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Thought I would share this example of why it is always worth double checking everything when searching for our ancestors, and taking nothing for granted.

I have been searching for the death of my Gx4 GF. All I had been able to ascertain from other sources was that he must have died sometime between 1821 and 1855 and had almost certainly been living in Stepney when he died. Knowing his baptism date, I was able to estimate his age at any possible year of death to within a few years either side, and by searching for burials and GRO deaths had identified and eliminated several possible candidates after further research. That left me with three GRO death records. Two were fairly easily eliminated with further checks, but I ordered a copy of the death certificate for the third from the GRO.

When it arrived, I found that the man had died in an industrial accident. Neither his address or next of kin were mentioned. Newspaper reports of the death did not reveal anything else of help, but he was bang on the age I was looking for.

But with nothing else to go on, I had one further possible match left, who I had put at the bottom of the pile because his age at death according to the GRO index was 79; about nine years too old, and the ages of the previous three had all been much closer. But I decided to order a copy of his certificate from GRO also. When it arrived, it was obvious from the address and name of his widow that I now had the right man, but the age was wrong. Looking at the image of the GRO register transcript, it seemed that there was possibly a spurious line running past the second digit of his age, and it was difficult to tell if it really was a nine or a zero.

So I obtained a copy of the original entry from Tower Hamlets Registry Office, on which his age can clearly be seen as 70. There are other marks on the transcribed GRO copy as well, which are absent from the original, including a large cross over his cause of death.

If I had just relied on the GRO index, or even the transcribed image, I might never have found this and would probably have discounted the right person.

Any idea of the word between "Thomas" and "son of Thomas..." in the attached extract please?

My initial guess is "Thomas Junior Son of Thomas..."

The "J" looks like the J in John, four lines below, although without the flourish of other Js on the page, and there appears to be an "i" in the word judging by the dot to the right of the stroke from the "f" descending from the line above.

Edit: or maybe "Twin", but the first letter is unlike any other "T"s on the page, and there's no trace of the other child?

Hello, I'm hoping someone might be able to help with information about my indirect ancestor.

Frederick STOKES, b. 9 August 1892 in Barking, Essex, enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 13 January 1913 at Doncaster, with service number 71493. He was posted to the 130th Battery of the Royal Field Artillery, within the 30th (Howitzer) Brigade, on 7 April 1913. On 18 August 1914 following the outbreak of war, the Brigade embarked for France from Southampton with the British Expeditionary Force. According to the Brigade War Diary, his Battery was attached to the 9th Infantry Brigade on 6 October 1914, near Zelobes.

On 18 October 1914, Frederick's personal record shows that he was hospitalised with a rifle wound in his ankle, noted as having been self inflicted. He was transferred to Southampton aboard the Hospital Ship St David, and taken by Hospital train to the Military Hospital at Colchester. On 4 January 1915, having presumably recovered from his injury, Frederick was assigned to home duties, until on 8 May 1915 he was posted to the 51st Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, which was under orders to depart for France from Borden on that date. Almost a year later, the Regimental Records Office at Woolwich noted that they had not received any records for Frederick since May 1915. By 15 November 1916, following numerous enquiries to try and locate him, it was determined that Frederick had deserted at Borden on 8 May 1915, having never boarded the ship. All of the above is in his military record under WO363 at TNA.

He married at Spalding in Lincolnshire in 1917, and lived under his correct name, giving his correct date of birth in the 1939 register, until his death in 1981.

I have been unable to find out if he was subsequently located, tried, punished, or any other outcome re his desertion, but his Medal Card is marked "1914 Star ret'd (deserter) C.R.V. [?] 18.5.21 4627/Adt."

I have found reference on Ancestry to a record of court martial of an F. Stokes (full forename not stated) at Grantham on 12 August 1918, in series WO86/83 at TNA. The record is not online at TNA, but is apparently available via Fold3. I don't have a Fold3 subscription and have previously used a free trial, so that option isn't open to me.

I just wondered if it's possible to find out whether that record relates to my ancestor, in which case I would be happy to pay for a month's subscription to obtain full details, or not. Alternatively, any suggestions for other research avenues that might resolve the matter of his desertion and subsequent outcome?

This is from a scan of a very poor image on a death certificate I have received. I have adjusted the brightness and contrast to make the handwriting as legible as possible, and the attached image is the best I can come up with. I am struggling with the cause of death and first line in the informant box, alongside the X.

So far, I have ? ? 15 Months ? ? certified

X Has ? ? ? (2)

               Joyce
Margaret            Stokes
                  ^
present at death
35 North Street
Limehouse

All help gratefully received!