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  1. #1

    Default Scotland - missing birth record

    Our group (Jewish Genealogy Soc of British Columbia) is trying to track the history of people buried in the Vancouver Jewish Cemetery. One of these graves is for a George CRALE b 2 Dec 1925, d Feb 5 1998, in a care home, single, no relatives. All of the records that I have found state that he was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

    The first record that appears to be his, is an immigration record dated July 1946, from Rio de Janeiro, where he is listed as George CRAL son of John CRAL and Mary KANE. The visa was issued in Antwerp and he is listed as stateless despite being born in Scotland. Later Brazilian records show him as CRALE. We have, as yet, no idea how he ended up in Vancouver.

    When searching for his birth in Scotland's People I found no record that matched CRALE, CRAL or KANE. Is it possible that his (non-UK) parents were passing through Scotland when his mother went into labour? But wouldn't that mean that the birth would be registered in Scotland? He was clearly living in Europe just after the war so that's probably where he was from, but I don't know enough to be sure. I am also unsure how the law in 1925 would deal with a foreign birth on UK soil if that is what occurred.

  2. #2
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    On his record in the Florida, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1898-1963 for George Crale dated 31 Oct 1962 it gives his nationality as Brazilian. I haven't found any other records that you haven't already mentioned.
    It is usual for births to be registered in the country in which they occurred. I also searched under his mother's maiden name of Kane and got 2 results. A George McDoonald Kane registered in Camlachie and James George Kane registered in Cambusnethan. I don't have any credits so can't view the originals only the index. Both are a few kilometres SE of Glasgow and I found them by using the county of Lanark to widen the search.
    Christina
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  3. #3

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    I was aware of that record - what is not clear is why he was held and then paroled. There is some indication in later Brazilian records that he had brushes with the law. The data on his immigration to Brazil is confusing: born in Scotland, yet stateless? He is 21 and has qualified as a chemist(pharmacist?) - that would take a couple of years and for a Jew living in Europe at that time, next to impossible.

    I also don't have credits, but I doubt that either of them is George CRAL - being Jewish is carried through the matrilineal line and the first name is pure Scot and the 2nd has the spurious James.

  4. #4

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    Being born in Scotland does not confer a nationality - by then Scotland had long been part of the UK, so he would have been considered British by any authorities.
    Back then, people were not always as accurate as we are these days. Many assumed that the authorities would not have heard of their small village or settlement, and gave the name of the nearest town when registering BMDs. Also, people were often registered with 2 forenames, the first maybe being that of an older relative, and then they used the middle one all their lives. Children born outside marriage in Scotland were registered under their maternal surname.
    I am worried about your starting information - if he died single, with not known relatives, where did the info on the stone come from? It’s likely correct, but everything needs to be checked.

    BTW I checked Crale in Black’s Surnames of Scotland” - the most reliably researched book on this subject. He gives Crail as the most common version of the name, with a lot of other variations.

    If you don’t want to pay for your search results, the next best free place to look is FamilySearch, from the LDS, but it is only an index.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lesley Robertson View Post
    Children born outside marriage in Scotland were registered under their maternal surname.
    I am worried about your starting information - if he died single, with not known relatives, where did the info on the stone come from? It’s likely correct, but everything needs to be checked.

    BTW I checked Crale in Black’s Surnames of Scotland” - the most reliably researched book on this subject. He gives Crail as the most common version of the name, with a lot of other variations.
    His birth information came from his death record in the BC Archives, as there is no gravestone, only a marker - his burial was handled by the Public Trustee - probably because he was indigent. Because we have a health service similar to the NHS, he would have registered his personal info when he came here. His birth date and place are one of the few things that are consistent in the records we have found for him.

    A 1946 document (immigration into Brazil) shows his name as CRAL both typed and as a signature and a later document from that year shows the same spelling. Documents from Brazil in 1962 show his name as CRALE and refer to him having being resident in the UK at some time prior to that (but after 1946).

    Was his name CRAL or CRALE originally? - it's impossible to be sure, nor is it clear whether his parents were married.

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