Birth Record for Eliza SMITH (nee DAVIES) born Bromyard, Herefordshire, 1838-39

[Pelouse]

Help please. I have hit a brick wall trying to locate a birth record for Eliza SMITH (nee DAVIES) born Bromyard, Herefordshire, c. 1838-39.

Working backwards, Eliza Davies 22 m William Smith 22 at Stoke Prior on 6 Feb 1861. Her marriage certificate listed her father as John Brown.  Annie Brown was a witness. At the time, Eliza was living in Kimbolton. Eliza and William’s first child George Smith was born at Kimbolton 1862, and the following 6 were christened at Hope Under Dinmore (1864-1875). When their second child Charles Joseph Smith was born on 23 Sept 1864, they were at Yewtree Cottage, Wharton while the 1871 Census has them at Limekiln Cottage, Marl Brook. Eliza’s birthplace in the 1871 census was given as Bromyard (c. 1838-39).

I have found an IGI record for an Eliza Davies, mother Ann Davies, christened Bromyard, 27 May 1838, but no birth record.

On 1 Aug 1842 at Bromyard, Ann Davies of Norton m John Browne of Kimbolton.  A John & Ann Brown lived at Kimbolton where at least 6 children were baptised 1842 – 1856. The 1871 Census gives that Ann Brown’s birthplace as Edvin, near Norton.

So, the trail seems to suggest that Eliza Davies was born before her mother Ann Davies married John Browne and she grew up in Kimbolton as part of John Brown’s family.

However, when I put in a birth certificate request to GRO for ‘Eliza Davies, mother Ann Davies, born 01/01/1838, Bromyard Herefordshire’, GRO advised that they had “searched the England & Wales indexes during the years specified (Sep 1837 - Jun 1840) and were unable to find any entry with the details provided.”

I also asked for ‘Eliza Davies, father John Brown, mother ?Ann Davies, born 01/01/1838, Bromyard Herefordshire’, again without success.

Searches of FreeBMD for name variants on Eliza Davies were also unsuccessful.

Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated. I do not live in the UK, so am a bit restricted in options.

[andycand]

Hi

Welcome to Rootschat. There is the following possible birth Eliza DAVIS,  Ledbury Reg District, March Qtr 1838 Vol 26 Page 172. The GRO index has the District as Sedbury but that could be a typo.

Bromyard and Ledbury are very close.

My understanding is that the GRO simply check the information you supply but don't search for other possibilities

Andy

[Pelouse]

Thanks Andy. A possibility, although in the opposite direction to Edvin and Norton, the two villages that Ann Davies was linked with.

Your caution that the GRO only checks the data supplied is interesting. I had assumed by their advice that they had checked “the England & Wales indexes” that they looked more widely for a match when the exact date, volume and page details were not known.

If they only check the district supplied, presumably the best option is to cast the net a bit wider in terms of the location provided in the request? e.g. Herefordshire rather than a specific district?

[andycand]

Hi

From comments over the years on various forums it seems that the GRO only issue certificates based on information you supply so if they don't find a match they don't widen the search. Often the relevant Local Register Office is more helpful. Their in-house index may have a bit more information than the public indexes on various websites but they are not a research service. The difficulty is that you are trying to guess what details are on the Registration and unfortunately people didn't always provide exactly the same details on each record. Also, in this case the spelling of the surname is different.

Andy

[Pelouse]

Yes, this one's a challenge all right.

Cheers

Pelouse

[mazi]

Registration was not compulsory at that time,the onus was on the registrar to find the births, so the birth may not have been registered.

Mike.

[Pelouse]

A distinct possibility if she was out in a smaller village as the trail suggests. In contrast, the record trail for her husband William's Smith's forebears in Hope Under Dinmore has been excellent.

Pelouse

[mazi]

I wonder if the Edvin near Norton was Edvin Loach, it may not have had a functioning church in the period you are looking at, it's old church was falling into ruin and the new one not built till 1860ish.

Bromyard would be the nearest place for a christening.

Mike

[Pelouse]

Thanks for that background, Mike. The fact that Ann Davies' and John Browne's marriage in 1842 was in the parish church in Bromyard would also be consisent with that.

Pelouse