Genealogy Chat

Hi I have a man on a marriage certificate in 1871 which clearly says he his 24 yet 10 years later on the 1881 census it says he is 44 and if his marriage is correct he should be 34, in a tizz and knowing which to beleive thankyou Margaret

How old is he on 1891 census?

Hi, Have you looked at the original census page in the 1881? There are a lot of mistranscriptions. Gwynne

Hi to you all thankyou for answering I have looked at the orginal census and it says 44 he had died by the 1891 census and canit find him on any other census his name William Poole says his born Haverhill Suffolk and that is where he married thankyou Margaret

His death cert if you can find it would give an approximate age. His birth cert would clinch it though. Haverhill is in Risbridge registration district, but sadly the births of William Pooles there on Ancestry Civil Reg aren't old enough! nell

is this him in 1871 Christianna Pool 7 Suffolk, England Daughter Haverhill Suffolk Eliza Pool 2 Suffolk, England Daughter Haverhill Suffolk Emily Pool 2 months Suffolk, England Daughter Haverhill Suffolk Martha Pool 32 Suffolk, England Wife Haverhill Suffolk William Pool 24 Suffolk, England Head Haverhill Suffolk Willie Pool 4 Suffolk, England Son Haverhill Suffolk

where was he in 1881? The only William Poole I can find born Haverhill is born approx 1847, age 34, living in Haverhill

Hi In 1881 he was living in Edmonton Middlesex with his wife Emma children Emma and Kate I do not think his birth or his childrens births were registered the marriage certificate says his fathers name was George, he had another child in 1882 who was named George. I can't find a death cert. for William Margaret Thank you

Was Albert Poole registered to William. If so this would suggest that William died within 1888 and 1891. They couldn't bury him without a death cert so he must have one.

Hello Elizabeth yes he had a son born in 1889 Albert and William is down as the Father and I know he must have died between 1889-1891 but beleive you me I have searched high and low for that death certificate even had a search done at the local registry office but they have not got that death, this is my fathers line but it does not look as though I will get back any further been trying for 3 years Thank you Margaret

margaret was it possible he was in the army at the time of his death the boer war was taking place at that time just a thought howard

A Death Certificate and a registration of Death are not the same thing. You need a death certificate to register a death. But just because you have a death certificate doesnt mean you HAVE to register the death! You need a death certificate to bury a body, but you dont need to have registered the death. I got confused with this too, my 2xGrandfather had been buried, but no death registered.(Well, I couldnt find it). Eventually the Cemetery records produced the address at which he had died and it turned out that his death had been mistakenly registered under another name, because the informant gave the wrong information. (The informant was the occupier of the house where he died and not a relative) Don't suppose this helps you much, but it illustrates that you have to have a very open mind when looking for these things!

I'm confused. I thought a death certificate was what you got as confirmation that you registered the death - when we registered my dad's death we got a cert which we took to the undertaker's to arrange the burial. nell

Nell A Death Certificate is issued by a Doctor. It certifies that you are dead(!) and what you died of. These days, you then take that certificate to the Registrar, who issues you with a Formal Death Certificate which is the entry in the Death Register and which you need to be able to bury a body. In days gone by, the death certificate, as long as it was issued by a Doctor, was enough for the Undertaker to effect a burial. I think things changed when cremation became fashionable and you then had to have an officially registered death certificate. I hope this makes sense! Incidentally, my missing relly was buried on 12th December but his death was not registered until January, presumably because no one got round to it till then.

Hi Nell, so the doctors certificate was enough to bury him with, I have asked at the local cemeteries but they can find no record of him. So there ends my quest. Regards Margaret

He may not have died; just not lived with the family. I have two Scottish ancestors who claimed to be widows when they were not. The elder lady said she was a widow in 1891 and 1901 census but her husband's death was reported by his grandson in 1917. Her daughter also claimed to be widowed but later had a daughter whose birth was registered by the supposedly deceased husband! It was very expensive uncovering that little lot on ScotlandsPeople.

Thanks for clearing that up, but even if you could bury someone with a cert from the doctor, you still needed to officially register the death, didn't you? nell

Hi Nell, I would have thought so, but I am really confused now, I think now perhaps he did not die but I know his wife remarried in 1893 I have the certificate and she was down as a Widow. it is all a mystery. Margaret.

Hi Margaret, I remember you have been looking for a long time, is it possible he needed care and was therefore in a workhouse or hospital of some sort, maybe a bit out of the area? Best wishes Amanda

Hello Amanda, I suppose he could have died out of the area in which case I would not know where, was wonder has the lady said maybe he left his wife but would that account for her getting remarried as a widow in 1893 if he had not died Regards Margaret