Genealogy Chat

I have a death certificate for my grandfather which has an amendment to it which was made at a later date. The registrar has said that as the entry was changed from 'widow of the deceased' to 'present at the death', my grandmother was not actually his widow. It also states that this was amended by a statutory declaration by my grandmother and another person with the same surname. Nobody knows who this could be. We are now thinking, was this woman his widow and that is why the certificate was changed as she tried to claim something using the certificate and found she couldn't as it stated my grandmother as the widow?? Is there any way of tracing this woman? If it was his wife her name could have changed and I do not know her maiden name. Was it his daughter? Was it his sister - please help! Where do I start???

Deja vu!!! Havent you made an identical post recently? Olde Crone

Hi...do you mean myself? Yes I tagged it on the end of another long one but didn't get any replies. Think it was because there was that much there!! The person in question was a Lavenia Tower Clarke. I have done a few searched but nothing came up with the name Lavenia. Thought they might have mispelt it (and maybe should be Lavinia) but if someone has gone out of their way to get a death certificate changed , wouldn't they pay attention to how their own name was spelt? Wondered whether Tower may have been a maiden name? I appreciate any help.

Can we have some dates/ages please?! Merry

Tina As you havent given a date, I assume it was 20th century? You obviously won't find a marriage cert for your GM and GF,(unless they committed bigamy?) but can you find a marriage between your GF and this Lavenia? Lavenia may be his daughter, his sister-in-law, his daughter-in-law...I dont think there will be a quick answer to this, you will have to do it logically, by finding his first marriage and working out who Lavenia is. As to the mis-spelling, well someone else recently reported that they had an amended Death Cert, amended years later because the spelling was wrong. The Declaration of amendment was signed - and the new certificate got the spelling of the witness wrong! As the poster said, you wonder why they bothered! Olde Crone

Sorry about the lack of info GF died in 1957, certificate originally said aged 60 years but the amendment changed it to 64 years. He died at 3 Mendip Road, Weston Super Mare. I've searched for marriages for both GM and Lavenia and no joy. Can't even find his birth certificate as not sure where he lived and tried working back from 1957 and mum is certain that he was born in Sept. I must be missing something somewhere. Mum is wondering whether he was a figment of her imagination!!

Grandfather's name? Merry

No wonder my messages get ignored! It must be time for me to go to bed ;o) Frederick Charles Clarke

Her death reg? Name: Lavinia Tower Clarke Birth Date: 4 Dec 1895 Death Registration Month/Year: Dec 1991 Age at death (estimated): 95 Registration District: Crawley Inferred County: West Sussex Volume: 18 Page: 1825 Merry

So allowing for her birth reg being the following Q to her birth on 4th Dec 1905, is this her birth? Name: Lavinia Tower Fox Year of Registration: 1896 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar District: Gravesend (1837-1941) County: Kent Volume: 2a Page: 517 Merry

No, you can't go to bed now! Merry

Cant be many Lavinia Towers? Name: Lavinia Tower Fox Year of Registration: 1896 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar District: Gravesend (1837-1941) County: Kent Volume: 2a Page: 517

and the 1901 census: Frederick C Fox abt 1873 Gravesend, Kent, England Head Milton Kent >>>>Lavinia Fox abt 1896 Gravesend, Kent, England Daughter Milton Kent Mary A Fox abt 1877 Nk, London, England Wife Milton Kent Sylvia Fox abt 1900 Northfleet, Kent, England Daughter Milton Kent Violet Fox abt 1899 Gravesend, Kent, England Daughter Milton Kent John R Walles abt 1882 Gravesend, Kent, England Brother Milton Kent Merry

Wow - you're good!! How on earth did you manage to find that so quickly? I did see the death one but wondered whether it would be her - assumed that it was possible that she may have remarried. How did you find the birth - you can tell I'm new!! So now I have a possible maiden name I can search the marriage records again...?

Oooh, well done, Merry and Suzanne? Abyone else think its significant that Lavinia's dad is called Frederick C?? Olde Crone

Marriage? Fox Lavinia Spouse: Clarke Hackney. 1b 1277 Q2 1915 Spouse is down with turned-about forenames: Clarke Charles F Merry

I am truly astounded - something that I thought I would never find and you wonderful people have done it in minutes??!! How on earth??? So he was married.....any tips for the next step I take in searching for more information? I have just been to speak to my husband - had to pick his jaw up off floor.

So, is she his REAL wife!! LOL Found out he had died and thought, 'Blowed if I'm having that person (sorry, your rellie!!) saying she is the widow''! Merry

First step - get the marriage cert. What if it's not your Frederick? You wouldn't want to go off on a wild goose chase! Merry

We thought exactly the same!! Mum always said they were very poor, probably because he was paying for wife and possibly more children. Grandmas's (adopted) parents disowned her because he was so much older. Now appears it was because he was already married and she never married him!! Mum was always quite sad as she never had much family.....but I might find some half brothers and sisters for her??!!! So how did you all find it so quickly? I thought I was gonna get a hernia these past few days. ..and it all started out as such a normal week...