Recent death search

[BumbleB]

My apologies - so everything has to be "gospel", no margin of error on anyone's part.    If only!

"Maybe I should guess at the name and year of birth of a deceased ancestor if I can't confidently find them. Does it matter, Rosie?"

Now that is being ridiculous!  BUT you do have to take into consideration that our ancestors did NOT always tell the "truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".  A "pinch of salt" sometimes takes us a lot further, and in most cases can be verified from other sources.

[Paulo Leeds]

My apologies - so everything has to be "gospel", no margin of error on anyone's part.    If only!

"Maybe I should guess at the name and year of birth of a deceased ancestor if I can't confidently find them. Does it matter, Rosie?"

Now that is being ridiculous!  BUT you do have to take into consideration that our ancestors did NOT always tell the "truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".  A "pinch of salt" sometimes takes us a lot further, and in most cases can be verified from other sources.

I'm not saying or expecting, nor do I believe in 100% or perfection or 'gospel truth'

I was simply refuting the phrase - 'does it matter'. In other words, yes it does matter, but it is the nature of the beast

[BumbleB]

Ok let me see if I now understand correctly:

Person dies before 1969

Informant goes to registrar's office.

Registrar : "How old were they?" - Informant 'guesses' the answer.

After 1969

Informant goes to registrar's office.

Registrar : "What is their date of birth?" - Informant 'guesses' the answer.

Please correct me here if you know me to be wrong.

So - as we have said before, the information on registration of death in ONLY as good as the knowledge of the informant.  NO-ONE knows whether that person is telling the truth or not - and nothing we can do about it.

[Paulo Leeds]

Ok let me see if I now understand correctly:

Person dies before 1969

Informant goes to registrar's office.

Registrar : "How old were they?" - Informant 'guesses' the answer.

After 1969

Informant goes to registrar's office.

Registrar : "What is their date of birth?" - Informant 'guesses' the answer.

Please correct me here if you know me to be wrong.

So - as we have said before, the information on registration of death in ONLY as good as the knowledge of the informant.  NO-ONE knows whether that person is telling the truth or not - and nothing we can do about it.

The informant could lie on purpose aswell.
What if no one in the family bothers to inform the Registrar at all?

[dawnsh]

My Grandmother was the informant on her father's death cert.

His name is not the same as his birth cert but the name he was known by all through his life.

His age is out by quite a few years, not that she was doing it deliberately. Until quite recently in historical terms, not knowing your date of birth wasn't unusual. In the early to mid 20th century, people didn't know how old their parents or grandparents actually were.

[dawnsh]

What if no one in the family bothers to inform the Registrar at all?

The funeral should not/cannot take place until a death cert has been provided either to the clergyman burying a parishioner or the company managing a cemetery or crematorium and that has been the way for almost 200 years.

Today, the local reg office issues a green form for cremation to be given to the funeral director at the time of registration.

If the coroner will be the informant after inquest, (which may be delayed) he issues an interim certificate so the funeral can go ahead.

[Paulo Leeds]

Okay, is the following correct 

Birth certificate -

if born in a hospital or similar institution : Staff record the date of birth (also open to error)

if born elsewhere or at home : DOB recorded as to what the informant says or guesses it was.
What if a birth isn't taken to be recorded? how do we know the child is even the claimed offspring of what the informant says it is?

Death certificate -

Age at death / DOB is recorded as to what the informant 'guesses' it is.

If dies in a hospital or hospice or similar : Staff record the date of death. How do they get the DOB?

If dies elsewhere : the date of death is recorded based on the informants 'guess' or knowledge.

Is all this correct? So much room for inaccuracy 

[BumbleB]

Yes, the informant could lie.  Don't know anything about non-information to the Registrar - by family or anyone else.  NEVER assume that deaths are registered ONLY by a family member - if they die in hospital or somewhere, then somebody in authority has that task, and their knowledge would be limited.

[BumbleB]

Okay, is the following correct 

Birth certificate -

if born in a hospital or similar institution : Staff record the date of birth

if born elsewhere or at home : DOB recorded as to what the informant says or guesses it was.
What if a birth isn't taken to be recorded? how do we know the child is even the claimed offspring of what the informant says it is?

Death certificate -

Age of death / DOB is recorded as to what the informant 'guesses' it is.

If dies in a hospital or hospice or similar : Staff record the date of death. How do they get the DOB?

If dies elsewhere : the date of death is recorded based on the informants 'guess' or knowledge.

Is all this correct? So much room for inaccuracy 

Sorry, but nothing in life is SO pedantic.  Can I assume that YOU have never made a mistake in your WHOLE life?  Saying goes "he who never made a mistake, never made anything!"