One of the things that's a real mystery to me, perhaps not as dumb as my first question, is why Hugh Wilson's passport is not available on ancestry.com, where the 1912 Shipping Manifest was found, which also purports to have entries for every US Passport from 1795-1925.
How did he sail overseas without a passport?
I'm not asking this to cast doubt on the 1912 trip, which I'm beginning to think was Wilson, but to wonder how he got on board, or into Great Britain or France without proper ID?
Did one need a passport to travel abroad in those days?
One other thing I'm curious about and I'm hoping David might respond. In the thread about news accounts, he wrote;
"One more thing along the same lines as above,
I just noticed that you dismiss the Crump manifest because of the age is exactly 10 yrs off, and because, according to you, this George Crump is a British Citizen.
[Of course the manifest says that he is a US Citizen of British descent, but I am sure you will dismiss that too as just my interpretation.]
Let me add to the reasons you might further want to dismiss the manifest page.
1. That may not be an "A." Blindly search it and you better be looking for "George R. Crump."
2. For Baker, he is listed George too, because Joseph is crossed out and George was written in.
George Baker traveling with George R. Crump."
THe manifest you refer to follows;
I'm a bit confused again, but it's late...
I see that this George Crump is listed as 50 years old and a English Citizen.
Does that mean if I come across a US Record of an "Alien Manifest" with a Hugh Wilson listed as English, or Scottish ancestry, that this might be our guy?