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Death certs - qualification?

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  • Death certs - qualification?

    I have a death cert for a gt gt gt uncle who's death was registered by his "nephew". 11 years later this "nephew", who in the interim has married and had a couple of children, has a child with my gt gt aunt.

    So from this I know that the "nephew" is known to the family and presumably reasonably well to have registered the death.

    My question is would he have stated he was a "nephew" when he was just a family friend to give him a qualification to register the death?

    I can't find the cert now (grrr) but I have a feeling he was present at the death, is this not sufficient to register the death in itself? And in any event anyone can register a death if they are arranging a funeral/cremation can't they?

    I am keen to figure out if he is a relation as well as the father of my gt gt aunt's child as he was accepted in to the family by my gt gt grandmother who was a complete tartar and thought the nephew connection would explain the acceptance.

    Hope this all makes sense!

    Clare
    Clare

  • #2
    If he was present at the death (if post 1875) they were supposed to ask if the informant was also a relation to the dec'd, so you might get both bits of info. However, if he was present there would be no need to lie about a relationship link. Having said that, I can imagine a scenario where the family are deciding who will register the death and your chap says he will go. The other say "but don't you have to be a relative?" and he says "I'll say I'm the nephew" - so he blurts this out as son as he gets to the registrars and it duly gets recorded!!

    Here's an excerpt from

    Death Certificate Tutorials

    The description of the informant has varied with time. In the early days, the informant was one of the following

    someone present at the death
    someone in attendance
    the occupier of a house
    the master or keeper of an institution

    The person present at the death or in attendance (which meant they had been nursing the deceased or in close contact with them during their illness) was also usually a relative, but the early registrations do not give the relationship of the informant to the deceased.

    It is always worth remembering with registrations before 1875 that an informant "present at the death", with a name you might not recognise, could be a married daughter that you have had no information on since she left home, or a granddaughter or grandson, son-in-law or any other relative likely to have a different surname from the deceased .

    By 1875 the relationship of the informant to the deceased was given - together with additional qualifications such as "present at the death" or "in attendance". People not related to the deceased but present at the death still qualified, but only "present at the death" would be shown.

    The occupier (usually the owner) of a house or institution (usually the master of the workhouse) still qualified but in addition the following had been added

    a person who found the body
    inmate of a house or institution - this was a person living at the same address who knew of the event
    person causing the burial
    person in charge of the body

    Comment


    • #3
      The death was 1909 so if he wasn't the nephew he didn't need to say he was, although he may not have known that.

      I think I "want" him to actually be the nephew as it would explain a lot, but now I need to work out if he is! I've got his parents marriage cert but I'm still not sure of the link. Hmmm more work needed I think!

      Thank you for all the info & help.

      Clare
      Clare

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      • #4
        I've got a Scottish death cert where the informant is described as "nephew" but was actually the husband of the deceased's late wife's great-niece, so technically great-nephew by marriage. Could it be something like that?
        KiteRunner

        Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good... laugh"
        (Indigo Girls, "Watershed")

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        • #5
          I think it is probably more complicated than just "nephew".

          The deceased is called Smith and the informant is Lyne. I can't see a link between Smith and Lyne, but I think there is a possible link between Hale and Lyne. Hale being the married name of the sister of the deceased, so it is possibly an "in law" relationship rather than a blood tie.

          Hmmm.....

          Clare
          Clare

          Comment


          • #6
            Oh yes, I have another one like that, on a census where an elderly couple are "parents in law" of the head of household but they were really the parents in law of his deceased sister. I suppose they just don't make boxes big enough to write such descriptions in!
            KiteRunner

            Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good... laugh"
            (Indigo Girls, "Watershed")

            Comment


            • #7
              I think I'll take up knitting!
              Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

              Comment


              • #8
                They aren't! And I guess they weren't bothered about the description as they knew exactly who they were and the relationship; it's just us all these years later who try and unknot all the connections who wish they had been more detailed!

                I need to find these missing certs.... think I need to make a filing system to avoid these issues in future!

                Clare
                Clare

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                • #9
                  I have an elderly friend, in his 90's, who tells everyone I'm his cousin, he's a good 30+ years older than me, in fact his daughter-in-law is my sister-in-law!!! I think sometimes people describe themselves how they want. Makes if difficult when you're trying to work out relationships. I'm sure on many a census return a grandchild is down as a child.

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