Genealogy Chat

Can any kind person help me please. I've been waiting patiently for the second time for a birth cert from the GRO, and for the second time they've said no, and refunded me less the £4 fee. So I've now paid £8 and got nothing. I just want to know what the details are on the following birth cert: Henry Day-Smith 1908 Mar West Ham vol 4a page 354, but have now used up my budget and my patience. If anyone is going there anytime and could spare me the time to look this one up and even just write down what it says I'd be VERY VERY grateful ? Yours, fed up and disappointed now, Heidi

No one can view the certificate anywhere....the only option is to buy a copy of it. Was it that you gave checking points and they said they didn't match? I feel slightly responsible.....I remember these people, but can't remember what we looked up? Merry

I realise it's too late now, but did you need to give checking points??? I thought Henry Day-Smith was definitely your relative? Merry

As far as I can see you have all the right details from the index Henry Day-Smith 1908 Jan-Feb-Mar West Ham Volume: 4a Page: 354 so I would ask the GRO WHY they can't provide the cert. You can only see what is on a cert by buying it - they don't keep them at Kew, just the indexes. nell

It is in the index so I don't know what the problem is. Would you be able to get it from the the local register office? Heather

Huh ? You mean you work at Kew or you remember me from finding him? I think it was the finding wasn't it?! I gave them the fathers name and these exact ref details and said the father's occupation may be a commercial traveller or punch and judy man, which is what he put on Harry's marriage cert. The annoying thing is the birth cert probably says showman per the 1901 census. It looks like they rejected it based on the occupation alone, but not on him name. Damn! Very annoyed with this as Gran was expecting an answer.

Hi all, the districts have all changed and I'm not sure where the register office covering Leyton now is, I've tried a couple of places and they said no.

No, I meant I remember doing the look up for you on here!! Why were you telling them anything about occupations?? You only needed to give the GRO details and the name Henry Day-Smith. Or have I missed the plot again???? Others seem to think it's that the GRO couldn't find the certificate (but then they shouldn't have charged you, surely?) Merry

Hi Merry, so next time I shouldn't give any checking points? Feeling rather caught out with inexperience now !

If you say dad was Henry and cert says dad was Thomas..they won't send it but will charge for the search. Or if you think you know the birthdate and it doesn't match... Less is best, lol. Heather

That's right.....I have never ordered a cert with checking points, but you would only usually do it if there were two references for the same name and you had no way to tell which was yours. I have never ordered with checking points because I know I would be consumed with curiosity as to whether the GRO had done their job properly! Merry

He is also listed as plain Henry SMITH. Perhaps this was the entry the GRO looked at!!

Would it be better now just to write to (just looked them up) Waltham Forest register office with the details? Would they charge me if they couldn't find it?

if you know Henry Day-Smith 1908 Jan-Feb-Mar West Ham Volume: 4a Page: 354 is catagorically yours, dont include any ref checks. If you need a henry smith with a MMn Day or something similar then you might have needed to , the more you request they check, the more likely the fact are to differ.

Heidi The problem with checking points is that if you ask them to check and what is on the cert isn't what you specified, they won't supply the cert. Maddening, I know, as the only way you KNOW what is on the cert is by seeing the damn thing! I've been caught out that way, when the father's name was slightly different etc. So now I give the minimum information unless I really do need to check something. It's a bit like putting info into a census search and finding nothing, and then removing bits of info and finding the person. nell

Glen - what do you mean??? Where?

Glen means here: Name: Henry Day-Smith Year of Registration: 1908 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar District: West Ham County: Essex, Greater London Volume: 4a Page: 354 Name: Henry Smith Year of Registration: 1908 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar District: West Ham County: Essex, Greater London Volume: 4a Page: 354 That is just two index entries to lead to the same certificate. The GRO were not very good at double barrelled names in those days, so they tended to index them twice to aid people looking! Merry

Aaah, thanks Merry. Think I'll just write to Walthamstow then, still a bit sore about the GRO thing ! Hope Gran appreciates all this !!! If only they'd had his certificate I wouldn't be going through it all ! And yes I'm pretty sure it's him from the census results, but I spoke to her only this morning and she was sure it was her dad who changed from Day to Day-Smith, so I'd like to get something to actually show her to prove all the links backwards, especially as Harry wasn't even old enough to be on the census. If Walthamstow don't come through, I'll just have to wait until 2012 .....!

Well, if Walthamstow are awkward, you could still get the cert from the GRO!! Or would that be too annoying for you?? (I know it would be if I were you!!) Merry

I'm sending my money to Walthamstow, gone off GRO for a while :-( ! Thanks for the advice though, I do like to learn things the hard way !