Genealogy Chat

You're right Zena - just checking if I have the right week for 1/2 term! Jillian needs to confirm this is OK for her.
I'll try to be off both those days so, as you say, we can check back a bit nearer the time.
Looking forward to it.
Jan

will have to let you know nearer to the time if thats ok best wishes
zena :-D

Do I? Blimey, not sure I can live up to that!
School hols are fine for me. I only work 15 hours a week as I am semi-retired and my son is nearly 18! So pretty flexible.
The old library is still fully functional Weds-Fri it's just that they need some days without the public around for sorting, clearing etc.
Opening times are 10-6 on all the days we would be going - shorter than before for the same reason.
Next school hols are a little way off but I guess that doesn't matter does it! If my calculations are correct we are looking at Weds 6th or Fri 8th June.
How does that sound?
Jan

ok
jan has also helped me before she has a wide knowledge of brum as well
zena x

I can do school holidays Zena. If Jan can't then we can have different meet-ups.

xJ

you have been very kind
i have loads to work on now
most of my lot come from the same area so i have googled the area and have printed off pictures of some of the houses left standing that they lived in
as you say its a pity that the planners had to tear down the old places i checked on one place and its now a multi storey car park
i work in a school as cook so only have school hols to do days out but will keep you in mind for a visit to the libary(is it open now after the rebuild)
will be back in touch if i get stuck
zena <3

Not up to date with anything about the library. I couldn't even tell you the progress or not over the new library. I can fit in with your shifts but Thursdays are out as Al plays for Stratford Town Girls and we head down there for training on Thursday evenings. Does the library do a late opening at all on Fridays? You can tell it's been years.x

Suits me fine. Thanks! I work shifts - but very few! - so should have no problem.
Are you aware archives are closed Mon & Tues at the moment, in preparation for new library next year?
Jan

Let's go anyway Jan. Strange how age hits you. Twenty years ago I was more self-conscious but still able to go be alone in the library once I knew what I was doing. Now I couldn't give a stuff what people think of me anymore but my courage at going places alone has gone.

Could we set up a date in May?

Are you up for this Zena?

xJ

If you plan a trip I'm in!
Always did like to gatecrash a party ...
Jan

Back.

71 Marrow Street is still there. It's actually not that far from George Street West.

Have you heard of the Birmingham History Forum. It's quite interesting and you could post and ask questions.

I'm in Shirley, not that far from you in terms of a few minutes off the M42/A34/A3400 junction.

It's been years since I was in Birmingham Library looking at old records and the IGI on microfiche. If you ever feel like a day there and would be happier with some company, I'd love to go and see what I can find now.

When I used to spend my Thursday evenings after work up there (early 90's) I used to go through the films for the churches looking for the sunames on my list. It's a bigger list now. I presume that they still have the films available. We could go through the deaths for St.Martins and All Saints.

Anything else that you can pick my brains over, please feel free. xJ

Got this Zena. I have looked at Google Maps and George Street West still exists. Most of it is 'modern' with the exception of a row of much older houses that were probably considered too nice to destroy. I have a copy of Wakelin's Street Guide 1942 which tells me that it actually ran from between 101 Spring Hill and Pitsford Street. If you look at the map it cuts off now and doesn't run all the way. You might try contacting Birmingham Central Library and asking if they can see from any of their historical maps if they can place the house exactly.

Birmingham was famous for it's back-to-back houses.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs/
http://www.birminghamheritage.org.uk/back%20to%20backs.html

Amazon has a book in its list about back to backs in Birmingham. I don't have it I'm afraid but you can look inside and see quite a bit. Lots of mine and hubby's lot lived in that sort of dwelling and we have the addresses on certificates.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Back-Back-Chris-Upton/dp/1860773214

For GSW the parish district says All Saints.
Found this
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=ihc8h82cso4s7v822nu10chc22&topic=353329.0

If you decide to Google All Saints in Birmingham yourself two possibles will come up. Go for those which say Ladywood or Hockley and not Kings Heath.

http://www.oldladywood.co.uk/ Didn't find anything that looked useful on a quick scan but it's the area.

Sherlock Street is also still there but nothing of the old houses remain but Sherlock is right by Hurst Street where the Heritage back to backs are. Census says Parish of St.Martin. It is still there but now very sadly (to me) dwarfed by the Rackhams building. It has been cleaned up though and is no longer the very black building that I knew.

Need to go and do something. Posting so if power cut or computer crashes whilst I'm away, all this won't be lost. Back in a while.xx

sorry jillian work called
1905 ruth smith born to samuel smith and alice may smith formally townsend back 87 george street west all saints birmingham

1911 census 93 sherlock street st martin birmingham

national roll of the great war 71 marroway street ladywood
they both lived there till they died in 1960 and 62
i do know birmingham a little as i only live in tamworth and was raised on the great barr/ kingstanding border but another brain would be great
zena :-D

Hi Zena

If you want to pm me their addresses, if it's somewhere I am familiar with, I can try and tell you about the area.xJ

Don't be too strict on the 9 month gap.
A premature 7months pregnancy baby might have been born alive.

If you know the parish where your folk were living, it is possible that the lost child was baptised and records could be found, then subsequent burial.

Gwyn

One way of trying to eliminate some would be to make a note of the registration district where your gt grandparents were living in both the 1901 and 1911 census and search for infant deaths in those districts first. As you've said, you can use the dates of your gt grandparents marriage, and your nans birth to rule some others out.

Chris

thanks wise child i will try
zena <3

Zena.
John is really helpful.
Obviously he can´t give you the info you are asking for, but he will certainly tell you where you can look.
He solved a problem for me which had been bugging me for 10 years or more.

hi wise child and mgny
sorry i missed your posting i had started to trawl through the endless lists when i printed then out i realised it was worse than i thought. i had thought of your ideas althought i didnt act on them as it was to late but i will give it a go
thanks both
zena :-D

If you google B'ham rego office, you'll see the local office will accept the GRO ref. My guess is they have a cheat sheet to find which of their regos to look in, so for each quarter, the sheet says All Saints 101-111, Birmingham 112-133, Edgbaston 134-144, etc thru all their subdistricts. They would have a seperate set of pages for Bs and Ds. (Ms are a bit difft, as there there aren't subdistrict regos, but church regos so there'ld be a page range for each church). Now you know the Apr 1911 subdistrict, and the Feb 1905 subdistrict. Hopefully, they're the same, and the same for the B & D of the missing kid.

I'm just guessing they've got cheat-sheets - phone them up and ask if that's the case, and whether they'll send you copies. (Actually, it would be nice if they'ld post them on their site.) Let me know if I've guessed right, please.

Actually, I would think an Apr marr to beat a May birth was the more likely hypothesis.

Brum is the only English office I know of that images the original rego, so you'll get to see the informants' signatures, which is nice.

On a FreeBMD hit, click on the "Brum" link, then more info "here", and you'll see a list of the Brum RD subdistricts - not all in operation at all times. Modern Brum RD includes subdistricts that were not in Brum RD in 1905 (e.g., Aston I think).