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Genes Reunited web chat, where you can get help and advice from our resident genealogist and expert family historian, Anthony Adolph.
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Thanks again to Anthony and everyone who joined in on the sessions so far.
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Questions already answered
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| Dawn Beattie | 23/08/2011 21:28:39 |
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Thanks Anthony, your help would be great Dawn |
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If you want to do this via my contacts, on a professional basis, please could you e-mail whatever details you have to me at mail@anthonyadolph.co.uk. Otherwise, as I said, you can try contacting the archives direct. |
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| Denise Steggles | 23/08/2011 21:12:18 |
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Hi Anthony, I am trying to trace my great aunt but all that I can find are her birth details. She was born in 1911 I cannot find any marriage or death records and all other family members that could assist me have already passed away as far as I know can you advise me on you to progress. |
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Those are the main records to look in, so if you have not found her, try widening the period or, maybe, investigate the possibility that she married or died outside England and Wales. Her father or mother's wills may name her and give clues too. |
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| ffran May | 23/08/2011 21:09:06 |
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Good evening,Anthony I have been researching my great grandfather, Morris William Edwards, I have his date of birth, marriage and death, and his 5 legitimate children. However, my grandfather was told by the local policeman in the 60s that my great grandfather had an illegitimate child with his housekeeper, when he was living away. He had been separated from my great grandmother for many years. How can I go about tracing this child? I Have a an idea where he or she was born, but no idea of of when. What records could I access? Would there be records of the maintenance that he was paying to the local policeman? Would there be any in the public domain? We are all very anxious to trace this "missing" member of our family. |
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Illegitimate children were registered under their mothers' surnames, so this could be an impossible task. However, you could see if he made any provision for such a child in his will (unlikely - most natural fathers, if they ever made such arrangements, did so furtively, and not in wills, though it's always worth trying). You could seek Morris's death, and see if he appears in the electoral registers there, and see if his housekeeper was in the register with him. If so, you could seek the birth of a child under her surname. Many illegitimate children were named after their fathers, so the person you're seeking, if a boy, may, possibly, have been called Morris William Edwards Bloggs. Just maybe... |
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| Kelly Duggan | 23/08/2011 21:07:22 |
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i have recently found my gt gt grandmother by paying for the marriage certificate of my gt grandparents and released i had the wrong mother but would like to go back a generation, it's scotland that i am looking at |
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Sorry, but I don't understand - could you provide more details and a clearer explanation of the problem? |
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| Alicia Saunders | 23/08/2011 21:06:41 |
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alicia lucas.23/08/2011 Iam looking for my grandfathers parents,his name john saunders born 1890 south/north shields.He married Elizabeth Alice Anderson on 10 jan/1916 and thats all i can find out about him,he was a seaman in the merchant navy,i think his father was called John Saunders.Please help as i dont know where else to look.thank you Alicia |
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You need first to buy a copy of the 1916 marriage record of John and Elizabeth. This will confirm his father's name and occupation. You can then seek the family in the 1911 census (on this site). |
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| Dawn Beattie | 23/08/2011 21:06:30 |
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Im looking for family born in South Africe. My great uncle Peters grandmother was born in Pritoria South Africa in 1885. She came to England around 1920. Im also struggling to find her parents birth and marriage certificates from South Africa too. Where would you suggest i head for. Dawn |
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The records are all there, in South Africa, and specifically in your case in Pretoria. You can try contacting the archives there or employ a genealogist out there to search for you. I have good contacts if you want to do so via me. |
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| Kelly Duggan | 23/08/2011 21:02:37 |
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what is the best way to research scottish and irish ancestors? |
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If you contact the Army Records Centre, Ministry of Defence, Historical Disclosure, Mail Point 400, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G2 8EX 0141 224 3030, you can apply for Raymond's army service papers, which would be interesting in their own right, and also confirm his place of birth. Trying to use the story that he was a twin is an interesting idea, but remember you can always pay for the possible certificates, and that way you would know which, if any, had a father David. Perhaps David was a soldier when Raymond was born, in which case you can look in the army births (also available on this site). Regarding your other question - no, there's no way around the problem such as the one you hoped for, I'm afraid! |
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| Kathleen Foulds | 23/08/2011 21:01:29 |
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Hello Anthony My Father in law Raymond Cooper died at the early age of 38 on 13th July 1959 in Sunderland, we are trying to locate his Birth Certificate but we do not know his full date of birth, we know from his Marriage Certificate that he was age 23 when he married at the Parish Church of St. Wilfred, Leeds North on 26th February 1944, his Status: Bachelor, Profession: Soldier (we do not know his Army details at all), also known from that Certificate, his Father’s name was David Cooper (Deceased) Rank/Profession left blank, Raymond did not originate in Sunderland, we think Yorkshire but not sure where, the last residence known for his family (Mother and Sister?) is Bridlington where they had a B+B boarding house, now…we were told that Raymond was a Twin to a sister, so sight of his birth certificate would confirm if this is fact, I have checked the all the GRO entries of Raymond Cooper births between 1919 - 1922 using the Vol/Page No's from all the Raymond Cooper births of those years, only one showed a twin birth of males Raymond C. and Norman W. Sept qtr 1922 mother’s maiden name Smith Reg. West Ham, I am now at a loss as to how we can go forward with this line. Q. Is there another ‘Office’ I can contact who would hold his full details and allow me to access them, I was thinking that when his death was registered, they would have asked my mother in law his full date of birth, and if so where would this information have been stored? I know death certificates after 1970 ish have full DoB’s if known by the informant. |
