Family Historian User Group

Does anyone have any ideas?
My GGGrandfather married an American in Newcastle on Tyne. They had two daughters born in 1885 and 1887. Both appear in the 1891 and 1901 census as being born in Manchester. I also know their birth dates from family records but I cannot find them in the Findmypast records. Marriages and Deaths are recorded.
I could understand perhaps one being missed but not both.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

ID:2062

I assume it is their births that you cannot find. One possibility is that you are searching for the wrong birth surname. Do you have evidence for the date of their parents' marriage?

Thanks Paul,

Yes it is the births of the two sisters I cannot find. Their parents were married in 1882 and I have a copy of their marriage certificate. One of the two sisters my GGrandmother married the other did not.

You may need to check a pretty big date range if you have not already, as I have found several members of my family registered very late (4 years in one case)

Hi Jane,

I know the birth dates (or I think I do) from my family records also the spinster's birth date was recorded on her death record. I have also checked 3 years each side of these dates. What I am trying to do is get copies of their birth certs.

Why not post their names and details here and see if anyone can help you find them?

Thanks Nick.

I am still looking for the birth records of my Grandmother. Here is the information I have but I am still unable to find either my grandmother or grandaunt birth registration. Can anyone help?

My Grandmother was Edith Williams Donkin. We celebrated her birthday
on March 3rd and according to her death record and 1891 and 1901
censuses would have been born in 1885. She had a sister Lucy who
never married and whos death record showes her birth date as
26 Oct 1887. Both were reported in census as having been born in
Manchester Lancashire.

Their parents were Robert Henry Donkin and Sophie Turner Gornall all
appeared together in the 1891 census.

Edith married Cecil George Coles in 1907.

It might be a red herring, but as the father came from Northumberland, you never know.

It's just there is an Edith Margaret Donkin, registered in the Castle Ward district in the right Qtr eg Jan-Mar 1885.



As the wife probably had no family in the UK they might just have returned to Northumberland for a period of time.

Thanks Jane,

I had discounted Edith Margaret because of the name difference and the fact that the censuses show Edith Williams and her sister to be born in Manchester Lancashire. However I did order the birth certificate and it shows the wrong parents.

I also cannot find her sister Lucy born a couple of years later.

When their mother Sophie returned from the US she went to live with her Gandmother in Northumberland and married their father Robert Henry Donkin also in Northumberland.

It's possible the births were not registered. As you say one misindexed is possible 2 is less likely.

Was Sophie a US Citizen?

If so is it possible the girls were registered as US births abroad?

Sophie was born in Baltimore MD and was a US citizen. As far as I know after she came to the UK to live with her Gmother she stayed in the UK firstly in Northumberland then moved with the family after marriage to London. Is it possible for Sophie to register the births other than with the GRO?

Currently US citizens can register births with the US consular offices. I presume it was probably the same in the 19th Century, after all many births in India were registered with the British Consoles.

If they were registered at a US consular office is there anywhere I can look to find out?