Genealogy Forum UK

Hi, I'm trying to locate a birth certificate for my paternal grandfather, but it appears not to be available. I've tried loads of avenue's but to no avail. Does anyone have any other thoughts?

The person in question is:
Percival (Percy) Sidney Augustus Jonas
Born 3rd May 1897, the 3rd of 11 children to parents - Sidney Frederick Jonas & Grace Topsy Maw.

Known facts:

• after extensive searching, using various permutations of both given name & surname (including Jones), he does not appear to be on the freeBMD, Find my Past or Ancestry BMD indexes, either for the Kingston area or the UK as a whole
• a physical entry does not appear in the birth registers held at Merton, Kingston or Wandsworth Register Offices
• his 10 siblings were all registered correctly within Kingston Registration District, and all appear under their correct given name(s) & surname on the GRO indexes.
• he was born post 1875 so registration would have been a mandatory requirement for his parents
• the family lived in Wimbledon all their married life (Haydens Road & Quicks Road), his father being a local builder
• his 1972 death certificate, his 1932 marriage certificate, his parents family bible and the 1901 & 1911 censuses all confirm his birth year to be 1897. The birth of siblings either side of him also make the chance of 1897 being the wrong year, very unlikely
• Surrey Recruiting Register transcripts show his WW1 attestation date as 30th May 1916, aged 18 years and 1 month. His full service record is included in those that were lost.

I have to say it's a complete mystery to me and the General Register Office were of no help whatsoever.

Thank you for taking the time to read this

There are a few trees on Ancestry with Percy on them, and one that has his baptism as 30th March1911 in Wimbledon, but no sources (judging by the name, it's probably your tree!).

There is this birth, but the date seems way out - a cousin maybe?

Name: Augustus Percival S Mew
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1906
Registration district: Dartford
Inferred County: Kent
Volume: 2a
Page: 625

Yes the Ancestry tree to which you refer is probably mine.

He was baptised as a teenager in 1911, along with his two older sisters.

The other record you mention is interesting as his mother's maiden name was 'Maw', but year and place certainly don't fit.

laurie1712 wrote:Yes the Ancestry tree to which you refer is probably mine.

He was baptised as a teenager in 1911, along with his two older sisters.

The other record you mention is interesting as his mother's maiden name was 'Maw', but year and place certainly don't fit.

Have you tried ordering a certificate from the GRO (or local archives), it's possible to order without GRO references. If they can't find a match they refund the money. If you state the county, and year a well as his parents, they'll search a year either side - so if his birth year is incorrect, it may pick it up. It's always possible the BMD lists are not complete, ot there is a transcription error.

No I haven't - that would certainly be worth a go, thanks

It is possible that a copy of this birth didn't make it to the GRO. You could try the Register Office of where his siblings were registered.

You checked the jonas hasnt been wrote as jones ?

I've found his baptism on Ancestry in 1911, with his sisters. It's transcribed as Jones, with his father as "Stoney Frederich" and mother as Topsy Grace. Strangley Florence's birth date is recorded, but Percy and Emily's aren't.

Frank, his brother was baptised in 1907, the same year as his birth.

I've tried Kingston, Merton & Wandsworth Register Offices, which are the three in the Wimbledon area (Merton is the one that should have been used). I've also tried all sorts of permutations of given name and surname including Jones, which is a very common error.

Also, as suggested earlier I've raised an online GRO order, without reference numbers, so we'll see if that turns up anything.

Interesting that the 1911 baptisms are transcribed incorrectly as the actual registers themselves quite clearly show the surname as Jonas.

Is this still a Brickwall, or have you solved it?
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