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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Kent Lookup Requests => Kent => England => Kent Completed Lookup Requests => Topic started by: Alex Walker on Sunday 24 February 08 20:32 GMT (UK)

Title: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Alex Walker on Sunday 24 February 08 20:32 GMT (UK)
Hi

Does anyone know where SS31/7 is on the Kent Reg Index?  It is after Minster (Sheppey) (SS31/3) and before Murston (SS32/1), the bride was from Sheppey and the groom from Rainham but in 1901 they were in Milton.

Any pointers much appreciated!

Alex
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: casalguidi on Sunday 24 February 08 21:12 GMT (UK)
Hi Alex

If SS31/3 is Minster, Sheppey then I would assume that all the SS31 entries are - the suffix just being a later book number.

Casalguidi
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: BettyofKent on Sunday 24 February 08 21:15 GMT (UK)
Hi Alex

I can't help with the registration reference, but I have a list of Kent Parishes in alphabetical order.
After Minster (Sheppy) there's Minster (Thanet), Molash, Monks Horton, Monkton, & then Murston.

Is that any use?

Betty
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: bearkat on Sunday 24 February 08 21:36 GMT (UK)
I've got a similar query:

Is Register SMILT/9 -  Sittingbourne, Milton or is it possible to narrow down the place of marriage any further?  Were there many churches in Milton in 1904?
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: casalguidi on Sunday 24 February 08 22:37 GMT (UK)
Hi Bearkat

I think these ones are the registry office/non conformist chapels but I'm not sure if they are all intermingled ie. in date order irrespective of office/chapel as the registrar would perform all the ceremonies in these cases or if there is a separate one for each establishment :-\

Casalguidi
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: bearkat on Sunday 24 February 08 22:48 GMT (UK)
Thanks casalguidi.

The groom was Irish - could it be the Catholic Church?  If it is, I bet the records aren't at CKS. :(
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Alex Walker on Monday 25 February 08 07:44 GMT (UK)
Thanks all, Minster makes sense as she came from there but it was a second marriage so who knows!

Alex
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: casalguidi on Monday 25 February 08 09:43 GMT (UK)
Alex, it would be the same church - it is the SS31 that is the important bit. 

If I can try and explain take, for instance, Folkestone St Mary in Elham district which is S14.  At the start of civil registration the code is S14/1 but by, say,  1848 they are using a new book/register so it is now S14/2 and by 1900 it is S14/6.

Just realised I have a marriage in my tree for the Abbey Church, Minster, Sheppey 1899 and the code is SS31/7

Casalguidi :)
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Alex Walker on Monday 25 February 08 10:23 GMT (UK)
Brilliant thanks, this one was in 1898 so it makes sense, logic should have told me that they were just different volumes; now I need to find a look-up!

Cheers

Alex
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Zacktyr on Saturday 08 March 08 04:40 GMT (UK)
Hello all,

There are two different websites that have Excel files containing an index to the marriage register codes.  The first link includes the SS31/3 code which represents marriages that occurred specifically at The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Sexburgha church on Minster, Sheppey. 

The second link also is to an Excel file containing marriage register codes but, in some respects, is not as complete as the first.  Yet, in others, it is more complete.  For instance, it contains the register office codes, in particular SMILT for Sittingbourne, Milton Register Office.  The numeral 9 would refer to the book in use at the time of the marriage.

http://www.fadedgenes.co.uk/Kent_Marriage_Registers.XLS

http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/famhistory/KentRegCodes.xls

Sincerely,
Susan

Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Alex Walker on Saturday 08 March 08 08:25 GMT (UK)
Many thanks, I had seen the faded genes one but not the other, that's great and very helpful too!

Alex
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: bearkat on Saturday 08 March 08 08:42 GMT (UK)
Thanks from me too.  :)
 
I'd seen the paternoster link (but couldn't get it work) but the faded genes one was new.

So Milton Register Office  :( no chance of seeing the marriage entry without buying the certificate.

As I know who he married the money would probably be better spent on getting his birth certificate which will tell me the names of both parents.
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Zacktyr on Sunday 09 March 08 04:53 GMT (UK)
You are quite welcome for the links.  I like to assist where I can.  Good luck in your respective searches.

Sincerely,
Susan
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Zacktyr on Sunday 09 March 08 04:58 GMT (UK)
Hello Bearkat,

I know it seems like the cost of a certificate would be best spent on the birth - which, of course, is absolutely essential toward proving parentage - but, I have seen so many surprises turn up on marriage certificates that, if it were me, I would still obtain the marriage certificate, first. 

Not only does one gain the potential advantage of identifying collateral branches of family that can be instrumental in regressing lineage, but, also, one gains the added weight of the evidence from a primary source to support a father by the comparison of name and occupation.  (Leaving aside the two obvious circumstances that (a) one really only knows with certainty a child's mother, and (b) a father's name can be recorded differently on two different documents.) 

Additionally, the marriage certificate is the only document to state a bride or groom's marital status and age as well as if a licence had been necessary to obtain prior to marriage.  If the marriage did take place on the authority of a licence that one piece of paper can hold some very useful information.

Most of all, building solid documentary evidence of a lineage requires taking all of the life events, in turn, in reverse order - that is, grave to cradle and not cradle to grave - and obtaining the documentary support at each juncture in the life of an ancestor.  Once all of the pieces are reassembled in the proper timeline, one can immediately spot if something doesn't fit or if a critical clue has lain previously undetected. 

Sincerely,
Susan

Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: casalguidi on Sunday 09 March 08 08:40 GMT (UK)
Quote
The first link includes the SS31/3 code which represents marriages that occurred specifically at The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Sexburgha church on Minster, Sheppey. 

Yes, that would be the Abbey Church, Minster.

Quote
So Milton Register Office   no chance of seeing the marriage entry without buying the certificate

At least some of these Registry Office codes do contain entries for non-conformist chapels so perhaps your options are still open as to the place but possibly not viewing Bearkat :-\

Casalguidi :)

Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: Mean_genie on Sunday 09 March 08 19:21 GMT (UK)
Up to 1898 the Register Office marriage registers would include any performed in Nonconformist places of worship, because the Registrar of Marriages had to be present, but in that year the Authorised Persons Act was passed, which allowed Nonconformist clergy to apply to become Authorised Persons, able to perform and register marriages in their own right, without a Registrar, so from then onwards a Nonconformist church or chapel might have its own register.

This caused some problems, though, because some Nonconformist clergy thought that this entitlement came with the job, as it did for C of E clergy. As a result, some of them performed marriages in good faith, not realising that they had to apply as individuals. This meant that there had to be occasional pieces of retrospective legislation to legalise these technically invalid marriages.

Mean_genie
Title: Re: Kent Registration Index - Where!?
Post by: BrendaP on Tuesday 25 March 08 12:33 GMT (UK)
Yes, you are correct in saying SS31/ is Minster in Sheppey and SMILT/ is Sittingbourne-Milton Register office which would have included non-conformist chapels.

My list was put together with the help of KFHS and NWKFHS email groups.  It's ages since I've been onto Rootsweb so I'll take this opportunity to advertise my main website.  Just follow the links from:
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/index.html
Over the Easter break I added a bit about what info is on BMD certificates and how accurate or otherwise that info might be

If anyone has a marriage certificate from a church not in the list (or Dave Dixon's list) please look at the Kent Reg Services website to get the register code and let me know.

Brenda