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Thread: 1939 Register

  1. #1
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    Default 1939 Register

    I taken the opportunity of this relatively quiet period to tidy up and revisit certain parts of my family tree that I haven't looked at for a number of years, and that includes adding in references to the 1939 Register where appropriate.

    I have been taken aback by the number of times I have come across inconsistencies between the birth dates I had in my tree and those in the Register. At first I was putting those down to either my own typos or possibly having been given the wrong information by family members. However, now I am coming across instances where I know the Register is plain wrong.

    How do I know that - well it contradicts a birth certificate, and quite drastically so. The one I am looking at right now has 27 Feb 1901 instead of 19 Jan 1902.

    His sister's entry on another page entirely has her DoB written as 23 Dec 1900, and then subsequently in green ink someone has written in 29 May 1900 - her birth certificate says 22 May 1900.

    Have others experienced anything similar?

    The reason for asking as much as anything is because I am question as to whether I should go back and undo all the changes I have previously made based on the 1939 Register.

  2. #2

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    How was the info for the register provided? I'm wondering whether householders provided it from memory, or whether it was supposed to be backed up by certificates, etc....

    Also, when was it provided? If it was after war was declared, they might have some excuse for confusion....

    (Can you tell that I haven't needed to use the Register?)

  3. #3
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    It was taken on the 29 Sept 1939, so that suggests that it was taken like a census with enumerators going from house to house.

    "The information was to produce Identity Cards and, once rationing was introduced in January 1940, to facilitate the issuing of ration books. Information in the Register was also used to administer conscription and division of labour, and to monitor and control the movement of the population caused by military mobilisation and mass evacuation."

    "The Register was continually updated while National Registration was in force, when it was a legal requirement to notify the registration authorities of any change of name or address. This ended in 1952, but since 1948 the Register had also been used by the National Health Service, who continued updating the records until 1991, when paper-based record-keeping was discontinued."

    The 2 quotes above come from the National archives.

  4. #4

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    Hmmm... when given the choice between trusting the census or BMD certs. I trust the BMDs... it sounds as though the same applies to the 1939!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Megan Roberts View Post
    I taken the opportunity of this relatively quiet period to tidy up and revisit certain parts of my family tree that I haven't looked at for a number of years, and that includes adding in references to the 1939 Register where appropriate.

    snip

    His sister's entry on another page entirely has her DoB written as 23 Dec 1900, and then subsequently in green ink someone has written in 29 May 1900 - her birth certificate says 22 May 1900.

    Have others experienced anything similar?
    Yes it is a common problem with many types of official records, which is why the general advice given in genealogy is to check as many original sources as possible before being confident of any data.
    Remember census and the 1939 National Registration are secondary sources for most information they supply.
    I would suggest the date in green ink may be the birth registration date or the date given to the NHS at a later time; very often corrections are made in red ink on the 1939.

    Quote Originally Posted by Megan Roberts View Post
    The reason for asking as much as anything is because I am question as to whether I should go back and undo all the changes I have previously made based on the 1939 Register.
    That would depend on the reason why you made the change and what other sources you checked before making the change.
    I would place more weight on a birth certificate date of birth than a 1939 National Registration date of birth.
    The birth certificate’s main purpose was to record the birth, the 1939s main purpose was to identify individuals and exact date of birth was therefore of secondary importance.

    If you do not have any other source for the date of birth the date given on the 1939 is more accurate than using circa.


    Quote Originally Posted by Lesley Robertson View Post
    How was the info for the register provided? I'm wondering whether householders provided it from memory, or whether it was supposed to be backed up by certificates, etc....

    Also, when was it provided? If it was after war was declared, they might have some excuse for confusion....

    (Can you tell that I haven't needed to use the Register?)
    Yes, as with most official records until mid to late 1980s the information was provided by memory with no proof required.

    The 1939 National Registration was taken on the 29 September 1939.

    Cheers
    Guy
    PS Lesley, take a look at the 1939 you may be surprised at what you find.
    Family members are often living in the houses of in-laws and other family relationships (married sibling sisters staying in the same house, grand-parents living with grand-children) are also found in the register. It is often a good way of confirming family groupings.
    Last edited by Guy Etchells; 29-12-2017 at 8:38 PM. Reason: added a PS
    As we have gained from the past, we owe the future a debt, which we pay by sharing today.

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    It is fairly well commented that the Register has many wrong dates in it, so the advice above is very sound (as always). Those of you who subscribe to Lost Cousins will know that Peter Calver has written extensively about how to use the 1939 Register and what to look out for in his monthly newsletters. Well worth a read if you get the newsletter.

    Tony
    "People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors.” Edmund Burke

  7. #7

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    Thanks Guy, but I’m not avoiding the Register - it just doesn’t apply north of the Border and I don’t have any English ancestors....

    There’s a few people it might help with in my OPS,but I need to check on them first - that’s what cold,wet winters are for!

  8. #8

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    Megan, thank you for mentioning as I think lots of researchers (me included) assumed peoples birth dates would be correct, though I did sometimes wonder if all were accurate as of course, like any record, the facts can be screwed if the person giving the details gave what they thought to be correct. It does prove how important birth certificates are.
    Alma

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    (I don't get many of these nowadays!)

    Were the deaths of any of those people registered in or after June quarter 1969 when dates of birth began to be recorded on death certificates, and shown in the GRO Index? I know you might end up with yet another different date, but hopefully it might agree with the date on the birth certificate.

    Pam
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lesley Robertson View Post
    Thanks Guy, but I’m not avoiding the Register - it just doesn’t apply north of the Border and I don’t have any English ancestors....

    There’s a few people it might help with in my OPS,but I need to check on them first - that’s what cold,wet winters are for!
    I had not realised your ancestors were in Scotland, I shouldn't have assumed that, as I was born and bred in Scotland from English parents and ancestors.
    Yes, Scotland has its own system for access to the 1939 National Registration which surprisingly is lagging behind England and Wales and only gives details of individuals rather than households.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pam Downes View Post
    (I don't get many of these nowadays!)

    Were the deaths of any of those people registered in or after June quarter 1969 when dates of birth began to be recorded on death certificates, and shown in the GRO Index? I know you might end up with yet another different date, but hopefully it might agree with the date on the birth certificate.

    Pam
    As you say Pam that could lead to another different date.
    I was checking the details of one of my wife’s aunts a little while ago and saw I had put her date of birth as 1937 rather than 1933.
    It wasn’t until I looked at the certificate itself that I saw where I had gone wrong.
    Her date of birth was 1933 but the date of registration was 1937 as her birth had been re-registered!
    A really basic mistake but still made by someone who has been researching practically all his life (me)!


    Cheers
    Guy
    As we have gained from the past, we owe the future a debt, which we pay by sharing today.

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