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Author Topic: GRO Index and Death Searches  (Read 2559 times)

Offline timebandit

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GRO Index and Death Searches
« on: Sunday 11 November 12 11:29 GMT (UK) »
The GRO staff will do a search for an entry if you don't have the GRO index number when applying for a certificate.  They will look for the year that you supply and one year either side.  So, if I am looking for someone who has died but doesn't appear when I search freeBMD and I also know roughly the year of death, would the GRO staff find him or would they just search the same resource and come up with a blank?

TIA

Offline danuslave

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 11 November 12 11:35 GMT (UK) »
In the first instance you could try giving us the information you have and we'll see what we can do   :) :)

Linda
MOXHAM/MOXAM - Wiltshire & Surrey
SKEATS - Surrey
BRETT - Kent & County Durham
and
SWINBANK - anywhere

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Offline timebandit

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 11 November 12 11:47 GMT (UK) »
More help is always appreciated, Linda  :)
I asked about this person before on Rootschat but it didn't lead anywhere unfortunately, but if you can have a look as well I will be very grateful.

It's my great grandfather, Herbert James Harris, that I want to find death & burial details for.  He was born in 1864 and this was registered at Plympton St. Mary, Devon.  All the census records that I have for him show him living in Tamerton Foliot or staying as a visitor in Cornwall.

He appears on the 1911 census and is described as deceased on his daughters marriage certificate from 1919.

I have so far found no trace or his death or burial.  If I can find out where he died maybe I can find his grave...

Offline behindthefrogs

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 11 November 12 12:50 GMT (UK) »
The nearest match would seem to be a James Harris who died aged 50 in Devonport Registration District in Q2 1913.  Is there a possibility that he was known as James rather than Herbert and this death was registered by someone who didn't know him very well?
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline timebandit

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 11 November 12 13:12 GMT (UK) »
While browsing Rootschat I noticed that FindMyPast now have a newspaper archive.  Well, I searched the newspaper archive for Herbert Harris and up popped some articles about someone of that name who also happened to be a bootmaker, just like the man I'm looking for. 

It seems that in 1905,  my great grandfather tried to kill himself, blaming trouble with his wife (who had requested a separation order) and an addiction to drink.  However, I know from the census that he was still alive in 1911.  I suspect he later either successfully made another suicide attempt or drank himself to death.  Either way, maybe his death was reported by someone who didn't know him too well...

behindthefrogs - you may have found the record although I don't know if Herbert was actually known as James.

Offline Nick29

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 13 November 12 22:59 GMT (UK) »
Sometimes people go to stay with their children when their health is failing.  Would he have had children in any other parts of the country ?  Death certificates are issued in the county where the person died, not where they lived.
RIP 1949-10th January 2013

Best Wishes,  Nick.

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Offline behindthefrogs

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 14 November 12 16:03 GMT (UK) »
Quote from: Nick29 on Tuesday 13 November 12 22:59 GMT (UK)
Sometimes people go to stay with their children when their health is failing.  Would he have had children in any other parts of the country ? 

If the sick children died would that help?  We don't know the names of the children anyway.   ;D ;D ;D
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline timebandit

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 15 November 12 12:46 GMT (UK) »
Herbert had two children, Olive and Ada.  Olive stayed in Chacewater in 1911 with a relative called Fanny Phillips.  I think this explains why Herbert appears on the 1911 census as a visitor in Cornwall (from memory he was staying at a pub in Blackwater).  So he may have spent quite some time in Cornwall but I haven't found a death entry in the records for him there either   :-\

Both children lived to old age, Olive dying in Plymouth in 1961 and Ada dying in London in the 70's.  Ada only moved to London in the sixties as far as I know.

Offline timebandit

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Re: GRO Index and Death Searches
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 18 November 12 09:15 GMT (UK) »
Does anyone know the answer to my original question please?

Since I believe that Herbert James Harris died between 1911 and 1919, I was thinking of applying for a death certificate with one of the middle years specified and guessing that his place of death was Devon (Plymouth if I have to be more specific).  The GRO would then do a search and hopefully (if it's just the index that's not been created) someone would find his entry for death and I would have my certificate (though I might have to repeat this process a couple times since the GRO only search one year either side of the year that you supply).

My problem is that I don't know if the GRO really search or just look for the index.  If it's the latter then my idea probably won't work.

Anyone?

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