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Thanks - I've seen and answered this question - please see earlier on in tonight's session. |
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| Tony Burgin | 23/08/2011 21:01:12 |
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Hi Anthony Re Annie Whalley I’m having real trouble locating a birth record, and any other info, of my g grandmother or her family prior to her marriage to my g grandfather in 1890. From the marriage certificate (and subsequent census returns) I know that she was born in Barnsley in 1868, what her father’s name was, and that she had a brother who was 2 years younger than her (he was staying with her on day of 1891 census so I also know his name and birth year) However, having tried every known derivation of both Christian and surname, no records come up for her, her brother nor her father……it is a proverbial dead end Birth record searches for 5 years either side of stated birth years come up blank. Census searches for 1871 & 1881 have no name matches – it’s as if they didn’t exist in record form until the marriage……how could this be? |
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Have you tried looking under 'Walley', and under Ann/Anne or even Hannah instead of 'Annie'? Have you tried seeking any Whalleys/Walleys in Barnsley in the 1861 and 1871 censuses, to see if there are any possible matches? |
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| Eileen Hickling | 19/07/2011 22:01:08 |
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Hello Anthony, I have tried to find my 4x grandfather`s parents. I have 4x grandfather`s marriage certificate, but his parents are not on it , his wife`s parents are. I would like to know if I can get a birth certificate when I only know the year he was born. I have found two couples with the same name and place born, and they died t least 8 years before he married |
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I can tell that this concerns a country other Great Britain, so to be helpful here I'd really need to know the details. Generally, though, if the parent's/parents' names were not given when they should have been, this suggests that the man concerned may not have known, so you can anticipate trouble - you can of course look for someone born the right time: as to whether you will find it, I really don't know! We're up to time on this session, but if you'd like to send specific details in next month we'll see what we can suggest. |
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| Denise Steggles | 19/07/2011 21:53:23 |
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Denise steggles-19/07/2011 I am trying to find my the record of my great grandfathers death I know he died between march 1895 and 1910 .There is one entry in his name but the age is about twenty years older than he would have been.Could they have just got the age wrong.. Thanks for your help |
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Could they have got the age wrong? Certainly: the original entry is not likely to be so inaccurate, but as this is a new index, I would not be at all surprised if a few typing errors crept in! Perhaps you should bite the bullet, order the certificate, and hope the details on it enable you tell if it is the right one or not. OR, try seeking a will corresponding to the death (see the last answer), as this may help confirm or deny the person's identity. |
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| Georgina Jordan | 19/07/2011 21:50:13 |
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Thank you Anthony fo your help regarding my g.grandfather from the Boar War. I knew you would come up with another angle that I hadn't thought of. Its much appreciated. |
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Oh well, I am very glad to be of help! It's definitely worth your while persisting with this line of enquiry. Another, completely different and perhaps better idea, would be to see if the Boer War soldier left a will (they are indexed for that period, on Ancestry), as if such a will exists, and names relatives who you know are yours, then the problem is solved. |
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| Georgina Jordan | 19/07/2011 21:41:43 |
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I thought my g.grandfathers Service Papers should have been at the National Archives but I sought the help of one of the ladies there when I couldn't find anything and she assured me there were no other records after looking on the computer for me! She even sort the help of another member of staff when she couldn't find anything. Do you think in the circumstances it would be worlth another trip? |
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I think this refers to the earlier question about the Boer War soldier. Well, maybe instead of relying on what's been indexed on computer, they should allow you to search through the records themselves, as the indexing may not be perfect! Or, if he died under unusual circumstances (as you suggested) this may account for the misfiling or loss of his papers. Presumably the death record names his regiment: you could try pursuing the matter through that angle, to see if the regiment's own records will get you any further. |
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| Jasper Roskilly | 19/07/2011 21:34:27 |
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Hey there Now, I'm trying to find out some family history which is, at best, a little confusing to know where to begin. My grandmother's side of the family are Europeans who lived in China (my Grandma herself being born in Tientsing), but I have no idea where her father was born (he had a Portuguese name, but I have no idea if he was born in China or elsewhere), and I know incredibly little about her mum. All I know about my great-grandfather was that he was buried in a cemetery in Hong Kong in 1965. My great-grandfather is Mario Lizola Rocha and my great-grandmother is Augusta Conceição. I can try to provide more details if needed but I'm pretty stuck! Cheers, Jasper |
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Each European power with an interest in China had their own churches, consuls and so on there, who registered the baptisms/births and so on of their nationals, and sometimes of other people's as well. Ours are variously in the India Office and National Archives. I don't know about Portugal's, but you could ask their national archives in Lisbon as a first step. As they were Portuguese, they were probably Catholics, you could also try to find out what Catholic churches were in Tientsing, and see if such registers have survived. You can also try European newspapers produced in the colonies. These are just ideas for you. |
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| Laura Mott | 19/07/2011 21:25:39 |
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I am trying to trace the birth/death of my great-grandfather, William Rayner Elliott. I have found what I think is his birth record on here, which is listed as 1908 in Sheppey, Kent. However I cannot be sure if this is definite as he left my Great-Nan in 1939 and I have no other information. I have managed to find a marriage record of him to my Great-Nan, Ivy Webster, and have found the name of his father (Wilfred James Elliott) but not much more information. I would really like to be able to find out when he died. I know he was in the Navy and what ship he was aboard during D-Day, and no more other than that. |
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You have done the right thing - you have William's marriage record, so you know that his father was called Wilfred. The Registrar General's department have made the ordering of birth records is a deliberate leap in the dark - you won't know the record you have found is the right or wrong one until you have paid for and received it! But don't let that put you off, because the exercise is entirely worth it in order to take your family tree further back on a secure footing. |
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| Paul Tovey | 19/07/2011 21:22:43 |
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hi my grandad dont seem to have been registered when born in 26 october 1911 ,his mum died at childbirth evidently and they was not married ,cant seem to find him no were ,maybe registered under mums name ,help |
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If your grandfather was born to an unmarried woman then the birth should have been registered under her maiden name. If you don't know that name then you could be stuck, unless you know where the birth took place. If so, the local registrar may be kind enough to make a search of their records for a boy with the right birth date, or you could try local church baptisms (but neither of course would be any use if the boy really was not registered, or baptised). Something else to try would be looking in 1912 and 1910, as you'd be amazed how many dates of birth, calculated by working back from someone's reported age later in life, can be a year or two out. |
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| Susan Lancaster | 19/07/2011 21:18:23 |
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Hi have checked birth records on here but there was no matches we know when he was born when he married and when he died but nothing shows up on here so where do we go from here help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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You could try a year or two either side of the year when you think Herbert was born, and also look in the army births, and the other miscellaneous birth indexes that are now available in the same 'search records' section of this site. |
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| Anthony Yeo | 19/07/2011 21:16:22 |
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Hi, I have also looked for a death cert for Theresa Kelly but havent found one on here, so if she did go back to Ireland would the groireland web give me that info too Thank you ant |
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The website I quoted will simply tell you about the Irish General Registration records. To gain access to them you will need to go to Dublin yourself, or hire a searcher there (or you can do so via me, if you want - mail@anthonyadolph.co.uk). As for Theresa's death, I don't know al the circumstances here, but the very likely reason you have not found her death is that she married later on in her life, and this is something you can look for in the English and Welsh General Registration records, on this site: you will probably have to check a lot of possible marriages (at some cost) before finding one of the right age, which is at present your main way of telling her apart from the many other Theresa Kellys out there. |
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| Georgina Jordan | 19/07/2011 21:16:06 |
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I am trying to trace the death of my g.grandfather born in 1868. I can trace him through the census and as the informant when he registered the death of his young daughter in 1897. In the 1901 census g.grandmother is listed with a new husband and her three children are under this name too. It was always rumoured that they never married and I can find no marriage certificate. I have traced someone with the same name as my g.grandfather who is listed as missing in the Boar War in June 1900 but there is no other information at the National Archives about this person. Would I be wrong in thinking that this might be him as the Regiment is the Middlesex and my g.grandfather was living in Twickenham/Teddington at that time? |
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On the face of it, this scenario sounds extremely sensible. You could try to prove yourself wrong by trying to find this Boer War soldier in earlier censuses, to prove that he was not the same as your ancestor. If you fail, then you'll be a step closer to proving that it was he. You say 'there is no more information' at The National Archives, but this Boer War soldier's service papers ought to be there! |
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| Alice Gunner | 19/07/2011 21:10:55 |
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FREDERICK W PIERCY Thank you for your answer to my question last time. I took your advice and looked for other people with the name Piercy in the Peckham area. The 1871 census shows George and Mary Piercy - the people I think are probably Frederick’s parents - living in Peckham but Frederick is not listed. After a lot of searching I then found Frederick’s (probable) parents in the 1881 census (although the surname is strangely spelt). There are 2 children listed with the parents – but not Frederick. The (probable) parents also appear in the 1891 census, but once again there is no sign of Frederick. It almost seems that Frederick did not exist until 1893 when he got married. I just can’t find him in three consecutive censuses, but where could he have been between his birth in 1866/1868 and 1893? Any thoughts or suggestions would be gratefully received as I do not know where to look next. Thank you Alice |
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Well, if Frederick himself does not appear with the family who you think are his, then this suggests that they were not his parents after all. However - and I must stress that I don't remember the details of your earlier question - if the aim was to find Piercys in Peckham, and these are the only ones, and you're really stuck, it may repay you to start looking for their Piercy relatives, as they may eventually lead you to the right part of the family that contained Frederick: for example, you could see if the George you have found had brothers, who may in turn have had a son Frederick: you could look for George's will, or his father's or bothers' wills, and thus start learning more about the extended family, and this technique may eventually work for you. |
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