Genealogy Chat

Why are there so many entries added without a place of birth. Surely if you have found a relative in the 1800's you must have some idea of where they came from. It's really frustrating to find a name and date match with no birth place, makes it no point in contacting to find if they are yours otherwise you would be there for ever.

Some people dont know
Some dont think its important
Some dont care
Some dont want to enter it on here but may know

I agree, its irritating but not everyone reaslises

If you are getting your information from parish registers then for the baptism of someone you may get the names of the parents but not their birthplace.

Also if you get the information from freeBMD the place is only the registration district not the actual village so some researchers may not put anything rather than a place that is misleading/.

Not always,,,,,,1800's

as you may have information that John Smiths father was John Smith,,,,,but where did John Smith snr come from?even though you have information John snr married Mary Brown in Worlds End.

so rather than guess and risk a wrong line by getting it wrong its left blank.as it could be their brickwall.?

Birth.
Marriage.
Death,
can all take place in many parts of the world or all in one place.

if you are talking about GR trees, as Kay says they can be left blank because the place is not known.

I have one who was born before civil registration and the only 2 census he appears on state 'birth place N.K. (not known) and 'Goget' which we are still trying to interpret. His father was deceased on his marriage certificate so no help there. As they have very common names I would be very grateful if someone contacted me with a possible match as who knows......it could be the right one.

i have had to input some of mine with no Birth place as have absolutely no idea where born .

Surely its better not give false info just to add something and someone thinks they have broken a brick wall with my input.

Maybe it's Galgate lancashireann?? But as a Lancashire lass I guess you have considered that!!
Jan

you're right Jan - the general consensus is 'Galgate' - they were living in West Derby at the time so possibly the enumerator did not understand the accent! Trouble is there are rather a lot of John Millers (deceased father's name) all of course farmers in the area

It has also humourously been suggested that he said "I'll go get it" - ie fetch a paper with it written on!

I've started putting "no idea" for birthplace if I have.... no idea.

I hope there isn't a place with that name :-)

If I don't know birth place I always put unknown instead of just putting a guess....

Then you have the problem of the area ie

My family are from Battersea

1840/50/60 this was in Surrey so some people will just put in Surrey

Later Battersea was its own borough so some will put in Battersea

Later again Battersea is now part of the Borough of Wandsworth

so some will put Battersea, Surrey - Battersea, London or even just London
In these instances a place of birth can be just as bad a none, especially if a common name.

If I have a faint idea of the town I usually put it in with a question mark after it and have had contacts through that which have turned out correct.