Birth record -- Robert Gray

[autumnmae]

Looking to find my Great Grandfather's birth record.

Name:  Robert Gray
Birthplace:  Northumberland, England (perhaps Alwick)
Birthdate:  August 17, 1887 ?
Parents:  James Gray and Rachel?

have found numerous references in GRO indexes.  Would have been registered in last quarter of 1887 or first quarter of 1888, I think.

Thanks for assisting.
Kimberly (Gray) MacDonald

[CaroleW]

Hi

If he was born in August 1887 - his birth would have been registered in the September quarter or at the very latest - the December quarter

There is no Robert Gray with that profile on the 1891/1901 census. 

The only one b Alnwick on the 1891 had parents Robert & Sarah and was aged 5

The only other thing I can suggest is to use freebmd and look up marriages for James Gray in Northumberland and then check to see if any had a spouse called Rachel

freebmd.rootsweb.com
Then select SEARCH
Select Marriages from the menu
Don't put anything in the box "Spouse first name" as Rachel can be spelt a number of ways and freebmd will only search on what you input

Make sure you select "all districts" from the districts box on the right but in the County box - scroll down and select Northumberland

What you may have to bear in mind is that they may have married somewhere other than Northumberland and were just living there when Robert was born

[autumnmae]

Hello,
Thanks so much for the info on freebmd!  I did locate a James and Rachel Gray on the 1881 census, but on the 1891 census he isn't there but she is on the 1891 census as "head" which only leads me to think that he may have passed away in the 10 years.  The youngest child in the family is Robert , age 4 at the time of the 1891 census.  This child may be my great grandfather, who served in WW1 with the Canadian forces and died at Vimy.  No one in my family knows anything about this man, my grandfather was 4 years old when he was killed and my great grandmother remarried after his death.

I did locate a James Gray married in 1861 at Edmonton to a Rachel Whitbread on freeBMD.  So where to go from here, I wonder?

[CaroleW]

Hi

Edmonton is a very long way from Northumberland - it spans the boundaries of Essex/Middlesex and Hertfordshire.  There is an 1871 entry for a James & Rachel Grey living in Middlesex - he was born Hertfordshire

The 1871 entry for the family you found in 1881/1891 shows their first born as Mary Ann aged 5 b Northumberland and the family are living in Northumberland in 1871

Have a look at this submitted IGI entry - somebody else is researching this family

JAMES GRAY  Birth:  29 JAN 1873   Bedlington Northumberland,
Death:  15 APR 1919   
 
Father:  JAMES GRAY    Mother:  RACHEL BOTTOMS 

The 1891 has an 18 year old son called James

[CaroleW]

There is an 1865 marriage on freebmd for Rachel Bottoms - March qtr Tynemouth Northumberland Volume 10B Page 255 but no James Gray spouse on the same page

However - if you look up James Gray in the March quarter of 1865 on the full GRO index - it cross references to Rachel's entry.  Strangely - Rachel is also on freebmd minus James

The 1861 only has one Rachel Bottoms in Northumberland - b 1842 Morpeth and working as a servant

[autumnmae]

Hello again

You have been so helpful, thank you so much. 

I have decided to go back to my great grandfather's birthdate and start again.  He was born on August 17, 1887 in Northumberland (that info I rec'd from his attestation papers via Veteran's Affairs office archives).

I am not 100% sure of his parents names or where in Northumberland they lived.  I know he had an older sister, whom we as children called Aunt Bella (Isabel or Isabella?). 

I do have an original baptismal certificate for my grandfather, James Gray born Nov 24, 1910 here in Canada.  The document appears to be British.  It lists the place of baptism as Amble, Northumberland, England as the place of baptism.  The document attests that it is a true copy of an entry in the Register Book for Baptism, solemnized in Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in the Amble Circuit in the County of Northumberland. 

I feel as if I have mistakenly started a "wild goose chase"  by looking to Robert's parents before I confirmed his birth.  Perhaps once I have located his birth cerificate, that will lead me to his parents. 

Once again, thanks so much for all the help.

Kimberly Gray MacDonald
Sydney Mines
Nova Scotia
Canada

[CaroleW]

Hi again

I have replied separately to your pm re: IGI

I do have an original baptismal certificate for my grandfather, James Gray born Nov 24, 1910 here in Canada

.

The document appears to be British.  It lists the place of baptism as Amble, Northumberland, England as the place of baptism. 

It's a bit strange that he was born in Canada but baptised in Northumberland