Genealogy Chat

Today I was looking on Free BMD and Ancestry.com and found a death record for a FANNY LOUISA MCKAY in 1891 in PORTSEA ISLAND. Died aged 0 ........................................ This could be my great grandfathers sister, as that was his mothers name (exactly). My great grandfathers parents had been married for a very long time before they had him in 1898. ........................................ He was an only child but his mother died when he was 14 and he was put into an orphanage by his alcoholic dad. Then he went into the war and his landlady threw out all his family documents/photos/info. ........................................ I have since discovered that he had aunts and uncles who could have taken him in, but he never knew about them either. ........................................ Without getting FANNY LOUISA's death cert (which is expensive for a student!) is there any other way that I can find out this childs parents? It's strange, but I can't stand the thought that this baby is going unrecognised if she is related to me. My great grandfather was very religious and there is something about this which refuses to leave me. ........................................ If anyone knows where I can find the info then please please email me or reply. Thank you. -Kat

Anne: I did some transcribing for Free BMD, it was when I was trying to get to grips with certificates...I thought that some hands-on experience might be useful. I just think that it ould be useful to have a site like freeBMD where you can enter the child's name and parents. And on marriage certificates you shoule be able to enter husbands AND wife's names together. I know that it's not currently possible - I was just saying that it would be useful if transcribers COULD do that. :) I have tried the Hampshire rootsweb records, but no luck yet. Many Thanks, -Kate

Helo I do hope you find a way of finding out about this baby. Have you joined the local rootsweb for the area? you can find this via Genuki. Just wanted to say though, as a volunteer transcriber for FreeBMD, we are working from the scans of the registers. We do write down everything that's there - name, age at death, location and reference no. That's all there is. Good luck Ann

Thanks, I live not far from where the child is probably buried, but cemeteries aren't very wheelchair friendly in the older parts! :) I'll try the LDS records, but looks like I'll have to try portsmouth central library and trawl through the microfilm! I just wish that Free BMD transcribers put more details from the documents - it would be much more useful. Best Wishes, -Kate

Have you tried finding a baptism record for Fanny. Try the LDS site. If this is no good try cemetaries grave stones are a good source of info I found out about an uncle who had died at 3 days old nobody had mentioned him until I read the grave and asked. Certs are really the only way of confirming for sure there is a link to your family but they are cheaper if you can get to the registry office the daeth was registered in and you have all the details(page no. etc.)