Tracing a name

[Tea Time]

Jimmy: Mum took her Mums surname, which was Bailey.

Yes, I agree, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, thats true. However, looking at the population for the area, a list created from the 1911 census will have roughly 5000 male names. This number can be reduced still further due to events such as WW1, the spanish flu epidemic, mining and other work related deaths. Still further by marriages prior to 1920. Therefore, it should be possible to eventually get down to a completely manageable list.

Of course, with no names on the birth certificate, I'll never be able to prove things, thats something else that I will agree with. It may sound odd, but I'm not really interested in proving anything. Just simply finding out the likliest name from my past, and leaving it at that. If that name then happens to turn up on someone elses family tree, which it may, so be it. I have already decided that I will not be making contact with any of his descendents, though they would be welcome to make contact with me if they should wish.

[Jimmy]

Have you got your moms marriage cert.

[Tea Time]

I need to check to make certain, but yes, I think that I do.

Any particular reason for asking?

[Jimmy]

Just in case it mentions a father's name on it.

[Tea Time]

I have it in front of me now, and there is no name on it. Thanks for the help.

[Antie Em]

Jimmy: Mum took her Mums surname, which was Bailey.

Yes, I agree, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, thats true. However, looking at the population for the area, a list created from the 1911 census will have roughly 5000 male names. This number can be reduced still further due to events such as WW1, the spanish flu epidemic, mining and other work related deaths. Still further by marriages prior to 1920. Therefore, it should be possible to eventually get down to a completely manageable list.

Of course, with no names on the birth certificate, I'll never be able to prove things, thats something else that I will agree with. It may sound odd, but I'm not really interested in proving anything. Just simply finding out the likliest name from my past, and leaving it at that. If that name then happens to turn up on someone elses family tree, which it may, so be it. I have already decided that I will not be making contact with any of his descendents, though they would be welcome to make contact with me if they should wish.

Even with the list from the 1911 census, you don't know if this man lived in the area or was passing through. At this time there was a massive immigration to areas where men were looking for work, so he might not even have been born or living in the area and of course there were men returning from the Boar war.

I always thought my dad's family was 100% welsh until I started tracing my family history and discovered that his father's family was actually from Clent in Worcestershire and had travelled to Wales in the early 1900's.

Good luck anyway with your search

Maggie

[Tea Time]

To misquote slightly....

"I choose to do this, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of my energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we I am willing to accept, one I am unwilling to postpone, and one which I intend to win.”

[linell]

I have it in front of me now, and there is no name on it. Thanks for the help.

That usually means they were illegitimate, is that what you thought

Linell.

[Tea Time]

Its what I have always known, ever since I was a child.

Of all of my grandparents, this is the only one that I dont know anything about.

[Antie Em]

Moving this to General Discussion

[MarkOnslow]

Some great tips here - thanks for all your wisdom.

[Tea Time]

I'm not getting my hopes up too much, but over the last 24 hours, I've managed to find out the village that the one I am looking for lived in, as well as the church he attended. Which with any luck, will cut down the number of names on the list considerably, and make things a lot easier.

[Tea Time]

A couple of days ago, I came up with a name. He was born in the correct area, died in the correct area, and then to cap it all, my real name - which is spelled in an unusual way - turned up on another family tree which was connected to him....after further research, it turned out to be wrong. Drat! The search continues....

[grangers14]

Is this completed?
Jo

[Tea Time]

Not yet, but slow progress is being made.

Its going to make an interesting story...