Obtaining birth certs - probably a daft question!

[Daffodilica]

This is probably a daft question, but it's something I don't know the answer to - can I request a birth cert if I only know the name, date of birth, and place of birth? I've only ever obtained birth certs via Ancestry, on the 'births' register, but the person I'm searching isn't on the births register - I can only find details of his death. Can I still obtain a birth cert? If so, how?

To give you more info - my husband's grandad was adopted, so we want to see the birth cert. His name was John Alfred Cook, b. 2 Sep 1903 in Stepney, London, d. Sep 1974 in Newham, London. We think he was 'adopted' by a family member, but don't have any details at all, and so have hit a brick wall. Is it possible to apply for a birth cert with only the info I have?

[groom]

What about this one?

Births Sep 1903   

Cook    John       
Bethnal Green    1c   181


It is better to get certificates through the GRO as they are far cheaper than through Ancestry - £9.25
http://www.gro.gov.uk/

[Daffodilica]

Thanks for the link - I'll have a look. Yes - Bethnal Green sounds right, so I'll request it and see what it says.

Thanks again!

[groom]

Forgot to mention, I found that birth on Freebmd  http://www.freebmd.org.uk/

[miw]

Probably easiest to contact the Registrar for the district, any registrar should be able to confirm which district would have the Stepney registers for that date.  If you phone they may be able to find him, the indexes aren't perfect but as he isn't showing on the index he was probably registered under his birth name which will make it difficult.  There are a couple of John Alfreds registered in Stepney in september and december quarters 1903 so with exact dob you might be able to find him (although if his forenames were changed as well as surname that will be a problem.
Otherwise apply online direct to Registration Services - Certificate Ordering Service.
Don't order through a commercial website, you shouldn't need to pay more than £9.25.

[dawnsh]

If you apply to the GRO for a birth cert using the reference details from the birth index, you don't get the opportunity to specify the birth date.

Contacting the register office is a good way to go but you are hampered by the fact that you do not know his parents only his date of birth.

The registers you are looking for should be at Tower Hamlets.

http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/advice_and_benefits/births,_marriages_and_deaths/Copies_of_birth_marriage_and_death_certificates.aspx

You also haven't said whether his name, John Alfred Cook, was his name at birth or the name he was given by the family who 'adopted' him.

If he had another name at birth and you do not know what that was, then you could be buying a lot of incorrect certificates.

There are other sources to look at before buying the certificate: try Baptism records, they are online at Ancestry upto 1906, try the 1911 census, try the 1939 register,try electoral registers and even his marriage certificate to see who he named as his father

[iolaus]

The people on here are fantastic if they can't find it noone will, they managed to find one of mine who I had from the census as Nellie - whereas she'd been born Mary Ellen with a different surname (surname incorrectly transcribed on the marriage index - but they found that and what they suspected was her birth - when I ordered the marriage cert her original surname was on her marriage cert as her middle name

[Daffodilica]

Thanks all - seems like I've got a bit of work to do! I'll get onto it in the next week or so, and let you know how I get on. Think I'll contact the registry office first, just to check it's the right one.

[Daffodilica]

I forgot to add - I have no idea whether his name was his birth name, or given name. Could be interesting trying to figure it out!