why can't I find a birth certificate ?

[harewood]

hi,

I know for certain my great grandfather Isaac Reades/Rhead/,Read was born in the Leek /Horton area of Staffordshire on 18th January 1840.
i  can find baptism records of all his brothers and sisters but not him
Neither does the GRO have a birth certificate.
All subsequent records ( censuses, wedding certificate point to his being born then and in that location.
he might have been christened a Methodist but I cant find any non conformist records for that are or period?

All suggestions welcome!
regards
Harewood

[PaulineJ]

Start with his siblings, who, when, where and the mother's maiden name.
When and where did the parents wed?
Pauline

[Milliepede]

How do you know his birth date for certain without his birth certificate - where is it from please?

[Rosinish]

This may be him, not named yet?

Births Mar 1840

Reade Male Leek 17 68

Annie

[harewood]

to answer these two questions

1. My grandfather meticulously kept records and they include the date of his father's  birth on  18 January 1840. I have looked at the 1841 census records onwards and each one confirms his year of birth, his parents, his brothers and his sisters. I also know his mother's maiden name. Martha Findler. I have his parents wedding certificate. I have everything but his birth certificate and a copy of his baptism record. There is also ne record in the BMD register which was set up three years before his birth.

[harewood]

hi Rosinish. i found that about a couple of years ago and got a certificate. it has an entry described 'Baby Reade' but with a different set of parents .I know he and I are related because we have a DNA match

[LizzieW]

I have the same problem relating to my 2 x g.grandfather although he was born in 1834 so there won't be a birth certificate. I found the baptisms (I actually visited the archives and saw the actual parish registers) of his older siblings - including 2 older sisters I didn't know about - and also his younger brother, but nothing for my 2 x g.grandfather.  My feeling is that his eldest "sister" was his mother and also the mother of his youngest brother.  Unfortunately, she died soon after the youngest child was born and the youngest one was baptised as though my 3 x g.grandparents were his parents.  However, on the 1851 census, he was living with his surviving "sister" but listed as nephew!!

Perhaps something similar happened with your g.grandfather

[Rosinish]

Have you found him in all census' to determine anything which may seem odd?

What Lizzie describes is a possibility.


Annie

[harewood]

hi Annie,

No I have checked every census and all his siblings up until his death in 1900. everyone gets an extra ten years and no absences or extras until they got married.

The only thing I wondered was as BMD was in its infancy maybe it was sporadic in the wilds of places like rural Staffordshire?