Genealogy Chat

My sister has three forenames. I have a photocopy of her original birth certificate so know for a fact that she was registered with all three names. However, when she needed a passport a couple of years ago, her original certificate was mislaid and when she tried to obtain a new one it couldn't be traced. After investigation, the entry was found, minus the first name. Fortunately, when this 'incorrect' certificate was sent to the passport office, with a photocopy of the original and a covering letter, her application was accepted and a passport issued in her full name.
I often wonder if this is why I have a problem tracing some of my ancestors!

Not used it but St Catherine's register at http://www.ukfamilyhistory.co.uk/index.php
appears to offer a combination of a subscription & pay as you go service for the full UK Census returns 1841 to 1891, the General Register Office Index for England & Wales 1837 to 2004 and Parish Records 1530 to 1837.

I learnt today of a St Catherine's register, which would seem to be where the GRO records have been taken from. You have to subscribe to it, I haven't investigated any more, but does anyone know anything about it?

Meg

This is the page that the Elizabeth Oke marriage is on:
Marriages Jun 1861 (>99%)
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Horn Charles Holsworthy 5b 956
Oke Elizabeth Holsworthy 5b 956
Oke Grace Holsworthy 5b 956
Sanguin Richard Holsworthy 5b 956 *
Sargena Richard Holsworthy 5b 956 *
Sargent Richard Holsworthy 5b 956 *
Sarguin Richard Holsworthy 5b 956

Were there 4 Richards? Well, the ones marked * show on the images. I wonder if the Registrar in Holsworthy had such bad writing that the indexer couldn't decide what Richard's surname was and entered all possible variations?

My G-Grandfather's name was mistranscribed as Gatherton, instead of Eatherton.
(Mind you, it's easy to see why on the cert., as the writer's "E" was so much like "G").
x

I have found a Charles Horn same reference ( Holsworthy 5b 956 ) on the original.............there is a Charles Ham same quarter, but a different reference number i.e. (Bristol 6a 138 )

Of course it can. It is only as good as the person who wrote it up in the first place.

The GRO had managed to misspell both our surnames on my own marriage certificate. I reported it and after about six months they came back with an apology and confirmed it had been amended, but too late for entries already extracted for genealogy sites such as Ancestry.

A very interesting book about record errors is "A Comedy of Errors" or The Marriage Records of England and Wales 1837-1899. by Michael Whitfield Foster, ISBN 0-473-05581-3
A follow on book by him has also been published "A Comedy of Errors Act 2"
Details of both can be found here:-
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mikefost/

Yes, having searched the big books at the FRC (before it was closed, regrettably), and searched same on fiche and on the ancestry site, I know that there are some errors, some of which are quite understandable ie Ladd instead of Sadd (thinking of the "old fashioned" way of writing the S).

Carol

I have found LOADS of mistakes/misunderstandings due to ACCENTS.

Take one of mine.....'Poole' lived in the industrial midlands (Walsall)....transcribed as 'Powell'....(Poooooowel!)

See what i mean?


Another was my Grandmother 'Overs' ....wait for it!......transcribed as 'GOERS'!....

Maybe they had the 1st set of false teeth? LOL

On my 2x gt grandfather's 2nd marriage cert in 1855 his name is Anson...it should have read Hampson.

As Job was illiterate he wouldn't have realised...it was how the registrar interpretated his name at the time.

Linda

Holsworthy is in Devon

I will try the Records Office, thank you

Yes the GRO indes can definetley be wrong....my Charles furniss is mis transcribed as Francis......but Lancashire records office has it in the correct name as they have the original. Not sure where Holsworthy is, but may be worth contacting the records office for that county or seeing if they have BMDs online, I`m sure they`ll have the correct one.


Nicky

I have been looking for a marriage between a Charles HAM and Elizabeth OKE

I have found Elizabeth Oke June 1861 Holsworthy 5b 956 and when I look at others on the same page, there is a Charles HORN

Could the person doing the index have misread HAM for HORN

Has anyone come across an error in the GRO index please