Ralph Godfrey - from West Bromwich to Suffolk

[looking4ralph]

Sorry, a post got by me. I am in Alabama since 1983, but will be visiting mum next month in Suffolk as she is a widow now, and am trying to visit more regularly. She is 73 and I am hoping to solve the puzzle for her. It was quite a shock that we found Ethel's death was local; we had imagined it being in a far off county. I will definitely go to the records office to check out the electoral rolls. I wont be back until Dec 6 so I'll let you know what I find then! By the way you guys are awesome!!!

[carol8353]

How do you "find" someone after 1911, as that is the latest census??? Also remember that Reginald was born in 1916, and Ethel 1918.

Well you would at least expect to find a death after 1911,or someone emigrating or remarrying,or a probate index.

[looking4ralph]

I'm not sure what constitutes informant but Lilian (Moore) maiden name and Ralph Godfrey are stated as the parents. Can any one tell me why I can't find a marriage cert. for them.

[MargP]

Hi

On the birth certificate, there should be a column headed, Informant, and the information should be under this 

Margp

[looking4ralph]

One other thing I was thinking is that there was a trend to name the first born son after his father so I wondered if "Reginald" could have been Ralph's official name?

[looking4ralph]

Okay, informant is L. Godfrey mother. But I do not have Ethel's birth certificate, probably a good idea though.

[MargP]

Hi

I have done a check to see who was living at 27 Walter St West Bromwich in 1911 but it was a different family

Margp

[MargP]

Hi

There are only 3 death records for a Ralph Godfrey in the time frame between 1919-1937

Ralph R Godfrey b 1863 d 1936 Witney Oxfordshire I think that this one may be too old
Ralph Godfrey b 1885 d 1925 Cardiff Glamorgan
Ralph Godfrey b 1889 d 1919 Prestwich Lancs

Ralph was a Sales Engineer on the marriage, and may have travelled around the country, and could have died anywhere, have you considered that, they may not have died in a car accident, why were the children in Bury St Edmonds, were they evacuated there during the war, could one of these deaths be Ralph  and Lilian remarried and never went back for here children.

Just my thoughts on this
Margp

[carol8353]

Can any one tell me why I can't find a marriage cert. for them.

One ,they may not have actually married (my great grandparents finally did it 21 years after the first of their 10 children were born)

One of them may have been married before,so was not free to do so again.

They could have married outside of England and Wales(Scotland,Ireland,or further afield if he was in the army).

The names they called themselves were perhaps not their full names.So they are registered under slightly different ones.

Could be any number of reasons why we may never find a marriage for them.