My grandfather, Albert Palmer, married Elizabeth christian on IOM 9.8.1890 and on the cert. it states he is 21 and his father was Robert a labourer. His father was John Palmer, seaman from Goole born c 1835 who married in Guernsey and at some time the family split - some stayed in France and others came to the Island and originally landed in Peel; the mystery is why he called his father Robert (this name has never appeared in the Palmer line). His second "marriage" to my grandmother Anastasia Milne appears not to have been recorded on the Island or in Liverpool where they moved to after the birth of two sons so can't check there. Albert's own birth cert was destroyed in a building in Lille but it is recorded on IOM census "he was born at sea off the English coast" and his d.o.b. does vary - we assume it's c 1870......how then do I find any other documents where he would have given the name of his father? All his siblings name their father as John Palmer seaman/mariner/captain.
His mother did marry a couple of times after we presume John died at sea but none that we know were called Robert. Albert's mother did have children from later marriages but they carried the name of the man she married. I know Albert must have been a very young child when his father died and would never have remembered much about him so perhaps "Robert" was a father figure and the surname "Palmer "was assumed by the person writing down details. Albert worked for the Steam Packet Co for a number of years but they say they have no records and he was also a Ramsey Lifeboatman but apart from photo's of him appearing in the book of the Ramsey Lifeboat there are no records of him there either. Any suggestions please?