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I have been trying for some time to help my aunt find the family history of her stepfather, William Frederick Cooke, who raised her.  I think I have found him on census but need dates confirmed by getting a copy of his death certificate.

My Mum recently found a newspaper cutting which if dated correctly would give his date of death as 1st August 1956  - it has a handwritten date on it of 2/8/56 and the article says 'died suddenly yesterday morning'.  He died while on holiday while shopping in Pollett Street.

I can't work out how to attach the newspaper cutting as when I click on 'attach an image' it just shows tick boxes for notifying me of replies, return to topic and using smilies 

Any help would be much appreciated.  Do I need a reference to get a copy of the certificate?  If so can anyone help by looking up the death as I only have access to UK records?  My aunt hasn't been well recently and this would make her year.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help
Lemmey

Hi.  Hoping someone will have some hints because my usual methods aren't working.

I'm trying to trace Elizabeth my gg grandma.

She is on the 1881 census in Carshalton, Surrey, named as Elizabeth Gardner, the wife of Noah Gardner (the Gardners are Romany).  DOB given as 1856. 

My g grandma Lemmey Gardner was born 1888.  Her father is named as Noah Gardner on her marriage certificate.  There are 5 children born to Noah (and presumably Elizabeth) before Lemmey.

By the 1891 census Noah is with his wife, Clara Gardner, in Carshalton although I can find no trace of their marriage.  There are 3 children after this period of time whose father is Noah.

I can't find any trace of Elizabeth after 1881 or Elizabeth's death.  Or rather I can find lots of death registrations for Elizabeth Gardner but none in the right area.

Just to confuse things in 1901 Noah is in Warlingham, Surrey, fruit picking with the 3 younger children and Jane, one of the older children who is 16 and I can't trace Clara's death either (I wondered if Elizabeth and Clara were one and the same or different people). 

I sent for Noah and Elizabeth's marriage certificate.  It confirmed her maiden name was Strudwick but gave her father as Henry Dallaway.

I've seen the name Dallaway before as a George Dallaway was a witness at Lemmey's marriage.  So they are obviously likely to be related to the family, whether by blood or marriage or friendship, from Elizabeth's time with the relationship continuing to her daughter's.

So in attempting to find more out about Elizabeth e.g. her parents, where she was before and after 1881 etc. what can I do next?

I've tried searching for a Henry Dallaway with a daughter (or step daughter) Elizabeth but although I've found lots of Henrys and Georges none with a child Elizabeth.  There is a Henry Dellaway in 1881 living next door to Noah and Elizabeth but he is the same age as them so can't be the potential father/step father.  I also tried the same search for Dellaways with an Elizabeth in earlier years but no luck there either.

I've tried searching for Elizabeth Strudwick's birth certificate but there are 2 main possibles - one in Croydon within 2 years and one in Sussex which near enough to be possible and the Dallaways seem to be in Sussex.  Oh and a few other potentials. 

I just seem to be stuck in putting all this together and thinking of anything else I can try.   

Any help or suggestions very gratefully received and thank you for reading through this long post 

Hoping someone can help. I've looked in Ancestry help but their answer makes no sense.  It says right click on a name to get 'add spouse' category but the Ancestry I see doesn't work like that at all 

If I get the person in view I add his first spouse by clicking 'add spouse' button.  Then I can add children (as many as I like) with the 'add child' button.  However once I've used the add spouse button it is no longer available so I can't add more than one spouse.

Am I losing the plot or is that the way it is? 

Oh and would I be better of putting my family tree which is rapidly growing to ridiculous proportions onto software instead?  If so I want one that I could move easily onto Ancestry to share and also I would like to do a website on here one day when I manage to sort all my data out so it would need to be compatable with that.  Can anyone recommend one (or more) family tree software if its advisable to use it.  I must admit though I had rather hoped to get away without paying for it - some of it seems very expensive! 

I've been looking for a date of death the hard way - trawling through registrations on Ancenstry 

I've found only one possible.  Right area.  Right first name and surname.  No middle name given on registration.  Wrong date of birth - right year but wrong day and month (right quarter).

I went back to birth registration and checked name for other possibles born in that year and there is another person born in the same quarter, same year, but in a different area.  For births both first names are given for both this person and my relative.  My relative is the only one born in the area the death is registered in the given year (and he was assumed to be still in the area).

I have birth certificate so know date of birth I have is correct.

The year of death I've found is 1980 so is it possible for a mistake to be made in year of birth given on the register that late on?  (I would have expected it had it been an earlier descendant).

No names given due to dod being 1980 and I'm not sure of the rules but am sure I read something about not giving details when its under 100 years ago or something.

Is there any way I can check?  Do death certificates give full name?  Although if its a definate no to a mistake in dob being likely on the register I don't want to waste my money on sending for a certificate.

All advice much appreciated. 
Thanks 

I wasn't even sure whether to post this on the Welsh or English board   

I have the following all found on the English census -

Thomas Francis born 1868 Oswestry Shropshire - English I assume although I am a little confused now by seeing Oswestry listed on the Welsh board on here (I was born there)

Thomas Francis born 1844  Clun, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire - anyone know why it is listed like that?  I thought Montgomeryshire was a county in Wales 

Margaret Francis born 1866 Montgomery, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire - question as above

Mary Winifred Francis born 1862 Oswestry, Denighshire, Shropshire  - I thought Oswestry was in Shropshire not Denighshire 

I had always been told some relatives on that side of the family were Welsh but according to Free BDM and indeed the census reports they are all English.  Plus if as I think likely some children were born one side of the border (if Montgomeryshire is Wales  ) and some the other does that make some English and some Welsh in the same family?