Do you have a copy of Joy's birth registration?
No, I don't.
I am looking to verify and expand information given to me. I have some family stories and other information from a relative on Joy's grandfather's side, who is not related to me, and I think it was from there that I got the snippet about Kirwee, the road to Springfield and 'Uncle John Black'. So far, it has all proved correct. This is where I am at the moment:
I have her father's YoB and district of birth from the English birth index, and his DoB from that and from his NZ death index, and I have his burial record.
I have her mother's YoB and district of birth from the English BMD indexes, and her DoB from her NZ death index, and I have her burial record.
I have the birth indexes of Joy and her brother and sister, and their dates of birth from their NZ death indexes. I have her siblings' burials, but not Joy's so far but only because I haven't got round to looking it up.
All burials found so far are in Christchurch.
I know what the Black connection is; Joy's father's mother was Adalina Mary Black, who died in Christchurch in 1915, and I have reams and reams of information about almost every member of that extended family. One exception is Adalina's nephew John Black, born 1889 in Sunderland, listed in the 1901 census in Sunderland, and then disappeared. Though there are two hints that he may not, after all, have left England. One is a John Black in a register of electors in England in 1945, and the other is that probate of his sister Eleanor's estate in 1955 was granted to John Black, night watchman. If these are indeed him, then he obviously isn't 'Uncle John Black' in New Zealand. Which, since the John Black (1865-1942) you have all found for me is not known to have farmed near Kirwee, and is known to have been living in Waimate in 1914 when Joy was born, still leaves unanswered the original question of who 'Uncle John Black' was.
I have to admit that, having been spoiled by instant access to Scottish BMD certificates for less than the price of a cup of coffee, I find the cost of English, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand etc certificates very offputting. If Joy's bc were to confirm an actual address where she was born, rather than just saying 'Springfield Road, Kirwee', will that actually help to find 'Uncle John Black' in practice?
