s.r.'s Scavenger Hunt.....Everyone Welcome To Join In

[Tephra]

Welcome to this weeks Scavenger Hunt, there's only one thing to be found this week, but I have the feeling it could lead you a merry dance.

Good Luck and Good Hunting

Barbara

                                    *****************************

Looking for the birth of John Henry Rees area Bryncoch Neath Glamorgan Wales UK.
I have tried different names ie Henry John etc with no trace.  I have his marriage & death cert it says d.o.b 1ST JULY 1901.   I have given this date to registrars still no trace. 

He is not on the 1901 census but is on 1911 with his parents Richard & Sarah Rees [her maiden name Evans] & their children /Johns'brothers/sisters.

                  John Henry Rees was on the 1911 census with his parents Richard & Sarah, & their children, names were David Richard age 13yrs.  Jennie age 11yrs. John Henry age 9yrs.  Lizzie May age 6yrs.  Sulgwyn age 7yrs.  Llewellyn age 9mths.

The address was Old Furnace Bryncoch Neath Wales UK.  John Henry's dad was an ostler in colliery below ground, also he was a farmer for many yrs.  The area's they lived were LLansamlet, LLangafelach and Bryncoch. 

This is really a mystery as all of his brothers/sisters have all been Registered even the ones who were born/died as babies.  I have all of their certificates.

I hope that his birth can be found many thanks   

[Ruskie]

I'm afraid I don't know much about research in Wales but have just got a couple of queries ...

Was it his death certificate that says his dob was 1st July 1901?  If so, this may not be accurate, as you probably know - as this information was given by the informant who may or may not have known the correct dob. Who was the informant in this case? Even if John Henry celebrated his birthday on a certain day his whole life, it may still have been wrong.

I'm wondering if John Henry's siblings d/c's give their correct birth dates?
Were his siblings all registered in the same district? I'm wondering if the family moved around between births and John Henry may have been registered elsewhere.

Have you looked for baptism records as well as birth records?

Have you checked for other births with the surname Rees in case he was registered with a completely different name?

[jaywit]

My first thoughts.

For some reason he wasn't registered when he was born, any number of reasons, mother ill, father couldn't get to the registrar office etc.

Now did he live to be 65?

The reason I am asking is he would have had to provide evidence of his date of birth to claim his retirement pension.

So was his birth registered much later than 1901?

Looking at births registered in Neath for John Henry Rees afer 1915 I find June 1920, Sept. 1923, June 1939, Mar. 1941, Dec 1947 and Dec 1954. As well as those there are more registered between 1901 and 1915.

I think you need to look at all of those, firstly can you find any deaths that would tie up with any of those dates of birth? Anything to try and eliminate any of them, failing that you may need to sweet talk the Neath registrar to see if they will look at any births to confirm they are not yours.

[toni*]

Ok so if he was born in July 1901 then he wouldn’t be on the 1901 census as that was taken April – this ties in with what you know
Do you have the family in 1901 ?

Is there sufficient enough gap between John Henrys birth and that of the other children for him to be born ? i.e. 9 months either side event he children that died as youngsters.

Births are registred where they occurred which MAY NOT be where the family were living at the time have you checked christening records were the other children christened ?

There must be some plausible explanation of why his birth was not registered if the other children were such as those that Jaywit has described above
could he have been a foundling ? or adopted ?

if the family took him in out of the ‘poor system’ then there would be some record of this and the father would have received payment from the parish for this childs upkeep. It is unlikely they would take the child in if not for some gain to themselves or perhaps they knew the mother. this is speculation of course but I am trying to think outside the box

 is there a John Henry ……..  b. Q2/3 1901 that disappears from the records ?
Could the child be registered under a different name ? such as mmn.?
Have you tried the local register office as opposed to the GRO a local register office will check up to 5 years either side of the birth date as you know with for children with the same father and mothers name as you are giving to them.

The GRO said they did not have my birth certificate but I got a copy from the local RO no problems

I am inclined to agree with Ruskie also re the age at death being wrong and  people celebrating their birthday as one day when it was another.

Another thing to think about is were there any notices in the press ?

[toni*]

Have you tried school records ? slightly off track I know but he would have had ot go to school and these will tell you lots of information (if you can find them)

The school log books may be able to tell you more about the children and father.
School log books:
School Records / School Log Books
1870-Current Day (although 100 year rule applies) School registers provide pupils names, date of birth, addresses, fathers names and fathers occupation and years of attendance if they left to go to another school this would also be noted. Some have a brief explanation about the family.
School Log Books were filled in weekly by the head teacher give attendance figures and note extraordinary events.
From 1862 statutory admission and discharge registers began to be kept by the head teachers of schools receiving government funding, you will discover that many of these commence only in 1880 when schooling became compulsory betwixt the ages of 5 and ten, though local districts could make it from 1870.
School attendance registers were compiled by local education authorities after 1875 these disclose similar information as well as the placement of youngsters in schools throughout the county.
The particulars registered concerning the deaths and births of children submitted to the local education authority (LEA) by the district registrars record the date and place of each event the child’s name, sex his or her fathers name and the description and abode of the informant

My nans father servred in WW2 she was given vouchers for her lunch and a note entered into the school records re same
she also had a card.

anyhow school log books should hopefully confirm his age or at least his birth year

[bearkat]

These are common names but is this John (Jack) in 1901?

RG13 piece 5058 folio 114 page 23

living with his grandparents (Evans) ??

[Annie65115]

FreeBMD gives a John Henry Rees, birth reg q4 1901, in Llanelli.

Could his birthdate be wrong? Could they have left it rather late to register the birth? Any family connections with Llanelli?

Llansamlet and Llangyfelach are both Swansea rather than Neath, IIRC.

[Ruskie]

Something simple, and related to points others have raised, but ... did you check for misspellings of the surname? Rhys for example?  

[jaywit]

What if they got round to registering his birth when one of the younger children was born?

There is this birth in the same qtr. as Sulgwyn's birth registration.

Henry John Rees
Year of Registration: 1904
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Neath (1837-1970)
County: Breconshire, Glamorgan
Volume: 11a
Page: 996