Where is my grandfather’s missing birth record?
QI am searching for the birth record of my grandfather, James Freeman, and have hit a brick wall. James can first be found in the 1881 census, in which he is an eight-year-old inmate of the Ormskirk Union Workhouse, born c1873. No other family member is listed as being in the workhouse at the time, although the admissions register has been destroyed.
However, this possible date of birth conflicts with that in the Freeman family Bible, where James’s birth is recorded as 29 September 1871 – the same year that is stated on his First World War demobilisation record. I haven’t been able to find his enlistment records, but I believe he was enlisted in 1915.
To make matters more confusing, James’s marriage certificate states that he was 27 years old when he married in 1900, which would make his birth year 1873. However, the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses all suggest that he was born in 1874 in Southport.
In total, I have three potential birth dates for my grandfather. Can you confirm which one is correct? From his marriage certificate I know that his father’s name was Thomas, but I have no record of his mother. A The 1881 census shows that James Freeman was in the Ormskirk Union Workhouse and his birthplace is shown as Southport. As you say, all of the later census returns also state that he was born in Southport.
Without the admissions register, there is no way of knowing how long James Freeman had been in the workhouse. However, the Board of Guardians’ minutes for Ormskirk Poor Law Union 1837– 1930 are available at Lancashire Archives, Preston, in series PUS/1 ( bit.ly/LancsArchives). It would be worth a visit to see if James Freeman is mentioned. This may reveal that he was an orphan.
On his marriage certificate, James’s father is named as Thomas Freeman (deceased), a farmer. The information that is supplied
for certificates can sometimes be incorrect. There is a possibility that if James Freeman was in the workhouse as a child he may not have known the name of his father. However, if James had any siblings and these are recorded in the family Bible, it would be worthwhile following their lives.
A First World War Medal Index Card for James Freeman can be viewed on ancestry.
co.uk or discovery. nationalarchives.
gov.uk in class WO372/7. James served in the Army Service Corps with the regimental number T4/059613, and the Royal Engineers with the regimental numbers 164018 and WR296354.
His service record – which would have provided an age – does not appear to have survived. About 60 per cent of First World War service records were destroyed by enemy action in September 1940.
Although a birth registration for James Freeman cannot be found in the index at www.gro.gov.uk, it would be worthwhile trying to see whether an entry exists in the local register office indexes instead. In the 1870s, Southport was part of the Ormskirk Registration District – more details can be found at lancashirebmd.org.uk. Mike Trenchard