A CONFUSING STORY.

 

A true and confusing story about one person and their two names, with other people also having that name, but using another. Confused? Read on.

(Disclaimer, all persons are deceased.)

Where to start this story, the end, the beginning or random? No matter where I start, you will be confused by the end.

Forty years ago, I started researching my family history, especially my dad’s side. I discovered all sorts of interesting facts, dates, and people over the years and this added colour to the family tree.

Dad had been married, before he married my mum and with is first wife had three children, Mavis, Leslie, and Patricia. I never got to meet them, nor they me. I did meet Patricia’s husband and some of her children, (I’ve now meet all on them.)

Mavis I was able to trace and was in contact with her daughter, June, for several years before she passed and during that time, she gave me information and photos about Mavis and a photo of Leslie.

Leslie was they mystery, I couldn’t find a trace of him other than his name on Patricia’s birth certificate.

Now fast forward to October 2025. I was playing around on Ancestry and contacted a lady, who managed a DNA match, with the following query.

I'm Matthew's daughter from his second marriage. I'm sorting out my tree and was wondering Leslie Henry's death, do you have a date and place, please? I've just got 1974. I've also wondered if he did change his surname.

Her reply sent me on a search, in two states.

 I don't have a place. But I have a distant relative of my husband who has a different name for Leslie, so I'm not sure now which one is correct. Leslie George howie/ howe . died in 1978.

Howie, Howe, that surname rang bells, just loud enough to stir memories of conversations, over 20 years ago, and had me reaching for the certificate folder.

Now the mystery begins and not with Leslie but with his brother-in-law.

Mavis Doreen Abberton was born in 1921, married Robert John Drupas in 1941. All information confirmed by the certificates, nothing fishy there, or is there?

Robert Drupas’ birth certificate has the annotation born Robert Henry Howe. Mother’s name Kathleen Howe. (Remember this.)

Back to October 2025.

Using the Howie/Howe surname I now searched for Leslie Howie’s death between1974 and 1980. Bingo, Leslie George Howie, 1978, no parents listed! Looked for a marriage in New South Wales, nope. Back to Ancestry and searched for him, using family trees, (yes, I know they can be wrong, but I double check anything I find on them.) There he was marrying a Jessie Iris Wilkinson, in Queensland, I’d been told his wife was Iris, so I searched the Queensland Birth, Marriages and Deaths and found an entry for them in 1943. His parents were given as James Howie and Bertha Willoughby, birthplace Thirroul. Now Berth Willoughby was dad’s first wife. Time to check the New South Wales Births, Deaths, and Marriages. Using Leslie Howie and a range from 1921 to 1924, I found nothing. BUT using Leslie Abberton, there he was, parents listed as Matthew Abberton and Bertha Willoughby.

I also checked for a marriage between Bertha and a James Howie, there wasn’t one.

Now Leslie had given his occupation as a soldier on his marriage and being during World War 2, I searched the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial and couldn’t find him. I found Jessie as she had also enlisted.

 

I then rang a good friend and asked her for any other places I could look for anything to do with his service, she suggested the Department of Veterans Affairs, Nominal Rolls. While we were chatting, she did a quick search and found him, for me. I also did my own search and copied down the details, and here is where it gets confusing.

When Leslie enlisted in 1941, he was already using Howie as his surname, he gives Mavis as his next of kin, but both his parents were still living. He gives Mavis’ surname as Howie. Now check back to the previous page, Mavis was married in 1941 to Robert Drupas. Why was she using Howie? (All of Mavis and Robert’s children were registered as Drupas.)

Leslie’s birth certificate confirms his parents’ names and his place of birth. It also showed that her had been given Matthew’s name and middle name as well. These he seems to have dropped before he married.

His death certificate tells me nothing, other than his wife and children.

I have long though that he had changed is name and I have my own theory about that but to use his brother-in-law’s birth name, that is totally confusing.