Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Advice on multi tries for right certificate

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Advice on multi tries for right certificate

    Hi all,
    Some advice please, on how many certificates might be needed before I hit the right one...!

    I am looking for my Grt grandfather's birth , Walter Smith.
    This is what I have to go on:

    Marriage 2, Oct 1903: Age 46 (=1857) Father's name: John (deceased),occupation 'interpreter'

    Marriage 1 Oct 1877: Age 21(=1856) Father's name: John,occupation 'interpreter'
    (I am suspicious about this age- all witnesses from brides family, Walter a 'soldier', suspect he wasn't 21?)

    1911: Age 53 (=1858) Born:Marylebone, with 2nd wife
    1901: Age 44 (=1857) Born:Marylebone, with 1st wife
    1891: Age 32 (=1859) Born:Marylebone, the only time as 'Walter Henry'
    1881: Age 24 (=1857) Born:Middlesex (this is barracks entry, may not be him, but wife is alone at home)
    1871: Age 14 (=1857) Born:Marylebone (if this is him, mother Susan, no father)
    1861: Age 4 (=1857) Born:Marylebone (if this is him, mother Susan, no father)

    So, I have gone for births in 'Marylebone' -do you all agree??

    Ancestry 1st 2 listings are:
    1856 Jul/Aug/Sep- ordered cert, father 'Robert' not 'John'
    1857 Jan/Feb/Mar- asked for cert check- father is on cert but NOT 'John'.


    I've tried to do that thing where you work out the birthday from censuses etc.

    How many different years/dates do you recommend I try?
    I realise 'Smith' may cost me a bit, but am I going for the best options??

  • #2
    i ended up buying 5 certs to try and find my uncle "arthur wood" born yorks, none were the right 1.

    then i decided to do a search over multiple years not just the 1 had been told he was born in. and there was a cert in the town the family settled in, not yorks where the other kids had been born, MMN was right BUT the 1st name was fred - i risked the cert and uncle arthur was actually born fred 1yr later than i had been told, in a town 3hrs from yorkshire.

    it can be very risky and expensive, i hope for your ske it is the right 1.
    **no point asking the living for help as the dead are more helpful!!!**

    https://purplerosefamilytree.blogspot.com/

    Comment


    • #3
      Blow- got so many to get, hate to waste even one...!!!

      Comment


      • #4
        As you haven't found him with a father its possible he was illegitimate and invented his father's details. If he was a soldier his army records would give his next of kin and his birthdate.
        ~ with love from Little Nell~
        Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

        Comment


        • #5
          Petrina,

          I don't want to depress you even more, but at that date there's no guarentee his birth was even registered. Looking at the parish registers might be a better bet than ordering certificates on the off chance.
          ~ Louise ~

          Researching Dalzell, Highmore & Sumpton in Cumbria, also Braidford & Chevalier

          Comment


          • #6
            Much as I thought, Louise...PR's it is..
            Little Nell- with only his name/regiment to go on, I've got a nasty feeling it'll be just as awkward....next stop, Kew, I guess!

            Thanks

            Comment


            • #7
              PDH, pm the the name of the rellie and any other details you have for him ie the regiment and years you think he was in the army.

              I have had some experience of finding Smith rellies but dont hold your breath too long. I cant promise anything but i will give it a go.
              Fi, aka Wheelie Spice

              Why not learn British Sign Language: BritishSignLanguage.com; An Online Guide to British Sign Language

              Comment


              • #8
                I notice Susan says she is unmarried in 1861.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Petrina, I'm also looking for Smiths in London (West Ham). So far 5 attempts at getting the right birth cert for my Lily Smith. In fact today I've just received yet another email from GRO issuing a partial refund as one I had ordered was the wrong father again. :(
                  Lesley passed away in November 2017.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Nell's suggestion is really good. Records for that period should be in alpa order, so it's just a matter of going through a big box. Not to say that you didn't lie when you joined the army, but he should be there if he were discharged to pension and you should get next of kin. At the very least, it provides another suggestion of dob & pob.
                    Phoenix - with charred feathers
                    Researching Skillings from Norfolk, Sworn from Salisbury and Adams in Malborough, Devon.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thanks everyone,
                      My main worry is that his next of kin on the army records will be his wife anyway- who I know- not his mother/father!
                      any advice on how to approach a day at KEW?
                      the website was very strange...kept telling me there was a record then when I clicked 'view' saying there wasn't...
                      not sure about the pre-ordering either- is that necessary or can you just turn up?

                      Merry- yes, I am very suspicious about Susan's status, if that is the right family, his brother is 'John' maybe gave him the idea,or maybe John was the father but not married...
                      I had a discussion on Genes about 'made up fathers' on marriage certs- 'John Smith' is pretty unoriginal, but 'Interpreter' is a weird occupation to make up (on both certs, 1877 and 1903).
                      Also considered most 'interpreters' I can see on old censuses seem to have been foreigners..maybe his name was hard, so they used 'John Smith'??? Can you guess how much time I've spent thinking about it, lol!
                      Last edited by PDH; 17-02-09, 10:49. Reason: added reply

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Petrina
                        There's a group of us who go to Kew two or three times a year. Whenever anybody feels like going, they ask on the events board if anyone else is interested, then pick a day, usually a Saturday. Nobody is an expert - though I'm still amazed at how Fi found all her Smiths in WW1! - because Kew is such a big place, with so many different sorts of records, but these days it is very easy to get a reader's ticket. Just check the website for what you need as identification.
                        And just turn up on the day. Ordering only takes about 30 minutes and there is plenty of other stuff to look at while you are waiting. Including free access to 1911!
                        Phoenix - with charred feathers
                        Researching Skillings from Norfolk, Sworn from Salisbury and Adams in Malborough, Devon.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Thats amazing, Phoenix..why didn't I find you lot earlier!
                          Thanks for the advice...may see you there one day!

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X