SUFFOLK-L Archives

Archiver > SUFFOLK > 2003-09 > 1063632758


From: "David Lamb" <>
Subject: Re: [SFK-UK] ? on Free BMD
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 14:32:38 +0100
References: <008f01c37a51$78c482f0$f3c6f7cd@barbara4hnncrv>


Hello,

If either FreeBMD, or the Indexes of the General Register Office of which
FreeBMD is a partly-completed transcription, says "September," it means that
the birth was registered in the September quarter, that is during July,
August or September. A birth registered in the September quarter could have
taken place in the June quarter, probably towards the end of the quarter.
If a baby was born on (for example) 28 June, it is unlikely that the birth
would be registered until sometime in July, thus in the next quarter to the
actual birth.

Having looked at the 1881 Census (just to get an idea of the difficulty of
your task; I know 1881 is too late for your Joseph) I find that there were
219 people called Joseph BRAY in Great Britain in that year, and of them,
over 30 were born in the 1840s. What I'm trying to say is this: From the
information you have given, it seems your Joseph's birth might have been
registered in the September quarter (if he was born early on in the actual
month of September), or in the December quarter. You don't know where he
was born, or his year of birth. With those things in mind, and thinking
also of the large number of Joseph BRAYs around, you would have no way of
knowing, if you found a FreeBMD entry for someone of that name, whether or
not he was yours. Even if you took a chance and ordered a copy of a Joseph
BRAY birth certificate, how would you know if it was the correct one?
(Unless, of course you know the names of his parents, your 2nd great
grandparents).

Your suggestion of pre-1871 census entries unfortunately would not work
either, for the same reason, and also because (as far as I know) the only UK
censuses to be nationally indexed are those of 1881 and 1901.

Did he marry before he emigrated to America? If so, it might be worth
trying to trace the marriage and getting a copy of the certificate. If you
go to FreeBMD, but choose marriages instead of births, you can then click on
the page numbers of any results that look likely. This will bring up a list
of other names so far transcribed from the same page. If your great
grandmother's name is amongst them, you have probably found the correct
one. The certificate would give you his father's name, and his bride's
father's name, and tell you where he and his bride lived at the time of the
marriage.

I am sure someone else on the list may have some much better and more
helpful suggestions for you.

Regards,
David Lamb (Paignton, Devon, UK)
Interests (Essex): BAXTER, BERRY, EREY, GOLDSTONE, LAMB, MOTT, PARTRIDGE,
SARGENT, TICHBORNE, WEBB, WILLSHER
(Suffolk): BRYNGLOVE, CRISPE, FINCH, PARTRIDGE, PORTER, PRATT

----- Original Message -----
From: "Barb Drummer" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2003 12:48 AM
Subject: [SFK-UK] ? on Free BMD


> I've been looking for years to find my Great Grandfather Joseph Bray's
birth in England without success as sources argue as to his year of birth
and also argue as to place of birth in England.
>
> In searching FreeBMD today using all counties, births, and a range
covering the different possible birth years (two sources agree that he was
born in the month of September), I need to know, since I'm told that
sometimes births are registered in the next Quarter if it gives say Births
Sep 1843, does that mean births that happened in Sep or births that were
registered in Sep that might have occurred the previous quarter?
> I am finding some possibles on there now and don't have access to
England census, but if any of these Joseph Bray's are still in England in
1871 they can't be mine as mine was in the US for 31 years in 1900 so he was
in the United States in 1869.
> Regards,
> Barbara Drummer, Iowa USA
>
> ______________________________

This thread: