Genealogy Chat

This is very weird. I am sure I can see my sister on the register - she was born in 1938, although the register says she was born in 1893! She is under her married name ( she was married in 1959 ) with her original surname in brackets. She is very much alive!

I can't however find my grandmother or greatgrandparents who should be on the register!

The register was taken on 29th September 1939.

I know Mum was one of the first to sign up - so this maybe why she wasn't registered at home.

It doesn't matter when they died it's when they were born that counts. You are not going tofind anyone by searching who was born after 1915 (100 years ) My dad born in 1926 died in 1995

The only way I know he was there is from searching for my grandmother who was born in 1893

Her household record shows

1 more person on this record (my grandad b 1893)
2 more people who are officially closed (my dad and my aunt who although neither are still alive in theory could still be, therefore you can't search or see their records) in dad's case until 2026 or I send them his death cert and they open his record up once they've satisfied themselves that he is deceased.

In case it helps anyone, don't forget the address search, thought it might be useful if you have addresses from 1911 or marriage certs. it may not tell you where someone is but it might help show where they are NOT . For instance 2 Church st Chiswick where my Fishlocks lived in the 20s, searching the street and looking at number 2 shows a different "household name"

It could be a case of a mangled transcription.

One person comes up showing all her middle initials and correct surname. Her husband's surname is full of random letters and ?s

Oh well that's quite interesting, I found a marriage for a gt uncle a while back but without buying the cert was only reasonably sure it was him, but the index gives him with the wife, and his birth year matches, only the 2 of them in the household so it does look as though there were no children at least up to '39.

Ah - right. I hadn't realised [ can apply for the record to be opened ] Thanks for that.

Don't think I'll bother as I know where Dad was, and have a pretty good idea that Mum was with her father and step-mother.

Det -
as the register was only kept updated until 1991, any death after that won't have been taken note of.

You can apply to have the Register record opened, if you have the death cert to confirm it.

Mum b 1919 died in 2002.
It seems strange that her death hadn't caught up with the register.

Dad 1922-2006 is more understandable

I know my grandmother was at that Chester address until 1946/7 my grandfather died there, so she would have moved soon after that as the flat was tied to his job, and would have shown in another area if that had then been updated, which she doesn't. So I assume addresses weren't updated?

Edit,

in answer to the query "So if someone lived in one place in 1939, but later moved to another town, does the Register show them at their 1939 address, or the later one?

Going by the foster Aunt Entry, it must only be at the address (at the time the forms were completed)

She lived since at least the 1950's at a known address until she needed round the clock care. She died in 1972.
The 1939 preview entry I'd found shows her in a different borough.

{EDITED post re closed records.]

"Why are some records in the 1939 Register officially closed?
Answer:

Individuals’ records remain closed for 100 years from their date of birth (100 year rule). Records remain closed for people born less than 100 years ago until proof of death is verified. As more records become open as a result of the 100 year rule, more records will become available to search and view online at Findmypast. Of the 41 million records, approximately 13 million (around 32%) will be closed at publication. The 1939 Register will be updated regularly.

If you notice an officially closed record in the 1939 Register that you believe should be open, you may be able to request it be opened. Click here for more information. "

http://tinyurl.com/q3pmgb2

I'll try that, RR - thanks for the suggestion.

Another thought -
records were kept updated into the 1990's.
So if someone lived in one place in 1939, but later moved to another town, does the Register show them at their 1939 address, or the later one?
And if one of them died at the 1939 address, before the second one moved house, are they shown at different addresses on the Register?
Or is the deceased one shown as "officially closed" along with the second person at the new address, even if they never lived there?

EDIT: Officially closed doesn't mean deceased - it means under 100 years old, and still alive when the register was last updated.

Argyll Gran, might be worth trying the surname variants, or date of birth in Oxfordshire and see if they come up mistranscribed?

I was hoping to find out what happened to a lady during her life before she died in an asylum of breast cancer in 1958 aged 58. Well she was there in 1939 incapacitated, so not really anyway forward except she was in that place which by all accounts was very grim for a long time.

Now need the 1921 Census as they only admitted women in the asylum in the mid 30s and in 1911 she was at school.

Well - I think I've found where the Aunt might be, living with one of her Foster Aunts and the widowed FA bother in law. As far as I'm aware, he didn't have any children of his own. It must be the right family!

Now can I hang out until after the credit card statement date, or take the plunge :-S

Just checked on someone else,

other grandfather is Ref: RG101/3963A/014/13

grandmother Ref: RG101/3963A/014/17

son Aubrey RG101 /3963A/014/15

3 others closed which I know would be my father and uncles.

Thanks, RR.

Disappointingly, then the two people in Liverpool are not the right ones, as their numbers aren't sequential like that.

She's RG101/4437A/003/5, and he's RG101/4345A/020/19.

Drat! Now I don't know where they were in 1939 - or until their deaths, as I assume their whereabouts would be updated if they moved.

Argyll Gran

This is the ref for my grandfather RG101/3929D/002/1

and this for my grandmother living with him

Ref: RG101/3929D/002/2

Does anyone know if the reference number on a preview is for the household, or only for the person?
Would each person in the household have a different ref no?


My gr-grandfather was born and lived all his life (as far as I've been aware) in Oxfordshire. Married his second wife in Banbury 1928, died in Banbury 1943.

No sign of him, or his wife, in Oxfordshire in 1939.
However, there are two people who might be them in Liverpool - which would be surprising and interesting if they are the right people.
If it's them -
His surname is mis-spelled, and his YOB is a year out..
Her married surname is mis-spelled the same as his, her maiden name (in brackets after married name) is also mis-spelled , and her YOB is also a year out.

They have different ref nos in the previews.
So if the number is per household, it's not them, but if it's per person, it might be!

I'm not sure if it's worth £6.95 to me to find out!