Genealogy Chat

Having just received the link to the 1939 Register, I clicked across and of course searched for my own family - I would have been 9 months old at the time.

A search for my family by name brought up no results, so I tried the address instead.
There, I found that we were listed under my mother's second married name - she remarried in 1977.

So how can this be the 1939 Register?

? Because the register was used as a basis for the NHS until the 1990s and was updated annually-a lot of entries have married names added

I can understand what you are saying, I just thought the 1939 Register would show households as they were in 1939 - a great disappointment to me.

My sister, who never married, is not listed either.

Hi All. I have just done a search for my husbands family (the only one I have found out of many) and the record index says that there is there is one other (his wife, that is indexed separately) and 3 others that are officially closed. can anyone tell me why the records would be officially closed?

The closed records indicate someone who may still be alive if under 100 years of age - my grandparents are on with one other and one closed (aunt born 1915, father 1917). Both have died. There is the opportunity to provide proof of death on the 1939 Register site either to them or TNA I think and the records can then be opened - in a rush to go out so can't remember all that I read earlier on today.

This is a bit interesting , from the T & Cs

"1939 Register death checking service.

We may from time to time provide a free death checking service in respect of Records held in the 1939 Register. This service allows you to request that certain 'closed' Records be opened, if you have evidence to show that the individual whose details are contained in the Record are no longer alive. This service shall only be available if you have a Subscription with us and not if you have only purchased Credits. Please see the FAQ s on the Site for full detail of this service and how to request it."

Well both my mum and dad aren't showing and they are deceased

Looked for maternal Gran and grandad not showing either

Looked for my dads parents both not showing either

All these relations died pre 1980 and were born pre 1911

Lots more discussion about it here:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/genealogy_chat/thread/1355773

Hi All
Just been doing a free search on the 1939 Register and though I found my Grandfather when searching by address,when you give the same information on the person search it does not come up,I suspect for all of us there will be a lot of records like that.
Very disappointed with it at the moment and will definitely be waiting until it is part of the main subscription before doing any searches.
FMP are being very greedy and I think it may backfire on them eventually.
Norma

Norma, I have it the other way round, I can find my maternal grandparents on the name search, but their address does not come up on street search.

It could be that his surname has been mangled in a transcription, or he has swapped his forenames/used an abbreviation eg Harry instead of Henry.

Don't forget that only people who were born before 1915 are freely available, + those who died by 1991 (I think). Everyone else is redacted.

My father was born 1905, died 1961, but I can't find him - wonder if I ought to search for him using my mother's second (1977) surname.

I haven't found my father's parents either, no name change there, and both died well before 1991.

Was your father perhaps abroad with the army? I have found my mother-in-law but not my father-in-law and I think he was abroad in 1939.

Kath. x

i think some of these records have been tampered with
i payed to see both of my grandmother records
one there is no birth record for so understand them not opening that one
and she was born 1893 so have sent them an email with death and marriage records in the hope they will open it for my to see

now the one i don't under stand is my other grandmother was born 1920
married first husband Apr 1939 he died ww2 1945
now Nan did not marry again till 1950

but some one as added her second marriage date and crossed out
her first married name and added her second marriage name
just aboth

O and they have the cheek to close her first husband record
who is my grandfather

im in two minds as to send them another email and ask them what are they playing at

iv got the right HUMP
:-( :-(

The register was updated until 1991, so that’s why the change of name for the remarried one occurred.
I've a thread on FA about a mystery name - the helpers have been able to work out that the register was likely to have updated the surname when she married.

If the register wasn’t updated with the first husband’s death, they have to assume that he comes under the 100 year rule if he was born after 1915.

FMP have said on facebook that they are working through the gro death indexes and trying to tie in deaths to redacted names. Obviously there will still be some where they can’t be sure.

Annoying, but there you go.

As I understand it, anyone in the armed forces is not included in the register, abroad or not.

I was reading the blurb on FMP about the transcriptions. There were 64,000 registrars taking the information, all with different handwriting.

Also, to preserve the privacy of people who might still be alive, the transcribers worked vertically down the page, instead of the more usual across the page.

I haven't bought a package yet - that will have to wait until the credit card statement date has passed.

Someone posted an image on FB, but its a bit difficult to make out. Are the entries horizontal or vertical?

Are people who are still alive not included in the Index?

I cannot find my unmarried sister, nor me. I have been married 3 times, so have searched using my 3 x married names, my maiden name, plus my mother's 2nd married name, to no avail. There are 2 other people listed with my mother at our 1939 home address, so presumably my sister and me, but I don't feel it worth paying to view the entries.

They ought to be listed but if they were alive after 1991, they should be redacted. Their names don't appear (even as redacted) if you search for them.

If the people living at your mother's addess are stated as Redacted, then they were born after 1915 and are presumed to still be living after 1991.

If it says "2 more people on this record" then it is possible to work out their names.

Make a note of your mother's ref no eg Ref: RG101/1812D/025/15
Go back to the Results and Edit.
Remove all data in the names and year of birth boxes. Make sure the District is correct
Put your mother's name 'Other household members names' box. - unless its a common combination, it might be easier not to include middle initials or other names.

View each result in turn - their reference numbers should be close to the one for your mother. My example ends 15, other household members are 16 & 17.
If there are no other results, then they are probably redacted listings for you and your sister.

If you know the address, have you thought of double checking that way?
On the Edit screen, there is an option to search by address - 2 tabs, Person probably in Green and next to it Address in white.