Genealogy Chat

Hi,
What`s the best (and cheapest) way to find which of two births is the one I want? A 10 month old baby was in the workhouse on the 1841 census and there are two possible birth registrations. According to the census he was born in that county (Cheshire) yet neither of these two possible births was registered there. One was registered in a neighbouring county (Lancashire) and the other one in the place where his father came from (Cumberland) and I`d rather not pay for two certificates.
Jay

Can you list the details from the census? Can't really help without a name and an area.

Rose

Birth registration wasn't compulsory until 1875.......and if they were in the workhouse, they probably couldn't have afforded to register the child's birth.......so it is possible that neither birth is the child you are researching

Reg

Hi,
The baby was Walter Graham in the Northwich Union workhouse (Cheshire) with his mother Sarah and sister Eliza.
HO7/ 121/ 8
Jay

You could order one of the certificates and stipulate that his mother's name must be Sarah - (and hope that they don't both have a mother called Sarah!!)

Or it might be cheaper to ring both local register offices and give the details of each birth and say you only want the certificate if the mother's name is Sarah. Local offices tend not to charge for the search.

Kath. x

Thanks to all.
I didn`t realise that I could ring the offices.
Would I need to ring before or after sending the order for the certificate?
Jay

Ring them first and give the name, year and qtr (they don't need the volume and page numbers as they are only for the GRO). Say that you only want to order the certificate if the mother's name is Sarah.

Kath. x

The Cumberland registration is definitely too early.........it's JFM qtr 1840

The Salford one probably is, also....it's AMJ qtr

1841 census was taken 7th June

Reg

Thanks Kath, I`ll do that.

Reg, I was working on the premise that possibly/probably workhouse records might not be too accurate. I`ve found that dates/ages in my family aren`t always spot on. In fact, this maths mismatch is still alive and well today in my own genes...lol !!
Jay

You could check with the county records office to see if they have workhouse records because if these records survive and the baby was born in the workhouse the birth should be recorded in them.

Kath. x

Thanks again Kath.
I`ll try the Record Office first to check. Probably as Reggie has pointed out, the GRO birth records are too early to be Walter`s birth registration.
Jay

There's a Walter Graham born in Marple, just outside Stockport on the Cheshire BMD site. He is in the 1840-1845 section, but it doesn't give his exact year of birth.

http://www.cheshirebmd.org.uk/

Once you have found the record, click on the right hand column. This will take you to a page where you can print off an application form to buy the cert, and the address to send it to.

Hope this helps.

Dianne xx

Is this the family in 1851?

Eliza was born in Stockport.

1851 England Census
about Sarah Graham
Name: Sarah Graham
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1819
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: William
Gender: Female
Where born: Nortwich, Cheshire, England
Civil Parish: Stockport
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England
Registration district: Stockport
Sub-registration district: Stockport
ED, institution, or vessel: 3p
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 66
Household Members: Name Age
Eliza Graham 14
Emily Graham 5
Oswald Graham 3
Sarah Graham 32
William Graham 31

Rose