Genealogy Chat

In the 1946 electoral register for Hornsey I have the following gentlemen: Graham, William A (B.M.A. 6012128) and Graham, William A (E.G.A.H. 243, 10)

Does anyone know what BMA and EGAH mean? And what do the numbers mean?

Thank you, Nigel

Welcome to the boards, Nigel.

No idea, I'm afraid!

There are lots of strange abbreviations when one starts looking for them.
On the same page (and same street - Myddelton Road) there's a James Kavanagh with the abbreviation YBMA 2511564 after his name.

On another page there's a Rose Kingsley (ALNH , 26, 1), and in the same household another Rose Kingsley (ALNM, 95,2).
These two women still have the same abbreviations in 1948 and 1949 ERs

Aha!
Looking at the Kingsley family (just because the names are more unusual than William Graham), this is the family in 1939, and it shows ALNM as the enumeration district, and 95, 2 as the Schedule number and sub-schedule number:

Rose Kingsley
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name Rose Kingsley
Gender Female
Marital Status Married
Birth Date 16 May 1876
Residence Date 1939
Address 46 St Thomas Road
Residence Place Islington, London, England
Occupation Unpaid Domestic Duties
Line Number 11
Schedule Number 95 <<<<<<
Sub Schedule Number 2 <<<<<<
Enumeration District Alnm <<<<<<
Borough Islington
Registration district 10-4.
Inferred Spouse
Fredk C Kingsley
Inferred Children
Winifred H Kingsley
Household Members (Name) Gender
Fredk C Kingsley Male
Rose Kingsley Female
Winifred H Kingsley Female

I don't know why those people have abbreviations in the ER and most others don't .


Presumably E.G.A.H. 243, 10 is also an enumeration district and schedule numbers, as it's in the same format.


ADDED:

Yes, here's William A Graham in 1939 with those enumeration district abbreviations, in Brighton:

William A Graham
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name William A Graham
Gender Male
Marital Status Married
Birth Date 2 Feb 1890
Residence Date 1939
Address 199 Preston Road
Residence Place Brighton, Sussex, England
Occupation Motor Driver - Heavy Worker (Travelling ??
Line Number 8
Schedule Number 243 <<<<<<
Sub Schedule Number 10 <<<<<<<
Enumeration District Egah <<<<<<<<
Borough Brighton
Registration district 79-1
Household Members (Name) Gender
John Gale Male
Alice M Gale Female
Kathleen A Gale Female
Edith C Hugget Female
Annie L Wraith Female
This record is officially closed.
This record is officially closed.
Henry G Walles Male
Donald Brumwell Male
William A Graham Male

On this list -

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/articles/1939-register-enumeration-districts

EGA is Brighton; ALA is Islington; BMA is Hornsey.

I don't see James Kavanagh's YBMA, but it must also be an enumeration district.
Presumably it's part of Hornsey..
The Kavanagh family were in Hornsey in 1939, at ED number BMCU, at the same address as in 1946 ER (87 Myddelton Road).

Dear ArgllGran,

Thank you so much for your replies! This is really helpful and very interesting indeed.

I've seen many additions in the 1939 register entries, mainly alongside women's names indicating their married names. I've read that this happened for many years after the 1939 register was created.

Not sure why the electoral registers would have an enumeration district for the 1939 resgister indicated on them? Perhaps becuase this was the previous address they had for voting?

I’m aware of an old family tale that the younger William Graham spent time in prison and wondered if the number(s) were connected to this – perhaps not!

Once again many thanks for your help, really appreciate it
:-)

Cheers, Nigel

Enumeration districts are constants

During the war the numbers on the 1939 register were used for ID cards - I can still remember mine :-) and then, when the NHS was invented and ID cards were no longer needed, they were used for medical cards. These were used until everything got computerised and we all had different NHS numbers and a lot of places began to use Ni Nos.

I have no idea why some districts have ID/NHS numbers on the electoral roll.