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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: clalouha on Sunday 19 September 21 15:17 BST (UK)
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My annoying Great Grandfather is called Alfred smith, I know his exact date of birth but I don't know where or where he died only that he is alive in 1913 and probably dead by 1918- I don't know where in the UK he died because he was a musical hall artist and moved around all the time, my question is can you locate a death record somehow by the fact that I do know his exact date of birth?
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I have come across an article (5th January 1914) about the death of the performer Mark Melford which says his real name was Smith. It refers to his brother, the late Austin Melford (real name Alfred Smith). Is this the person you are looking for?
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Can't use an exact birthdate for this time frame, it was many , many years after this that England & Wales incorporated actual dates of birth into death registrations (and even then it was only to be the best knowledge of whoever the informant was).
However, if you believe he died in England or Wales then try FreeBMD.
Search deaths
Surname Smith
First name Alfred
date range 1913 -1918 and don't specify either a county or a district
Before you press search , put a range in the Death Age/DoB box. You can try the exact year of his birth but its better to do a range with a year either side, so if he'd been born in 1880 type in
@1879-1881
now hit search
27 hits for those search terms, and it will take a lot of work to discount them one by one, by trying for cemetery records, old newspapers etc etc.
and if he died in Scotland or Ireland then you'd have to also search their records.
Boo
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I have come across an article (5th January 1914) about the death of the performer Mark Melford which says his real name was Smith. It refers to his brother, the late Austin Melford (real name Alfred Smith). Is this the person you are looking for?
The Stage, 30 Jan 1908 has a report of the death and funeral of Austin Melford (real name Alfred Smith) brother of Mark Melford. Its a long article but says he was 53, had been born at Fareham, Hampshire and spent most of his childhood in Portsmouth. He died 23 Jan 1908
Hopefully that will help the OP to either confirm or discount this man.
Boo
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You could also try a probate calendar search, year by year from when you last have a record that says he was alive. IF he had something to leave - then a probate calendar entry most probably give a date and place of death.
Calendars can be searched
free online
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills
Boo
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A 1936 article in the Portsmouth Evening News mentions Jack Melford and says he is the son of Austin Melford (= Alfred Smith) and his wife, whose stage name is Alice Gambler.
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I suspect this is his death record:-
Deaths Mar 1908
SMITH Alfred 53 Brentford 3a 71
There is a probate record as follows:-
SMITH Alfred of 15 Sandycombe Road, Twickenham, Middlesex died 23rd January 1908, Probate London 9th May to Alice Smith widow, Effects £2921 14s 8d
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OP says he was definitely still alive in 1913
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There appears to be 48 newspaper articles regarding the death of Austin Melford all of which are in January 1908.
You can find them on either Find My Past or probably the British Newspaper Archives.
The Stage of 30th January 1908 has mention of the funeral as well as other information. This particular article takes up about a column and one third of the paper. Page 21.
Sorry Tickettyboo - I see that you have aleady mentioned the above article. ::)
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I've found a burial record which says:-
Deceased name Mr Alfred Smith
Date of Burial 25/01/1908
Gender Male
Age 53 Years
Date of death
Location Twickenham Cemetery
Section E
Grave 418 front row
Deceased address 15 Sandycombre Road;Twickenham
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OP says he was definitely still alive in 1913
Yes, which is why I posted about the death/ funeral in 1908 of the man whose stage name was Austin Melford.
Until / unless clalouha comes back and gives us more info, including what shows he was still alive in 1913 we can only straw clutch at 'possibles'.
Boo
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Hi, I am looking for Alfred Smith who was a music hall artist in Birmingham, I don't know where or when he was born only that he had died by 1936. He was married to Abbie Wright though I can't find the marriage certificate, they had two children one is my granddad who was Wallace Headley Smith born 1913 and who died in 1940 aged 27, he had a brother also called Alfred who was a few years younger , who married a woman named Rose in Birmingham I think?
SMITH, WALLACE HEADLEY
Mother's Maiden Surname: WRIGHT
GRO Reference: 1913 J Quarter in BOLTON Volume 08C Page 676
Well, a tree on ancestry says Alfred died in hospital in Birmingham, 21 March 1919.
Informant on cert Abbie Smith.
They link to this death
SMITH, ALFRED GEORGE
Age at Death (in years): 51
GRO Reference: 1919 M Quarter in BIRMINGHAM Volume 06D Page 487
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Here they are in the 1911 census free index (this is not on the tree!)
In a boarding house in Smethwick. Head is Mable Sanders.
Abbie Smith 24
Alfred Smith 42
Alfred Smith 2
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7B6-MG4