Genealogy Chat

Hi Neil
Amanda at Cardif is a star!

Mike

Mike - just reading your thread i was about to link you to my thread about the Cardiff Cemetery office but i see i am too late. Again i've dealt with Amanda and have to say the response has been awesome!

I've been able to find quite a few relatives graves in Cathays cemetery thanks to her.

Thought you might like to know that I have found the elusive Edward Curtis!. As I had details of the death of his wife Julia Ann in 1906 I asked the excellent Cardiff burial records people if they could help.They soon found her burial in 1906 and told me the grave also held an EDWIN Curtis died 1944 in his 80s.The very very helpful Amanda at Cardiff also let me know that the grave plot had been bought in 1906 by Edward Curtis.Bingo!
I could find no record of an Edward Curtis because he had been recorded as Edwin for any of a number of reasons,misreading or mishearing names etc.
Never give up!

Mike

Many thanks Reg
That is indeed great grandfather Edward Curtis.His wife Julia Ann died of TB in 1909.I have just got the marriage certificate of his daughter Julia who was married in Cardiff in 1912. Edward is recorded as her father(and not deceased) so he was probably still alive then. I have looked for any Edward Curtis deaths in the Cardiff/ Croydon/Coulsdon areas up to 1955 in case he was over 100! Nothing so far looks likely.
As a last resort I have asked the excellent Cardiff burials dept if they could possibly do a search for a burial of Edward on the info available. They have been SO helpful in the past so am keeping my fingers crossed!
Thanks again to Reg and everyone for your help and suggestions.

Mike

Is this your Edward in 1901?................

Name: Edward Curtis
Age in 1901: 48
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1853
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Julia A
Gender: Male
Where born: Croydon, Surrey, England

Civil Parish: St John The Baptist
Ecclesiastical parish: St John the Baptist
Town: Cardiff
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales


Registration district: Cardiff
Sub-registration district: Central Cardiff
ED, institution, or vessel: 17
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 173
Household Members: Name Age
Edward Curtis 48
Henry Curtis 14
Julia A Curtis 45
Julia A Curtis 9
William Curtis 24

Perhaps he returned to his 'roots' prior to his death..............

Reg

Off-topic, with centenarians again...

(Gravestone inscription, Hampshire)

29 Mar 1658 Constance Corps Widdoe. Ayge 103


Mark

Name may have been mis-spelt in the register. My own brother's surname is wrong in the marriage register and that only happened 30 years ago!

I have found two instances in my family where the death was not registered: the burial date for one person was given to me but his death was not registered, and this person's mother is, I hope, buried with her husband but her death definitely was not registered.

Thanks again to one and all.You have given me info to look in other directions,ten heads are still better than one!

Mike

Back on the topic of the thread...

1) freeBMD death records always seem to stop at around 1919, even if you specify a later year to be searched.

Transcribing all the deaths from the influenza epidemic of that year - similar in scale, if not larger than, the total number of armed forces deaths in all of WW1 - is likely to keep them occupied for some considerable time to come, I imagine. Just keep on trying until it shows up.

2) You can get around the 1919 limit by using the View Images option but, last time I looked, they only have index images up to 1935, for deaths.

3) GR has index images up to the present day but that would obviously be an expensive plod-through, if you tried.

4) There's always the possibility that the people who constructed the original index found the handwriting on the cert illegible and transcribed the name with a different initial letter - so you won't find him amongst the C's anyway... :-/


Mark

Hi all,

I came across this one the other day, while looking for someone else...

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1907 (>99%)

MITCHELL Matilda 100 Strood 2a 484


Any advance on 1907?
(for earliest properly-documented centenarian in the UK)



Mark

Did Edward actually sign at his son's wedding....or was he just mentioned?

There are some Edward...and also E Curtis deaths recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves site.

Gwyn

Hello Gwyneth and Glen
Thanks for your interest. Edwards last known record is at his sons wedding in 1909.I am having trouble locating his wife Julia Ann,almost as reclusive as her husband! I have tried looking for a Ted Curtis as well but still drawing short straws,when he is ready to be found he will turn up!

Thanks folks!

Mike

Whilst living to be 100+ isn't that common it certainly isn't unique.

I spent ages looking for a death and stopped at 1955 when in truth the lady died in 1956 aged 101.

Also a death could occur anywhere and often is far from where you might expect.

If family moved then they may have arranged somewhere nearby for an elderly relative to live.

Another reason is that the registration might be in a different name, if the informant was not a close relative then they may only know the deceased by another name. There are quite a few folks known by alternative names. An uncle of mine was born William Harold but known for all his life (and registered in the death index) as Albert.

When was he last known to be alive....perhaps as a witness or informant at a family event?
What about his wife...was she a wife or widow at her death?

Gwyn

Hi Cagsie
I saw that one but no idea why he could have been in St Albans! Getting a death cert for that would be a long shot with no distinctive reference checking points to use.
Thanks for looking!

Mike

Perhaps he died somewhere totally irrational

Can any kind soul suggest why a death would not appear in the BMD lists? I have ploughed through the deaths quarter by quarter from 1900 to 1953 looking for a trace of my great grandfather.He was Edward Curtis born 1853 and was in the 1901 census in Cardiff where he had married and raised his family.I checked up to 1954 in case he lived to be 100! However I could not find a death for Edward in Cardiff or any where else that would have made sense.Did people not bother to register deaths even though it was compulsory after 1874ish? This has become a real headbanger! Any help or advice would be most welcome!

Mike

PS Anybody ever spotted 100 year olds in the lists?