My Family Skeleton...

[avm228]

I bought a few credits on the 1901 census website this morning and viewed the register of births for 1928. There's no record of his birth in the 4th quarter of 1928. I even looked at the 1st quarter of 1929, nothing!!. Well not under my grandmothers maiden name, his and my surname. I can find my Grandmothers birth under our surname in the 4th quarter of 1902 in Basford, Nottingham. This makes sense it 's exact name match and her family were from Nottingham.

How accurate would that register be in 1928?, I was on the verge of requesting a copy of his birth certificate but now I'm not sure they could find it?, I'm beginning to doubt so much I've always taken for granted.

Nick, I'm not familiar with the 1901 census site but, having just had a look at it, it seems to offer views of the complete GRO register rather than a partial transcription (?).  If that's what you're looking at, I agree you would expect to see the relevant registration by the March qtr of 1929 for a birth on Christmas day 1928.

It's not at all unusual to find that people were born a year or two either side of the date their family thought was their birthdate.  The birthdate recorded at death is simply that which the informant of the death (often a surviving spouse) provides.

If you like (but don't if you don't want to) feel free to send me a PM with your father's details and I will see whether I can see anything.  Sometimes it's worth looking for the first names only without a surname, which can be done on some resources but not others.

Generally, don't feel bad about the things you've discovered - we all have surprises lurking in our family history and all it means is that our ancestors were human - not perfect, but probably doing their best in all the circumstances. There won't be many people on this site who haven't found the odd skeleton here and there.

I've found two fraudsters and a bigamist in my tree! (Who realistically cannot be said to have been doing their best in all the circumstances )

Anna

[alpinecottage]

Nick

I've just had a look at the link posted above, and there's a lot of chat today about how the site isn't working properly.  People who know their birth details aren't finding the entries.  So don't panic!!! and don't jump to conclusions. 

This matter is quite stressful for you so it may be a good thing that you are being forced to take it slowly.  Perhaps your gran told a few white lies to protect your Dad's father or his "legal" family but I'm sure your Dad would have believed his birthday was on 25 December.  Whatever the outcome, your Mum, Dad and Gran are just the same people now as they were before you started this journey - hang onto that fact.

[Roobarb]

  Whatever the outcome, your Mum, Dad and Gran are just the same people now as they were before you started this journey - hang onto that fact.

I totally agree with alpinecottage. We can't be responsible for the circumstances of our birth and it's not surprising that your grandmother went a bit wild after having such a hard life. It's good to hear that your mum was willing to chat, perhaps she will come up with some more information if you take it slowly. I hope you manage to find your dad's birth.

[Nick68]

Nick, I'm not familiar with the 1901 census site but, having just had a look at it, it seems to offer views of the complete GRO register rather than a partial transcription

If it was a transcription thing i'd understand, but i've been looking at actual PDF copies.

[Fitzjohn]

Nick, I'm not familiar with the 1901 census site but, having just had a look at it, it seems to offer views of the complete GRO register rather than a partial transcription

If it was a transcription thing i'd understand, but i've been looking at actual PDF copies.

There may be some significance in the putative date of birth in question being Christmas Day.  Someone in my family always celebrated her birthday on 24 June, the June Quarter Day.  It was only when she was required to produce a birth certificate to claim Retirement Pension at 60 that she discovered she was actually born on 25 February (same year), and the reason her parents had published a birth date making her four months younger than she really was, was to hide the fact that she was conceived, although not born, out of wedlock.  It was the considered opinion of the famly that the date 24 June was chosen to make it easier to remember than any other randomly chosen date.

Although the circumstances of this enquiry are clearly not identical, my hunch is that Christmas Day was not the real birthday, and a wider search needs to be made.

[Nick68]

Although the circumstances of this enquiry are clearly not identical, my hunch is that Christmas Day was not the real birthday, and a wider search needs to be made.

The thought of Christmas Day being a very convenient date has crossed my mind. Also a quarter date!

[Nick68]

Eureka!

Bernard N PALMER mother's maiden name MEAKIN
Bernard J MERKINS mother's maiden name MEAKIN

both these registrations share a reference:

Dec qtr 1928 Coalville 3a J73

There are two things odd about this reference:

1.  The letter J - I don't know what this means but it's not normal.
2. "Coalville" didn't exist as a registration district until 1949! (In 1928 the area was part of Ashby de la Zouche RD).

So I think it looks like a retrospective registration.  Others on the site may be better able to explain these oddities.

Anna (AVM 228) has done some excellent digging on my behalf and come up with the above.

Palmer was my Grandmothers, married name and my dads stepdad, who I always thought was my paternal grandfather until last weekend. I was always told he'd died young, but my mum let slip she actually knew him and she met my dad in the mid 50's. Its just one thing after another!!

I've just dropped a email on to Registrations at Leicestershire CC, but does anyone have any idea about the two points Anna's raised??

[avm228]

Nick, having now gone back to the full GRO index to re-confirm these entries, I find that the second of them had been mistranscribed on the site on which I originally found them. (Which just goes to show - one should never place too much reliance on a transcription!).

The entries each appear in the full GRO index in manuscript at the bottom of the relevant pages (in identical handwriting) and read as follows:

Bernard N. PALMER mother's maiden name MEAKIN
Bernard N. MEAKIN mother's maiden name MEAKIN

Dec 1928 Coalville 3a J73

All of which makes rather more sense than the previous (erroneous) version!

Sorry about that

Anna

[alpinecottage]

I discovered (living) skeletons in my family!  They were born illegitimate in the 1930's and registered with their mother's maiden name.  Then when their parents were able to marry, they were reregistered with their mother's married name, and their old birth certificates were destroyed.  This also had the effect of "making" them legitimate.  They were completely unaware of this until they went to a funeral in their 60's when someone spilled the beans - much shock all round!!  Legislation now prevents these retrospective registrations, I think.

I wonder if something similar happened in your case?