Question

John Robertson Abercrombie born about 1889. In 1914 living in Vancouver, BC.

He was a passenger of the Empress of Ireland, which sank on May 29th 1914. He survived.

Help needed to search and create family to link to the big tree.

Answer 1

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3A%22John%20Robertson%22~%20%2Bsurname%3AAbercrombie~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1889-1889~%20%2Bresidence_place%3ACanada~&offset=20

Answer 2

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL5T-2QW

Robert Abercrombie was born 12 Dec 1889 in Scotland, his father is Alexander Abercrombie, and his mother is Isabella Haldane. Robert married Rose Day. He died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on 21 Jun 1948 in Veterans Hospital. Robert Abercrombie was 58 years, 6 months and 9 days old.

Answer 3

Likely marriage of John Robertson Abercrombie's parents.                       https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT1S-1QW

 

Alex Abercrombie

mentioned in the record of Alex Abercrombie and Isabella Haldane

Name	Alex Abercrombie
Spouse's Name	Isabella Haldane
Event Date	25 Oct 1872
Event Place	Milton,Glasgow,Lanark,Scotland

 

 

Answer 4

If you do a Google search for John Robertson Abercrombie, there is a link to a Peerage.com page for him (I'm working on my iPad and can't give the link)' born 11 June 1888, died 11 September 1960 that looks more like who you are after. Nothing there to indicate that he was on the Empress of Ireland, but at least the name is the same.

Comments

Sir John Robertson Abercrombie, born 11 June 1888 in India, the son of Alexander Abercrombie & Emily Constance Delaurentsart. With his mother Emily in Salford, England, 1891, and married in Darjeeling, India, 23 November 1915 - Elsie Maud Whisk. He was invested a Knight Bachelor in 1915. Death registered Marylebone, London

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Still haven't found anything that definitely connects him to the Empress of Ireland, but in an Ancestry.com database, a John Roberton (this is how it is transcribed, but original record looks like could easily be Robertson) Abercrombie, arrived in Vancouver from Hong Kong on board the Empress of Asia on 3 May 1914.  He is aged 25 (born about 1889), born in India, but race of people is English, occupation listed as Merchant, and destination is London and just transiting Canada.

The Empress of Asia, according to Wikipedia is built by the same company as the Empress of Ireland, and also owned by the same company - Canadian Pacific Steamships.  So it seems possible he is travelling from Hong Kong to London, via Empress of Asia (train across Canada?) and then boarded Empress of Ireland to go on to London?

The Source information for the Ancestry database is 

Ancestry.com. Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
Original data:

Passenger Lists, 1865–1935. Microfilm Publications T-479 to T-520, T-4689 to T-4874, T-14700 to T-14939, C-4511 to C-4542. Library and Archives Canada, n.d. RG 76-C. Department of Employment and Immigration fonds. Library and Archives Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

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John Robertson Abercrombie & father Alexander were merchants in India, and they appeared to be part of a shippping company trading between India & England . Alexanders partnership was dissolved in 1922, when it appeared he retired.

 'Notice is hereby given that the partnership heretofore subsisting between Alexander Abercrombie, James Murray Handaside Dick, William Herbert Dalrymple & John Robertson Abercrombie, carrying on business as Shippers at India House, Whitworth St, Manchester under the style or firm of Wilson & Co has been dissolved as from 30 Sep 1922, so far as concerns the said Alexander Abercrombie, who retires from the said firm.  … [the remainder] will carry on the same business under the same style'.  Dated 2 Oct 1922.  [LG of 3 Oct 1922]