TravelGenee #atozchallenge R – Roman

TravelGenee #atozchallenge R – Roman

It’s now day 21 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Hard to believe that I am still managing to keep up. I have tried to get ahead but only managed 2 or 3 days in advance of publishing. The letter for today is R. I have selected Roman Victor José BYRON—BARHYDT. A mouthful of a name so I better write it again – Roman Victor José BYRON—BARHYDT (DOB 1857).

When you look for exotic persons in your tree Roman is one of them. He married my grandfather’s sister Mabel Kate DAWSON (DOB 1881) on 25 February 1904 as found in the church records.¹

He was 24 years older than Mabel when they got married. His profession is listed as an artist. The family talk was that he was on the stage as a cowboy. The two witnesses at the marriage. Mabel’s father Edward Charles DAWSON (DOB 1854) and her brother George Walter Dawson (DOB 1886).  Roman’s father, Petro Alexandro BYRON—BARHYDT was deceased at the time of the wedding.

At a later date, I found out information about Roman’s death. I then discovered he was from Chihuahua in Mexico, not the USA as per family talk. He died at the Hotel Splendid in Bucharest.²  Seems that he traveled around.

These details are confirmed in the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, 1858-1966 for Roman.  Roman did not die rich and left only £81 6s to Mabel.³

From family tales, I also know that Mabel and Roman went to the USA as part of a traveling show “with cowboys”. This probably included Mexico as in 1924 Mabel applied for re-admission to British Nationality from Mexico as listed in the National Gazette, London 5 December 1924. ⁴

This is a closed file for 100 years, reference HO 144/3934 held by The National Archives, Kew. The certificate No, 11,624 was issued on 6 November 1924. The current opening date for the file is 01 January 2025.⁵ If I wanted to see the file I would need to apply with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. This may give me more details about Roman. Before requesting such items I would check what types of information is held in the file and the chances of it being opened early.

You can see why Roman seems to be a more exotic member of my family tree. Born in Mexico, a traveler, an artist, a showman and dying at Hotel Splendid in Bucharest. It would be nice to see a photo of Roman. Was he a handsome gentleman or a rugged  cowboy look? What attracted Mabel to marrying an older man?

Sources TravelGenee #atozchallenge R:

1. Ancestry: London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Pancras Parish Church, Register of marriages, P90/PAN1, Item 162.
2. Ancestry: Great Britain, Select Deaths and Burials, 1778-1988. From Great Britain Deaths and Burials, 1778-1988, FamilySearch.
3. Ancestry: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, 1858-1966 for Roman Victor Jose Byron-Barhydt.
4. National Gazette, London 5 December 1924, Issue 32999, Page 8854.
5. National Archives, UK: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/record?catid=5109489&catln=6

Any cowboys in your family tree?

TravelGenee #atozchallenge R – Roman

This is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge for April 2016: Letter R for Roman. You can read more about the A to Z challenge and my other posts. Or search on social media with #atozchallenge.