Find Living Relatives

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Francis (Frank) L Dray b1913/Rene Rousham b1917

Page 1 + 1 of 2

  1. «
  2. 1
  3. 2
ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 13:47

Marriages Mar 1927 (>99%)
DRAY Joseph W SOUTHEE Southwark 1d 108
Southee Lillian E Dray Southwark 1d 108



DRAY, JOSEPH WILLIAM SOUTHEE
GRO Reference: 1927 M Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 583

Marriages Sep 1949 (>99%)
Dray Joseph W Field Southend 4a 1957
Field Queenie L Dray Southend 4a 1957

3 possible offspring........find details on freebmd. Too recent to post on here -GDPR

DRAY, JOSEPH WILLIAM P 1927
GRO Reference: DOR Q2/2016 in SOUTHEND-ON-SEA (475-1A) Entry Number 513858904

Informant on death cert may be a relative

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 13:41

DRAY, PETER FRANCIS
GRO Reference: 1933 D Quarter in ROMFORD Volume 04A Page 596

1939 Register
20 Retreat Road, Southend-On-Sea, Southend-On-Sea C.B., Essex, England
Joseph W Dray 25 Sep 1898 Male House Painter L C C Married 90 1
Lilian E Dray 12 Mar 1905 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 90 2
Marjorie M Dray 09 Dec 1923 Female Machinst (Dressmaker) Single 90 3
The record for this person is officially closed.
Peter F Dray 11 Nov 1933 Male At School Single 90 5

Dray
Peter F


1956
England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
Southend on Sea, Essex, England
Dray
Peter F


1961
England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
Southend on Sea, Essex, England
Dray
Peter F


1989
England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
Southend on Sea, Essex, England

Dray
Peter Francis
1933
1999
England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007
Southend on Sea, Essex, England

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 13:23

The names of Joseph’s children are shown above……..research them by finding their births as a first step - then carry on through with marriages and offspring.

Why do you think there are any relatives in Australia?

Joe

Joe Report 11 Feb 2026 13:15

Thank you, yes I have done some research and I am picking up on research done by my elder sibling before he died. I am aware from my tree of a lot of this information however, there are some parts I was not aware of. I am particularly interested in finding living relatives in Australia of Frank/Rene and those of Joseph William Dray b 1898 above. Is there a particular way I could go about this?

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 13:00

Name Joseph William Dray
Gender Male
Birth Date 25 Sep 1898
Death Date 29 Jun 1985
Cemetery Sutton Road Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place Southend-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority, Essex, England
Spouse Lilian Elizabeth Dray
Children
Marjorie Mary Dray
Peter Francis Dray
Joseph William Patrick Dray

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:59


Name James Dray
Gender Male
Marriage Age 23
Record Type Marriage
Birth Date abt 1873
Marriage Date 13 Apr 1896
Marriage Place All Saints, Walworth: Surrey Square, Southwark, England
Father James Dray
Spouse Teresa Regan
Father Patrick Regan

Name Teresa Dray
Admission Age 24
Discharge Age 24
Record Type Admission
Birth Date abt 1874
Admission Date 25 Sep 1898
Admission Place Southwark, Southwark, City of London, England
Discharge Date 13 Oct 1898
Discharge Place Southwark, Southwark, City of London, England

Name Joseph Wm Dray
Discharge Age 7/12
Record Type Discharge
Birth Date abt 1898
Discharge Date 9 May 1899
Discharge Place Southwark, Southwark, City of London, England



Deaths Sep 1914 (>99%)
Dray James 41 Hendon 3a 328

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:51

IRENE from the Ancestry tree

Birth
1917 • Southwark London England


Baptism
22 Dec 1917 • England


1921
Age4
Birth of brother Thomas Edward Rousham (1921–2002)
September 1921 • Southwark Greater London England

1924

Birth of sister Joyce V. Rousham (1924–2003)
Mar 1924 • Southwark, London

1926

Birth of brother Kenneth Gordon Rousham (1926–2013)
1926 • Southwark London England

1930
Age13
Death of sister Winnifred Florence. Rousham (1915–1930)
Sep 1930 • Camberwell, London, England

1930

Death of mother Bessie Mary Ann Oliver (1884–1930)
10 November 1930 • Southwark London England. District of Hackney

1932
Death of father Thomas Rousham (1885–1932)
1932 • Southwark, London, London, England

1937
Age20
Marriage
Mar 1937 • Romford, Essex

Francis Leonard Dray
Francis Leonard Dray
1913–1997

1939
Age22

Residence
1939 • Bermondsey, London England

5 Purbrook St Bermondsey London Living with Husband Frank


1940
Age23
Occupation
1940 • London England

Irene worked on the buses in London during the war when her husband was away.Her home was bombed out in 1944.

1942
Age25
Birth of son David Francis Dray (1942–2015)
17 Oct 1942 • London England

1946
Age29
Birth of son Peter Dray (1946–2008)
Jul 1946 • Thurrock, Essex, Suffolk

1956
Age39
Departure
18 May 1956 • Travelled from London to Sydney with Husband and 2 sons on the ship Strathaid. , E


1960
Age43
Residence
1960 • Seven Hills NSW

Lived in Seven Hills till 1967 then returned to England for four years.

1963
Age46
Residence
1963 • Seven Hills, Mitchell, New South Wales, Australia


1967
Age50
Departure
June 1967 • Sydney to London

Travelled overland from Bombay to London by Sundowner Coach Coach, taking six months. .

