Interpreting Information on a Birth Cert

[icrookham]

Hello All

After everybody's great help on the whereabouts of my grandmother's mother (still not clear though) one further request.As I mentioned on another thread,the informant on my grandmothers birth certificate was an Ellen Martin who after some research I discovered is still listed as a midwife on the 1911 census living in the same area as my grandmother's birth address some four years later.

The question is-from people's experience was it normal for the attending midwife to act as the informant particularly given the birth was not registered until some five weeks later(albeit that no father is named on the cetificate) or is it likely that she acted as informant as my grandmother's mother's family had either disowned her or did not live locally? Secondly,back to the original query re the address in Kingsley Rd-I know from the birth certificate that my grandmother's mother was a domestic servant but how likely is it that she would be allowed to give birth in the house where she worked? If as I suspect it is highly unlikely it then begs the question of what she was doing in Kingsley Rd as having seen modern photographs of the property there is no way a domestic servant could have either rented or owned such a property back in 1907.

Ian

[Jan1954]

In one of the villages from where part of my family hail, it was quite common for a particular woman to register the birth. She took on this responsibility but whether it was because many of the villagers could not read/write enough to understand the registration system or whether she just took it upon herself to do, is still a matter of conjecture.

Oh yes - she also registered a lot of the deaths as well.....

[Wilkes_ml]

is it possible the house was a lodging house, and your great grandmother just rented a room?

My great grandfather's adoptive sister was born in my great grandfather's house (even though there wasn't enough room to swing a cat let alone house 3 adults and 4 children) and I believe his mother ( my 2x great grandmother) was the one that registered the birth, instead of the mother. The baptism of the adoptive sister some months later also gave my 2xgreat grandmother's house as the place of residence of the supposed "parents", but that seems highly improbable. So addresses are not always correct - especially in difficult circumstances. I don't think registrars ever required proof of residence at an address.

[Kerrywood]

was it normal for the attending midwife to act as the informant particularly given the birth was not registered until some five weeks later
In rural or village areas, at some distance from a register office, I believe it was common for births to be registered by a visiting registrar (or deputy).

At regular intervals (4-6 weeks?) he would do a circuit of the area covered by his district, and would register all the births that had occurred since his last visit.

It seems to make sense that the local midwife would be involved in informing on at least some of these births. That might also account for the 5-week gap between birth and registration. So probably there is nothing sinister here.

[icrookham]

Thanks for the replies so far
wilkes-ml-it could have been a lodging house but I can find no evidence to support this as it looks like the house was built after 1901 and by 1911 a family was living in it.I would be surprised also as looking at the house today it looks a very pleasant property and in the early 1900's would have been quite a desirable terrace house-out of the price range for rental of even a room for a domestic in those days I would have thought.

Ian

[Mutley]

I was going to suggest that you try directories for the address but I see you have already been down that road on this thread. (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?57789-Tracing-Via-An-Address&p=384892&highlight=#post384892)

[v.wells]

Perhaps she was a live in domestic or perhaps she was visiting someone at the house at the time she had her baby. Births can't be timed to the exact moment or day of delivery. And again perhaps she was in the vicinity, went into labour earlier than expected, and the kind householder admitted her and got a midwife for her delivery. All kinds of scenarios can have occurred.

[Jan1954]

Just a thought, but could the address on the birth certificate not actually be where she was born?

If there was a 5 week delay in registering the birth - and it was done by a midwife, rather than the mother - could it be that the midwife registered the birth using the mother's last known address instead of where the babe was born?

Pure speculation, though.....

[icrookham]

Jan 1954

Could be-only going off the information on the certificate which has 7 Kingsley Rd as the where born address

Ian

[Wirral]

I've looked at the electoral registers. 1907 was the earliest copy available. No. 7 Kingsley Road was in No. 9 Poulton Ward, Poulton-cum-Seacombe Polling District J. There was no-one listed at that address in either 1907 or 1908, although there were voters in neighbouring houses. The first entry was in the 1910-11 edition and that was James Birnie BOOTH.

[icrookham]

Thanks Wirral you've saved me a lot of work as that was my next port of call.I had looked at the 1911 census for 7 Kingsley Rd and Mrs Booth was still there with two children although Mr Booth was absent.Speaking with a friend and looking further at the certificate it looks like 7 Kingsley Rd was where the midwife,Ellen Martin who is named as the informant on the certificate,was residing at the time.As a means of identifying my grandmother's mother it looks like I've hit another brick wall.

Ian

[Peter Goodey]

looking further at the certificate it looks like 7 Kingsley Rd was where the midwife,Ellen Martin who is named as the informant on the certificate,was residing

Are you now saying that 7 Kingsley Road was shown in Column 7 of the certificate and not in Column 1? Or that it was entered in both columns?

[icrookham]

Hello Peter

Shown in both column 1 and column 7.I hadn't twigged that column 7 was info on the informant-lesson learned!!

Ian