Can you solve my Smith dilemma?
Q
My grandfather, Harry Smith, was born in Alton, Hampshire, on 11 April 1874.
In 1891, still living in Alton, he was a “grocer’s assistant” and in 1901 was a “grocer’s shopkeeper” at Prittlewell, Essex. He married Mary Ann Bland in January of that year and their first son was born in March. In 1906 Harry was a “grocer’s manager” and in 1911 was the “manager at The Maypole Dairy Co. Ltd” in Colchester.
From about 1916, Harry and Mary were licensees (or co-licensees) of The Red Lion in Manningtree, Essex. But according to my father, Harry walked out on the family in 1934 and didn’t return.
However, I can’t find Harry on the 1939 Register, and on my parents’ marriage certificate he is “Harry Smith, retired”. When Mary died in 1965, she was “widow of Harry Smith, Inspector (Grocery Shops)”. From this I have to assume that he died between 1943 and 1965 and was in the grocery trade most of his life.
What I would like to know is when and where Harry died, but with such a common surname I’d need a fortune to order the correct certificate! Is there any way I can narrow down the search to include “grocer” as the profession? Hugh Smith
A
When ordering death certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) at www.
gro.gov.uk you can get some details checked, and certificates will only be issued if they match.
On the order screen, set the “Is the GRO Index Reference Number known?” option to “No”, and enter his occupation on the next search screen. But how would his occupation have been described by the person who registered the death? Would it have been “retired grocer”, “publican” or something completely different? Even then, would it have been under the name “Harry Smith”?
Tracing forwards to find what happened to someone can be very challenging because of the unknowns you have to consider – possible remarriage, name changes, emigration etc. Add a very common name, and a possible desire to start a new life, and it can be almost impossible.
The father’s information on any marriage entry is whatever the parties gave at the time. In this case, it is an indication they believed that Harry was alive, but not definitive, since details were never verified. On the death certificate, you should also look at who the informant was. Were they just making an assumption based on the many years without having any contact?
Sadly, I can’t see Harry on the 1939 Register either. If he was in England/Wales he should be there (being too old for military service), so he may have died earlier than you think or using another name.
He may have cut contact with your grandmother, but what about his own birth family? Look at his extended family in 1939 and you may find him lodging with a relative. Who registered their deaths? Did they leave wills he may be mentioned in? It’s a long shot, but worth examining.