1972
Age55
Arrival
1972 • Sydney New South Wales Australia

Returned to Sydney and set up home in Hornsby NSW

1980
Age63
Address
1980 • London England

Returned to London Via the Trans Sibirian Railway

1983
Age66

Death
12Jul 1983 •
Sleaford Lincolnhire England


1983
Burial
2 Aug 1983 • Greenwich, London, England





Parents
Thomas Rousham
1885–1932

Bessie Mary Ann Oliver
1884–1930


Spouse and children
Francis Leonard Dray
Francis Leonard Dray
1913–1997

David Francis Dray
David Francis Dray
1942–2015

Peter Dray
Peter Dray
1946–2008

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:40

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
12, Union Street, St George the Martyr Southwark, St Saviour Southwark, London & Surrey, England
James Dray Head Married Male 28 1873 Labourer casual Hoxton, Middlesex, England
Teresa Dray Wife Married Female 24 1877 Office cleaner Southwark, Surrey, England
James P Dray Son - Male 4 1897 - Southwark, Surrey, England
Joseph W Dray Son - Male 2 1899 - Southwark, Surrey, England


In 1911, James and Teresa have no children living with them and say that they have had NO children.


1911 Census For England & Wales
26 Waxwell Terrace, Lambeth, London & Surrey, England
James Dray Head Married Male 37 1874 Hawker general Southwark
Teresa Dray Wife Married Female 34 1877 - Southwark


Daughter Teresa is in an orphanage in Farnborough, Kent.

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:33

DRAY, JAMES REGAN
GRO Reference: 1896 D Quarter in ST SAVIOUR SOUTHWARK LONDON Volume 01D Page 14

DRAY, THERESA MARY REGAN
GRO Reference: 1902 S Quarter in SOUTHWARK Volume 01D Page 38

DRAY, JOSEPH WILLIAM REGAN
GRO Reference: 1898 D Quarter in ST.SAVIOUR SOUTHWARK LONDON Volume 01D Page 43

DRAY, WILLIAM REGAN
GRO Reference: 1906 M Quarter in SOUTHWARK Volume 01D Page 57

DRAY, MARY REGAN
GRO Reference: 1911 J Quarter in ST GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 390

DRAY, ROSE REGAN
GRO Reference: 1916 M Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 474

Above are from the GRO site.......VERY useful, as it includes MMN on births pre-1911. And it's FREE

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:28

Yes 1921 is the latest available census.
1931 was destroyed, but would not in any case be accessible until 2032.
There is a Register which was taken in 1939, and is on Find My Past and Ancestry, but it has a 100-year closure rule for anyone whose death has not been picked up or notified.

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:25

DRAY, FRANCIS LAWRENCE (MMN) REGAN
GRO Reference: 1913 S Quarter in ST. GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 776

Marriages Jun 1896 (>99%)
Dray James St. Saviour 1d 47
Regan Teresa St. Saviour 1d 47

No marriage for Teresa Dray to George Geal in England/Wales

Joe

Joe Report 11 Feb 2026 12:23

Thank you, is 1921 census the latest?

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:20

1921 Census Of England & Wales
29, Burman Street, St George the Martyr Southwark, London & Surrey, England

George Geal Head Male 1867 53 Lambeth, London, England Street Vendor Own Account
Teresa Geal Wife Female 1877 44 Southwark, London, England Home Duties -
Teresa Dray Daughter Female 1902 18 Southwark, London, England Home Duties -
William Dray Son Male 1905 15 Southwark, London, England Messenger Printing Office Richard & Leetis, Pringtin & Stationer
Mary Ellen Dray Daughter Female 1910 10 Westminster, Buckinghamshire, England School -
Francis Lawrence Dray Son Male 1913 7 Westminster, Buckinghamshire, England School -
Rosie Dray Daughter Female 1916 5 - School

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:18

They are in a tree on Ancestry.......TREE name Sheehan

Joe

Joe Report 11 Feb 2026 12:17

Thank you very much. I'm new to this so I will do as you suggested.

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:07

1921 Census Of England & Wales
1, Union Square, Newington, London & Surrey, England
Thomas Rousham Head Male 1885 36 Southwark, London, England Carman Papper Trad E Marlborough Co Works Lab News Agents
Bessie Mary Ann Rousham Wife Female 1884 36 Southwark, London, England - -
Bessie Ellen Rousham Daughter Female 1911 10 Southwark, London, England - -
Catherine Rousham Daughter Female 1913 8 Southwark, London, England - -
Winifred Rousham Daughter Female 1915 5 Southwark, London, England - -
Irene Rousham Daughter Female 1917 3 Southwark, London, England - -
Thomas Rousham Son Male 1921 - Southwark, London, England -

Follow-through on siblings using freebmd

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:03

Francis AND Irene in TWO trees in addition to yours.......try making contact

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 11 Feb 2026 12:01

Start by looking in 'search all member trees'

Hardly anybody looks at these message boards, so your chances of someone connected seeing this are virtually zero

Have you done ANY research?

Joe

Joe Report 11 Feb 2026 11:51

Emigrated to NSW Australia aboard RMS Straithlaird. in 1956 with sons David Dray b1942 and Peter Dray b1946

David has a daughter named Cherelle (details unknown) but she has been in contact previously with Dray family in UK. Frank and Rene returned to UK some years back where Rene died and is buried in cemetery in Eltham, SE London.

I'm seeking to contact living relatives of the above please.