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Can't do it without a sub, unfortunately:

"If you feel that a record is officially closed erroneously, you can submit a request along with evidence of death to have that record made available to view. You can also request the closing of a record that you think has been opened in error. This service is free for Findmypast subscribers, but a purchase is still necessary to view the records.

In order to submit these requests, select ‘Close an open record’ or ‘Open a closed record’ when viewing any household record, complete and submit the relevant online forms. The process takes a few days, and we destroy any digital copies we have of certificates soon after receiving them."
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register/1939-register-getting-started

Definitely -- I meant to say that. I'll look into it -- I don't think one should need a sub to inform them they have no proof of death of a living person. :-S

Someone with access to FMP should ask for Evelyn's record to be closed again.

To my great relief, Cynthia reports that Evelyn is "still very much alive"! They have been in touch about this non-development.

Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see ... and, Edgar Allan Poe might add in this millennium: the opposite of what you see on the internet?

(Please don't people be deleting their posts in this thread because it's been popping up again -- we'll take others' expressions of relief at this news as read, and promise not to revive the discussion unless there is real news!)

Entries in the 1939 Register can be opened by relatives who contact FMP with information, but there does also seem to be a somewhat automatic response as birth years reach that 100 years ago mark.

Evelyn herself had no connection with Scotland, so any death would be in England, under the same name. I guess both FMP and Ancestry show this to be the case. The birthday Cynthia mentioned would have been last July. I'll just wait and see what the result of her efforts is.

My mum died 2 years ago tomorrow, also just before her 91st birthday....... What a lousy week this is!

JC -

that transcription of the 1939 Register is from Ancestry.
I can see on the image how the hand-written P might be thought to be D.
But it's definitely P.

Birth years stated on the Register are frequently a year "out". However, the day and month are more likely to be correct - do you know if that's the case here?

I suppose it's possible that her record has been opened by mistake - but more likely that she has died.

Whether records are opened or not seems a bit hit or miss. A friend of mine died a couple of years ago, and her 1939 record was open within a few months - maybe someone had notified them.

From the National Archives website:

"Findmypast have checked the names and dates of birth in the 1939 Register against the General Register Office indexes of deaths in England and Wales and opened many records where exact matches are found. Furthermore, the records of individuals born 100 years ago (according to the date of birth shown in the Register) are opened at Findmypast.co.uk on a regular basis.

The version of the 1939 Register on Ancestry.co.uk is updated less frequently. Ancestry open previously closed records once a year, on average, and there is sometimes more than a year’s lag between the notification of a death and the opening of a record on their website."


If Evelyn died in England or Wales, it must have been in 2022 or 2023. That's assuming her name was still Mason, as it's not possible to search recent records on GRO without entering a surname.

If she died in Scotland, it must have been in 2023, regardless of what her surname was..

The DNA cousin sent me a copy of the 1939 listing and I found it rather odd. I didn't think the records were being updated still. (I've been out of the loop a while.) Maybe it's FMP doing the updating itself? Is that record from FMP? She seems to be transcribed as Evelyn D K there (I have access to search results only, not to the records). The 1931 birthdate is wrong.

I had a message from Cynthia this morning that she had been in touch with Evelyn recently via Facebook, and she is going to try to contact her. Her 90th birthday was a few months ago.

I don't know whether her children were interested or knew about Evelyn's quest. What an awful shame it would be if she were gone. And how rotten I would feel, knowing that the DNA cousin contacted me in August and I didn't check my email until this week.

Thanks ArgyllGran, I'll post any updates for people who followed the story.

Sadly, it would appear that Evelyn has died, as her record is open on the 1939 Register.
It must be too recent to be on the GRO site, assuming she died in England/Wales - and she didn't die in Scotland, unless it was this year and the 1939 people have been very quick off the mark

Evelyn P K Roy
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name Evelyn P K Roy [Evelyn P K Mason]
Gender Female
Marital Status Single
Birth Date xxxxxx
>>>>>>>>[I've removed DOB, as she's still alive - see posts on 30th April 2023 ]
Residence Date 1939
Address 5 Dorset Place
Residence Place Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, Dorset, England
Occupation At School
Line Number 40
Schedule Number 227
Sub Schedule Number 4
Enumeration District Wkql
Borough Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
Registration district 263-1
Inferred Father
Herbert R J Roy
Inferred Mother
Diane L Roy
Household Members (Name) Age
Herbert R J Roy 31 - - 12 March 1908 - Fitters labourer, The Whitehead Torpedo Co Ltd
Diane L Roy 33 - 4 June 1906
Ian L W Roy 9 - 10 Dec 1930
Evelyn P K Roy 8
This record is officially closed.



