Q1 1917). This took some tracking down as the birth (and subseuent death in the same quarter) was registered as Nicholas with the surname George, mother's maiden name Jackson. The birth and death certificates are awaited, but I have little doubt that yet again the father was George Georgeopoulo, because Nicholas is recorded on the gravestone of the family burial plot in Anfield Cemetery (section G4 Grave 1582, Entry No 25090.) On 2 October 1920 Despina Georgeopoulo was born. The birth certificate openly acknowledges George as the father, and he and Elizabeth are shown as residing at 88 Princes Road, Toxteth. Something strange then occurs. In 1922 the birth of Christina Edmunds (not Edmonds) is registered with the mother's maiden name shown as Edmunds (birth certificate awaited). This would appear to be a clumsy attempt to disguise the illegitimacy of the child. Again there is little doubt that the father is George Georgeopoulo as Christina's death at the age of 8 in 1930 is registered in the name of Christina M Georgeopoulo, and again her brief life is recorded on the family grave. And finally on 20 July 1925 Andronichi Joanna Georgeopoulo (my godmother) was born. Once again the father is recorded correctly on the birth certificate, although Elizabeth is now calling herself Georgeopoulo, even though they don't actually marry until 13 October 1939, following Elizabeth's divorce from Clarence. At the time of Andro's birth, the family are living at 12 The Elms, Dingle. Looking at that property today on Google StreetView, it looks to be a very substantial house, so it would appear George was a successful businessman. But the problem is, apart from appearing on a couple of birth certificates (and later his own death on 28 June 1945 and subsequent will) there appears to very little trace of him in censuses or electoral registers that I have been able to search. He doesn't appear in the 1939 Register (Elizabeth and Andro were at 12 The Elms in 1939) and he was proabably too old to serve during World WarTwo. I don't even know if he had Brirtish citizenship.
So I'm looking for help in finding out anything more about George Georgeopoulo and his life, particularly in Liverpool. Trade directories, newspaper entries, travel details and so on. I only have access to FindMyPast at the moment but I did use Ancestry to do a search a couple of years ago; I'm hoping that they may now have more datasets which could prove fruitful. Sadly neither Despina or Andro had any children and so that branch of the family has died out.
By the way, if you search on the surname Georgeopoulo, there are several familes by that name in the North Eastern states of the USA. I haven't been able to tie in any connection with them.
* Elizabeth's birth date is also a potential problem, but not really the subject of this enquiry. The birth registration was Q1 1894 West Derby 8b 421, mmn Willcock, but this would be impossible if she was born in Nov 1894. On the family grave her dates are shown as Nov 1895 to April 1950. There's nothing to suggest that the Q1 1894 registration is for a child who didn't live, and the same name was passed on to a child born the following Autumn, even though this might be biologically possible.
I know that he was Christy Jackson's father because Christy's death is registered under both surnames (Q2 1915 Liverpool 8b 108). A second child Nicholas was born in late 1916 or early 1917 (birth registered Q1 1917). This took some tracking down as the birth (and subseuent death in the same quarter) was registered as Nicholas with the surname George, mother's maiden name Jackson. The birth and death certificates are awaited, but I have little doubt that yet again the father was George Georgeopoulo, because Nicholas is recorded on the gravestone of the family burial plot in Anfield Cemetery (section G4 Grave 1582, Entry No 25090.) On 2 October 1920 Despina Georgeopoulo was born. The birth certificate openly acknowledges George as the father, and he and Elizabeth are shown as residing at 88 Princes Road, Toxteth. Something strange then occurs. In 1922 the birth of Christina Edmunds (not Edmonds) is registered with the mother's maiden name shown as Edmunds (birth certificate awaited). This would appear to be a clumsy attempt to disguise the illegitimacy of the child. Again there is little doubt that the father is George Georgeopoulo as Christina's death at the age of 8 in 1930 is registered in the name of Christina M Georgeopoulo, and again her brief life is recorded on the family grave. And finally on 20 July 1925 Andronichi Joanna Georgeopoulo (my godmother) was born. Once again the father is recorded correctly on the birth certificate, although Elizabeth is now calling herself Georgeopoulo, even though they don't actually marry until 13 October 1939, following Elizabeth's divorce from Clarence. At the time of Andro's birth, the family are living at 12 The Elms, Dingle. Looking at that property today on Google StreetView, it looks to be a very substantial house, so it would appear George was a successful businessman. But the problem is, apart from appearing on a couple of birth certificates (and later his own death on 28 June 1945 and subsequent will) there appears to very little trace of him in censuses or electoral registers that I have been able to search. He doesn't appear in the 1939 Register (Elizabeth and Andro were at 12 The Elms in 1939) and he was proabably too old to serve during World WarTwo. I don't even know if he had Brirtish citizenship.
So I'm looking for help in finding out anything more about George Georgeopoulo and his life, particularly in Liverpool. Trade directories, newspaper entries, travel details and so on. I only have access to FindMyPast at the moment but I did use Ancestry to do a search a couple of years ago; I'm hoping that they may now have more datasets which could prove fruitful. Sadly neither Despina or Andro had any children and so that branch of the family has died out.
By the way, if you search on the surname Georgeopoulo, there are several familes by that name in the North Eastern states of the USA. I haven't been able to tie in any connection with them.
* Elizabeth's birth date is also a potential problem, but not really the subject of this enquiry. The birth registration was Q1 1894 West Derby 8b 421, mmn Willcock, but this would be impossible if she was born in Nov 1894. On the family grave her dates are shown as Nov 1895 to April 1950. There's nothing to suggest that the Q1 1894 registration is for a child who didn't live, and the same name was passed on to a child born the following Autumn, even though this might be biologically possible.
