Genealogy Chat

Hi Time and time again I have looked for a death certificate of a William Poole who died between 1889 - 1891 and his last known address was Edmonton Middlesex and his last child was born in 1889 I know it is nowhere to be found, I just can't understand how a death went unregistered then......................... His wife Emma remarried in 1893 and she was a widow on the 1891 census. Have now been looking for 4 and half years. Margaret

Margaret when was he born? Georgina.

Where have you been looking for the death? Not all on Ancestry. Also name could be mistranscribed. . Margaret

Hi Margaret, Glad I'm not alone! I've been searching over 3yrs for the death of my husbands gr-gr-grandfather. Alive in 1871 census, last child born 1872, wife is a widow in 1881 - but like you, no death registration. I have a few wrong one's that I have sent for, just in case some mistake with his age or similar. He was from Devon, but I even sent for one that had died in Chorley, Lancs a few weeks ago, because the age was spot on, and because of a little oddity with the spelling of his name. Another wrong one!! Like you, I can't understand how the death went unregistered. Debbie

Have you any idea of his age/birthdate. He may be registered outside Edmonton. Keith

Thank you for your interest I had a look up at the local office for Edmonton not a record there looked all through GRO records really don't know how old he was because I have to much of a conflict in ages and I have only ever found him on the 1881 census living in Edmonton but on that his age is out by ten years according to his marriage certificate which in 1871 says he was 24 but in the 1881 census it says he was 44?? So you see what I am up against have a ordered a couple of death certs that could have been him but they were not Margaret x

Margaret, he wasn't a sailor was he? Kate.

Hell Deborah I know it is hard when you look look and look and have no luck. I seem always to be looking for it but I can't find it I a;so have bought wrongs certs, as well in the hope it might be the right one Margaret x

No Kate he was not a sailor just a farm worker Margaret x

Sorry to 'hijack' your thread, Margaret. Kate, Mine was a sailor. Is there something I don't know about - he's not on the overseas or naval registrations. Debbie

Margaret have you got his marriage certificate? Is his age on it? Georgina.

Hi Georgina yes I have got his marriage certificate and his age say 24 but I don't beleive that is his correct age I think he was older He was born in Haverhill Suffolk wifes name Emma Ransom Margaret

Sorry Margaret I have been looking at the William Poole deaths but without his age there are too many to choose from. Georgina.

Margaret Have you considered that he didn't actually die then? He may have just left the family and his wife conveniently assumed the title of widow. It happened in my family. GG grandfather a widower on 1881 census but eventually found GG grandmother's death in 1896!! We'll probably never know what happened. He allegedly remarried before 1891 but I have never found a certificate so maybe he didn't actually break the law, although his 2nd 'wife' is described as such at her death (and will) Anne

I had thought of that Anne but when I look at the certificate of Emmas when she remarried she has as Witnesses what looks like to be relations of Williams James and Susan Poole so surley she would not get remarried if indeed William had not died Margaret

Good point, Margaret. I don't suppose the whole family would collude in a deception! I have reason to believe the case in my family caused some estrangements, so guess it was a scandle at the time. Anne

Any other possible male Pooles died in that reg dist in those 2 yrs? Just wondering if he had two forenames. I know names were recorded incorrectly by the Registrar - my grandmother was married as McDonald, rather than McDonough. So, anyone searching the index for the marriage of this couple would find the ref for the husband, but NOT the wife. Also if you gave wife's maiden name as a check (using birth cert of one of the children) you would be unlucky. I found a transcript of the marr cert amongst some old family papers and ASSUMED it had been mistranscribed. If I hadn't found this apparently wrong piece of info, I would have been stuck for ever, as it was a reg off wedding, so no PR to consult. Jay

There are two William Pools in that generation in Haverhill, but their records seem to be all complete and tied up. There's also another William, age 9 in 1841, probably son of George. He's not at home in 1851, but there's a brother James age 11. In 1891 there's a James age 50 born Haverhill living in Leyton, wife Susan -- the witnesses? Have you ruled out the William Brooks Pool who died age 55 in Edmonton in 1st quarter 1888? If he's not yours, there's a mystery about how 2 different William Pools fetched up in Edmonton, it's not Pool territory. It's not at all unknown for a widow registering a child to name her late husband as the father when he'd been gone rather more than 9 months.

Familys do collude when there is a remarriage. My gg grandma remarried in church calling herself a spinster but using the surname of her 1st husband who didnt die for another 8 years. Her family was present at the time. I am surprised that the vicar didnt ask questions when the name of her father was so different from her own. Maybe deserted wives remarried for support no quickie divorce or welfare then. Ellen X

I would agree with Robin.... Do you know that William was indeed the father of the latest child? Maybe he had already died some time before. Maybe a search of the parish records would show a burial of him and also a baptism of his wife's child. Gwyn