ROY, EVELYN PATRICIA KATHLEEN mmn MACLEOD
GRO Reference: 1932 S Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 778


ROY, IAN LESLIE WALTER mmn MCLEOD
GRO Reference: 1931 M Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 842

The third child with closed record, was born in 1937 , and was on the 2022 ER.


Ian's death:

ROY, IAN LESLIE W 1930
GRO Reference: DOR Q1/2013 in DORSET (429-1D) Entry Number 508257358

Evelyn married Graeme E Mason in 1951 in Weymouth; They had two children in Weymouth. Graeme lived in Thurso from at least 2002 until his death in 2018.

MASON
GRAEME EDWARD
88
mmn EVANS
M
2018
161 / 61
Thurso, Strathy and Mey

He remarried in 1972 in Northumberland, I deduce from the names of the children and step-children in the obituary below . His second wife died in Thurso in 1992.
His obituary:
https://ajl.myfamilyannouncements.co.uk/home/view/4574612/mason-


However, that's no help with Diane.

I'm hoping Cynthia is still in touch with Evelyn, or I can find Evelyn's email address.

I was contacted last August, and only just saw this week, by someone with a close DNA match to Evelyn. (I had bought the test for Evelyn quite some time ago, and there were actually some middle-distance matches with the right surname, but no one could identify the connection.)

(By the time I saw the message, I had just paid up at this site when I saw a message on the General Chat board I thought I'd drop in on. Coincidences abound.)

Unfortunately, we have worked out this time that the match is on their fathers' sides. Since both Evelyn and the matched person were searching for information about their mysterious mothers' families, it's disappointing to both, but I'm hoping Evelyn will be pleased to have a new cousin anyway. :-)

Just thought it was time for an update!

I wonder why Evelyn terminated her membership here. I'm sure many people admonished her against doing that.

PS -- I did try to find Diane Leslie McLeod -- eek: MacLeod! -- in the 1921 census when it came out, to no avail. If the story was at least partly accurate, she might still have been in Scotland.

Evelyn is no longer a member of GR

I know this one has been looked at but wondered if any of this was newer info that might help. He was Royal Army Medical Corps so perhaps stationed with seaforth highlanders at some point. Name: Robert L R Macleod
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1863
Residence Date: 1939
Address: 67
Residence Place: Brentford and Chiswick, Middlesex, England
Occupation: Colonel R A M C Retired BAPTISM Name: Robert Lockhart Ross Mcleod
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1863
Birth Place: Chr. Sealkote Bengal India
Baptism Date: 02 Oct 1863
Baptism Age: 0
Baptism Place: SEalkote, Bengal, India
Father:
Harry Mcleod
Mother:
Isabella


Macleod, Robert L R
British Army Lists
Date:
1902 October
Regiment:
Army Medical Services
Rank:
Major

Oh my goodness! I have only just read Joonie's message - I rarely come on here now apart from the Christian thread.

So sorry to hear about your circumstances JC - will email you. Cx

'Hello' to you too Joonie - It's nice to see you on here again.

So sorry to hear that you have been having such a horrible time of it for so long and hope that things may start to get a little better for you soon.

My very best wishes to you and your family.............

Dea Xxx

Hi Joonie

Nice to see you back, but sorry to hear of your horrible year. Do try to look after yourself while helping your Mum and the tall dude.

I have just dropped in to this site after many months away, when I noticed I had a couple of unread PMs in my email, and then saw that there were new posts here.

I'm so sorry to have dropped Evelyn right after I got that DNA testing done. A year ago last week, I had another eye surgery that went disastrously wrong -- a haemorrhage the night of the op. Next day, I found the tall dude on the floor, having had another stroke and gone into diabetic ketoacidosis again. And thus went my summer. I had every complication of surgery and side effect of meds imaginable, down to losing a load of hair from the horrible prednisone I was on for so long. The week I was finally given my walking papers by the hospital and no longer needed weekly visits, in September, my mum was diagnosed with a horrible cancer that should have been detected months before, so it is basically too late; she has been getting treatments ever since, and I have been spending time out of town with her, about a third of my time each month, as her condition and quality of life goes up and down. And if you can believe it, my cat was diagnosed with terminal cancer today.

So I just haven't been doing genealogy for quite a while now, my own included. Cynthia, do please pass more apologies on to Evelyn. I had so hoped that the DNA testing might find *something*. And hello to anybody passing through!

<3 :-D

Do you know what? I think for some of us, it will be Diane we search for...... :-D :-D

Will we be looking for our own family or Diane first !!!! :-D :-D :-D

it'll only be another 3 years before the 1921 becomes available :-D