Why can’t I find Daisy’s birth record?
Q
I’m looking for the birth of Daisy Alice Smith. She married Walter William Moore on 7 October 1910 in Guildford aged 20. Her father was George William Smith (deceased). The 1911 census suggests Daisy was born in 1890 in Southampton. The 1939 Register states she was born on 20 June 1891 in Southampton. Her 1978 death certificate says she was born on 20 June 1889, in Southampton. Margaret Carter
A
Since both the 1939 Register and death certificate state that Daisy was born on 20 June, it’s likely this is correct; similarly, the 1911 census and death certificate both give her birthplace as Southampton. In the census taken on 2 April 1911, Daisy Alice’s age is 21, suggesting she was born in 1889, which agrees with the death certificate.
Registration was enforced from 1875, so it’s unlikely that her birth went unregistered. I looked in the General Register Office index ( https://www.gro.gov.uk), but couldn’t find a likely entry for Southampton 1887–1893, including births registered with no Christian name and indexed as “Female”. The registration of Alice Daisey M Smith (East Grinstead, April–June 1889) is interesting, but she seems to have married in 1908.
Local register offices hold the original registers of births, marriages and deaths, and can supply copies of certificates for registrations within their district; the fee includes a search of up to five years. Since omissions can occur in the centralised indexes, I suggest asking Southampton Registration Services whether they can locate the birth.
You also need to consider whether any details about (Daisy) Alice Maud may be incorrect. Maybe Smith was her stepfather’s surname and she was registered in another name. Was she wrong about her father’s name or occupation? Perhaps she wasn’t born in Southampton.
Finally, try searching other records for references to her: her baptism; her father’s death; censuses; and school records. Katherine Cobb