Genealogy Chat

Irene Well! I learn something new every day on this site! I have been doing family history research for nearly 15 years now and have NEVER heard of this before, nor seen it mentioned in any books as a possible (well, very probable!) reason for a birth not being registered. Thankyou for that information. Marjorie

I know about the Frodingham John, and think it is him but as I say its the birth and death that just didn't seem to happen. Thanks everone for all you're digging! Lisa

Irene, that's really interesting. Didn't realise that at that time registering the birth was not the parents' responsibility. Amazing, really, that most did get registered!

The registrar did go round and record any new births, so you can see if any were missed how it happened. I think they just may have asked people in the villages if there were any new births as he would have had to cover a big area, then go to the house where it was said. So if the people were not there the birth was not recorded. Irene

From the 1881 cencus: Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability Edward ATHERTON Head M Male 51 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Furne Lab (Iron) Elizabeth ATHERTON Wife M Female 43 Gawber Darton, Derby, England George WHITE Son U Male 22 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Furne Lab (Iron) Tom ATHERTON Son U Male 16 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Furne Lab Eliza ATHERTON Daur U Female 14 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Violeta ATHERTON Daur U Female 11 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Selina ATHERTON Daur Female 9 Gawber Darton, Derby, England Florence ATHERTON Daur Female 3 Pendleton, Derby, England John HAYCROFT Lodger W Male 25 Derby, England Pauper Source Information: Census Place Frodingham, Lincoln, England Family History Library Film 1341784 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 3287 / 108 Page Number 18

Could this be him? JOHN EDWARD HAYCRAFT Male Event(s): Birth: Christening: 23 MAR 1856 Independent, Colyton, Devon, England Death: Burial: Parents: Father: JOHN HAYCRAFT Family Mother: ANN

I notice that a few people have said they cannot find births in 1856 .. or even the 1850s. If you are looking only at Freebdm you will be very fortunate if you happen to have had a birth transcribed for that time. Check on the Information page of the site and you will be able to see the amount of coverage given to entries from 1837 onward.

Tracey I have missing rellies in the 1850s. I have found one or two by going to the Local RO - they never got as far as the GRO apparently. I reckon there must have been a lot of train robberies around then! Irene I am puzzled by your remark that 'it was up to the Registrar to record a birth' - eh? how did he know a child had been born? Who told him, if the parents didn't? Did he go prowling round, listening for the sound of new-born babies? Sorry if I am being thick, but I am really intrigued by this. Marjorie

Haycroft was a very rare name. The 1881 census only has about 50 born in the 1850s, and hardly any of them in the north. But it has got a John Haycroft born 1856, lodging at Frodingham, where the steelworks are near Scunthorpe. He's with an Atherton family, and the census says they came from Gawber Darton, Derbyshire. In fact Gawber in Darton parish is a suburb of Barnsley, not in Derbyshire at all. Given there are so few Haycrofts around, a John of the right age living with a Barnsley family is an unlikely coincidence. Not that this gets you anywhere much, as it only says John's birthplace was Derbyshire and his householder wasn't good at geography The only other straw in the wind is that a William Haycroft, railwayman, born in Devon, age 18 in 1851, was a lodger at Wath on Dearne in the 1851 census. In 1881 he's married with a family, and living at Mexborough, with kids born at Swinton. These places are only a few miles from Barnsley, but the births wouldn't be at Barnsley register office -- Wath and Swinton come under Rotherham and Mexborough is under Doncaster.

Odd that my great grandfather was born 1856 and I cannot find his birth cert either and a good friend was here today and her g grandfather also born in 1856 and she cannot find his - did records disappear that year.? Tracey

thanks everyone, I will look at this further! Lisa

Birth registry it did not become law for the parent to record births until about 1875, before that it was up to the registrar to record births, if they were missed or had moved then the birth was not recorded, when they realised this was not working they changed the law and made parents record the births. Have you tried looking under mis spelling of the surname, also they didn't always use their first given name, we had my husband's g grandfather and we were looking for 4 years for his birth. Arthur Hinton after much looking I did find a Ebenezer Arthur Hinton and when I got his sisters birth as well this confirmed the family, his sister was with his family in 1891 and a spinster so this helped. I have still not found my g grandfather Henry's birth certificate, but I do have a christening for him. Unless its like his marriage which is entered un Timpkins instead of Simpkins, this I found out from Freebmd when g grandmothers name was on I clicked on the page number and up came Henry Timpkins. Hope I have given you some ideas and some hope of finding what you want. Irene

Could John have been a second name rather than his first? Can you find a baptism? Were there brothers and sisters? Sometimes if we research siblings it gives us a lead for finding our own ancestors.

I am currently searching for John Haycroft born c1856. I found him in the 1891 and 1901 census in Barnsley South Yorkshire and possibly in the 1871 census. But there my luck runs out as I've been into the register office and they can't find any trace of his birth. He doesn't seem to have died either! I've searched 1837 0nline and Ancestry.co.uk and still no birth or death records. I can find three marriages but thats it. HELP! Lisa.