Why would someone not be on the 1939 Register

[Karen C]

I am searching on the 1939 register (trying to trace various branches on my family tree) and wondered if there would be any reason why they wouldn't be on the register? Did not everyone have to complete it? I am looking for my grandmother, grandfather and great grandmother - and am searching on their names and DOB when I have it, but nothing for any of them. But they would have been living in London at the time. Any ideas? Thank you.

[Megan Roberts]

For those that are under 100 their recoŕds are closed unless the database knows that the person is dead. So for instance on Findmypast both my parents 're words are closed despite the fact that mum died in 1987 and dad in 2007. Now I could contact Findmypast and send them a copy of my parents death certificates and ask them to open the records, but as I know where they were I am not going to bother.

[Karen C]

ok, thank you. For my great grandmother she would be over 100 by now, so should she show up? Or not necessarily? Also, I thought I had read that you could search for an address but I'm struggling to do that - any tips?

[Pam Downes]

It depends on when great-granny would have been 100 years old. If it was only sometime last year, then she may have missed the latest update. It could also be that her date of birth is wrongly indexed. One of my aunts had been indexed with her daughter's date of birth.
Could also be that the surname is misspelt on the Register or mistranscribed.

To search for an address you need to use the address search. At the top of the page it says 'search' and next to it it says person which usually has a blue 'blob' next to it, but then there's a white blob with address written next to it. Click address, and the blue blob will then move from next to person to being next to address. Then you can search for address.
You can't search for a precise address, e.g. 28 High Street, you can only search for High Street.
It's always best to enter at least a county, or in the case of London, a borough name, in order to cut down the results.
Once you've got the right street and clicked on it, the individual house numbers are shown for you to select.

Pam

[Peter Goodey]

Some enumeration books were lost (only a few)

Some people were missed and included later in supplementary registers which are not available.

[Karen C]

Another quick query if anyone can help. I managed to find my great grandmother on the 1939 registry, with a name I knew she had married (Wood) but wasn't sure when or where that marriage had occurred. But as the names and dates of birth and area match I am sure it is her. However, over the top of the original written register, next to and over her details there is newer hand written notes. Some number/figures that look like a reference, but also her married name of WOOD is crossed out, and her new married name handwritten above? Why would that have happened? Could people update the details on the register at a later date? Was the purpose of the 1939 register to give people ration cards for WW2. Thank you for any guidance.

[Pam Downes]

Karen, if you give us great granny's name, date of birth, and where's she living in 1939 we can look at the entry ourselves, and then give intelligent comments instead of guesses.

Pam

[Karen C]

Thank you. My Great Grandmother's details on the 1939 Registry are : Mary Ann Wood DOB 18.07.1887 living with/Married to John Arthur Wood DOB 29.05.1888 in Islington.

[helachau]

If you look at the original entry you can see "March Qtr 45 M ALA".

Free BMD has the marriage registration of a Mary A Wood to an Edward R Gulliver, March Qtr 1945, Islington, 1b 318.

The original entry on the '39 register "Wood" has been updated with "Gulliver" on the strength of receiving details of this 1945 marriage. The date "1.12 49" could be when details of the change became known?

[Pam Downes]

helachau can type faster than me. (Though probably started searching before I did!)

The Register was updated until about 1991 with marriages and deaths (though not all events were noted in the Register) as it was used as a basis for the National Health Service. With people's registration number being their original NHS number. (And much easier to remember than the current string of numbers, because I can still remember mine.)

Bit more background info about the 1939 Register.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/h...1939-register/

Pam