Genealogy Chat

can anybody help me..........this is where i am ...........i knew my grandad was called James Allan Wood, and i figured out he married a lady called Florence Eileen Linton in 1949 in Hull,....i bought the marriage certificate hoping this would tell me more, it told me his fathers name was also James Wood and that my grandad was born in 1921 and he was a second steward in the merchant navy, his father was also in the merchant navy as a second mate. My problem is this...................how do i find out more about by Great Grandad James Wood .........all i know is my grandad was born in 1921. But there are lots of 'James Woods' born in 1921, and if i bought every birth certificate it would cost heaps! James Wood (my grandad) died in Beverley and he actually remarried a lady called May ? ...not sure of her maiden name. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

i also think there is a good chance that the G Grandad was probably born in the census'...which means hopefully from there on it should be easier, but its getting to that point.......can anyone help to get that far?

Does it tell you on grandad marriage who your greatgrandmother was? Julie

Hi, im afraid it doesnt, it only gives the fathers name.

Sounds backwards but if your Granddad is nolonger with you, you could look for a death certificate as in Egland and Wales the DoB was included on the index in the 70's and from 1966 in scotland (also give parents names in scotland) Or parents and Aunts/Uncles may know when your Grandad was born and this will help get his birth certificate. When ordering a birthcertificate you can ask for them to check parents names and the DoB to limit the number of possables. The below address will give you the order forms for BMD certs from the GRO in Scotland http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/su3www.pdf

Thank you for your help.....he did die but in England....and the death certificates in England have extremely limited information on them. As for uncles and aunts im afraid thats a tough one also as there is no contact. This is a tough one isnt it!

Just spoted this on indexed on Ancestry Name: James Allan Wood Birth Date: 25 Dec 1920 Death Registration Month/Year: Jun 1985 Age at death (estimated): 64 Registration district: Beverley Inferred County: Yorkshire Volume: 7 Page: 38 Was thinking that since you had James' dad on the marriage cert as James when ordering the birth cert you could ask for James Allan Wood b. 'date', father James Wood, it may narrow down the possable entries significantly.

Thank you for your help, its much appreciated.

ok, ........it turns out he might not be scottish afterall, sorry for all of this..........but surely there cant be that many James Allan Woods born about 1921?????? can anyone help? Thank you.

i dont mind paying the £7 on a birth certificate, but i need to be sure its the right one.

This one is a real toughy i know, but any help would be much appreciated.

Well if that is the correct James Allan Woods that has been found in the death record above, he was born Dec 1920 so could have been registered Q4 1920 or Q1 1921. Have you searched the indexes on Ancestry for that period? There can't be that many and you can request that they check his father's name before sending you the cert. Sam x

Hi Sam thanks for your message, ...yes its the right death record.......how do i order the birth without a GRO ref though? cheers

You need to go onto Ancestry and find the GRO reference. You can order a cert without it, it will cost more though. Do you know where he was born? Sam x

Hi I just looked at the suggested quarters on ancestry and only found this one for a james Woods.... James A.T.Woods MMN George. Lambeth 1921 Q1 1d-765. Nothing on 1920 4th q. I even checked 2nd q...nothing. Gerri.

Hi,..........what does the MMN part mean?..............ahhhh 'mothers maiden name' perhaps?

thank you all for your help, unfortunately i dont know where he was born....this is part of my task too!

I might be stating the obvious but his second forename, Allan, is a Scottish spelling. Scotland is mentioned somewhere else in your thread. Are you certain about that spelling? Denis.

Yes, i have his 1st marriage certificate in front of me...its definately spelt JAMES ALLAN WOOD

Supposing that spelling was taken down correctly then it points to a Scottish influence at least. Apart from the fact that Allan is the common spelling of that forename in Scotland, Allan is also a Scottish surname. It was very common for the mother's maiden name to be used as the second forename. Just tiny possible pointers. Which brings me to ask why did you mention Scotland earlier in the threads? Denis.