Genealogy Chat

I am desperately trying to trace my fathers side of the family and am very new to all this and not too sure what i'm doing lol. I have very sparse details about my nan and grandad and have searched the bmd for my nan but there were loads of people with the same name born in that year. How do I know which one is her? Do i then have to go to every register office that is listed to try and find her birth certificate and some more details?
Thanks for your time
Danni

Danni,

Can you list some names and details here? Do you know when they married and when they died?

Rose

Danielle
Do you have you Dads birth cert?
Both parents names and fathers occupation will be on that, also mothers maiden name.

Next job is to find the marriage of your grandparents.

Gerri x

Speak to family members, someone must know her rough birthdate and place for you to narrow it down to which Quarter and area she was born in.

My nan died 1986/87 my mum is trying to find her death certificate, her name was Elsie Wilkes Nee Chapman born oct 1898 we think in wandsworth london but my dad also thought that her family were from bristol originally, she married Reuben Wilkes from Mitcham Surrey but we don't know what date as my nan told my mum that my grandad was married before and hadn't got a divorce when they got together. she had my uncle in 1935 and my dad in 1937. I did do a birth and marriage search for reuben wilkes and found one who was born in 1904 in croydon surrey and a marriage in 1924 to a may bellenger. My mum can't find my dads birth certificate so we have just ordered a replacement full version online today so hopefully when that comes through it will have more details of my grandparents. And i have hopefully found someone on here who has the same wilkes side of the family am just waiting to hear from her.

Is this her death?

England & Wales, Death Index: 1984-2005
about Elsie Wilkes
Name: Elsie Wilkes
Birth Date: 15 Oct 1898
Death Registration Month/Year: Jul 1987
Age at death (estimated): 88
Registration district: Croydon
Inferred County: London, Surrey
Volume: 11
Page: 1365

Rose

Elsie Chapman births for the December qtr:

Births Dec 1898
CHAPMAN Elsie Hendon 3a 235
CHAPMAN Elsie Ecclesall B. 9c 394
CHAPMAN Elsie Wakefield 9c 55
****CHAPMAN Elsie Wandsworth 1d 569

Rose

You need to work backwards Danielle from solid info you have.

You have your nans death so we should be able to find the reference for that which will give her birth date. If we can find her marriage cert that will give her fathers name and then you can find her in the 1901 census hopefully.

Ill bump up a thread called Tips for Newbies which may help you.

You will at some time want to take a sub with ancestry which most of us have for the census info 1901-1841 plus all bmd and lots of other info. At the moment there is a free three days trial offer on - it would be worth you taking that up and having a good search :) Put the following address in to get the offer:

http://landing.ancestry.com/popularmedia/hs1.aspx?landingpage=3DF_nc&o_iid=32618&o_lid=32618&o_it=32845

Woo hoo, looks like Rose is already on to the two bits of info mentioned :)

Here she is in 1901 transcribed as Elois. Her father was from Bristol and was a carpenter:

1901 England Census
Name: Elois Chapman
Age: 2
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Arthur W
Mother's Name: Mary A
Gender: Female
Where born: Battersea, London, England
Civil Parish: Battersea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Phillip
County/Island: London
Country: England
Condition as to marriage:
Registration district: Wandsworth
Sub-registration district: East Battersea
ED, institution, or vessel: 42
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 135
Household Members: Name Age
Arthur W Chapman 44 Bristol
Elois Chapman 2
Hilda Chapman 7 Battersea
Mary A Chapman 40 Manchester, Lancashire
Robert Chapman 14 Bristol
Rose Chapman 16 Bristol
Sidney Chapman 5 Battersea

Rose

Might be parent's marriage;

Marriages Sep 1882
****Chapman Arthur William Barton Regis 6a 175
****Kinman Mary Ann Barton Regis 6a 175
Neads Jane Barton Regis 6a 175
Winch Henry William Barton R. 6a 175

Rose

Way to go Rose :)

Found Arthur by himself in 1891. He's listed as married and the head of the family and the last entry on the page. Makes me wonder if the enumerator messed up and the rest of the family was left off.

Rose

1891 England Census
about Arthur M Chapman
Name: Arthur M Chapman
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1857
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Bristol, Somerset, England
Civil Parish: Battersea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Stephens
County/Island: London
Country: England
Registration district: Wandsworth
Sub-registration district: West Battersea
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Arthur M Chapman 34

Rose

This fits:

1881 England Census
about Mary A. Kinman
Name: Mary A. Kinman
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Manchester
Civil Parish: Bristol St Philip and Jacob Out
County/Island: Gloucestershire
Country: England
Street address: 1 Peel Street
Employment status: View Image
Occupation: Tobacconist
Registration district: Barton Regis
Sub-registration district: St Philip & St Jacob
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
James Kinman 13
John Kinman 16
Mary A. Kinman 20
Richard Kinman 14

Rose

Wow Rose these are all amazing yes the death one is correct and the census details look like they are gonna be spot on too thank you so much for all your help. One last question how do i get hold of birth certificates for people to check that the details i am getting from the indwxes are right? Thanks again
Danni

Danni,

You can order them online for 7 pounds.

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

Rose