Death certificates - very frustrating

[Jillie42]

I've been searching for my gt grandfather Cornelius Harrington and his parents Ellen and Cornelius for ages now. Had a breakthrough with the younger Cornelius - got his death certificate and although his age is 9 years too young (bizarre), I know he is the right bloke because the informant was my great aunt.

However, there were two possible candidates for the older Cornelius - turns out that both died in workhouses and the informant was the matron or superintendant. One was the correct age and the other 3 years too young. I still don't know which, if either was my ancestor. The age on the certificates seems to be pretty irrelevant since the informant didn't necessarily know:( If the informant was in no way related there is no way of knowing if I've got the right person.

I'd see if there were possible newspapers/obituaries for the time and area but since they both died in the workshouse I doubt they'd warent an obituary.

Any ideas where I go from here anyone?

[Arranroots]

Hi Jilly

I suppose it depends on how easily you can access the records concerned.

You don't mention dates or places, so I am going to assume that you have only looked at possibilities that make sense as regards location and date.

Would it be possible to look at the Board of Guardians Minute books for the workhouse(s) concerned?  There may well be lists of admissions or payments, perhaps for burial expenses and these can be quite helpful.  You might hope it would say "for burial of Cornelius HARRINGTON carpenter" (or whatever).

Presumably you have found all relevant censuses?

Was Cornelius in business?  His name might appear in directories and then stop appearing.

Although it might appear that a person had little wealth if they died in the workhouse, remember that for many people it was the only form of health care.  It is still possible that a headstone could have been afforded by a family member, so it would be worth checking any records of Memorial Inscriptions for nearby churches.

I am sure others will have ideas, but hopefully these will help a little.

kind regards, Arranroots 

[Dave Francis]

Just a thought - BVRI has 27 baptism records for a Cornelius Harrington covering the period 1867-1873.  Every single one is Irish!

Dave

[Rena]

You haven't given any idea of how far back with the census you've managed to get to.  I believe Harrington is a Yorkshire/Lancashire name and freecen is catching up with the 1841 onward census.   Cornelius isn't a common name and it surely can't be coincidence that both Harrington's have got the same given name?  I'm inclined to think both men will lead you back to an original Cornelius Harrington who sired their forefathers or both their fathers were younger brothers/cousins who both named a son after their father/older brother.   Do any archives still have the records of the workhouse(s)? Maybe any surviving records would give names of next of kin and/or particulars such as a trade which you know was in the family.   if I'm confronted with a list of same names I can pickout which line(s) I'm following as soon as I see the trade.
Good luck,
Rena

[Arranroots]

We should have checked!

See also

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,146126.0.html

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,132327.0.html

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,135257.0.html

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,133504.0.html

Jilly, it is always useful to cross-reference your earlier threads, please. 

A 

[Rena]

Have just found the surname means "from Harrington" Lincolnshire Nth.

Rena

[Meliora]

Just a word on ages of death recorded on certificates where the deceased died in a workhouse or workhouse infirmary.

I had the death certificate for a grgrgrandfather who died in the Hackney Union Workhouse Infirmary,1868, but the age of death was shown as 56.  I had all his details, birth, census etc which said it should have been 75.  When I first had the cert. I disregarded it  because of the age, bought several more certs as it was a fairly common name but nothing fitted.   

I finally managed a visit to the LMA & looked at the Workhouse Infirmary records.   What did I find ?  The Superintendent had registered 2 deaths , GGGrpa's & a woman's.  The woman's age was 56 & my GGgrpa's was 75 !!  He had transposed the ages.

Problem solved.

Meliora

[Jillie42]

Sorry peeps, didn't want to bore anyone with the continuing saga of my Harringtons I've managed to locate almost all my other Victorian direct ancestors but this gt gt grandfather and mother seem determined to stay a mystery.

Elder Cornelius and his wife were apparently born in 1813 and 1815 respectively in Ireland. They only appear on the 1871 census living in St Johns Westminster, after which they simply seem to dissappear. I've looked at the 1881 and 1891 census but a Cornelius born in Ireland 1813/14/15 living in the London area simply doesn't exist.

I think there is one in Wales but I'm certain this is not mine. I know that Cornelius senior was a labourer on the 1871 census and also on his son''s marriage certificates (Cornelius junior married twice) in 1875 and in 1884. Both Cornelius junior's marriages were in the Catholic chapel, Horseferry Road and were registered under St George Hanover Square. The younger Cornelius doesn't seem to appear on the 1881 census either.

As to where the elder Cornelius might have died? Again, it's difficult to know. He may have stayed in the Westminster area but his son, Cornelius junior moved from Westminster to West Ham to Canning Town and finally died in Bermondsey. Cornelius jnr was a docker on the 1891 census in West Ham. One of the death certificates I have for an elder Cornelius is in 1897 in workhouse, Leytonstone, West Ham. l I thought it might be possible that father and son were living in roughly the same proximity. The other certificate has a Cornelius dieing in 1882 in St Saviours workshouse, Southwark - again I thought there might be a connection between the father being in Southwark in 1882 and the son finally living in Bermondsey in 1923. Admittedly, this is deffinitely clutching at straws.

I currently have a professional geneologist (yep - I finally admitted defeat ) trying to locate Irish Cornelius' birth place. I was hoping that a deffinite identity on the death certificate would give me an accurate date of birth to pass on. But no

[janan]

Hi Jillie
In 1881 there is a Cornelius Harrington age 72 Widower a Bricklayer born Ireland Cork in Southwark workhouse.
Cheers Jan