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Searching for Records

Discussion in 'General Genealogical Queries' started by jorghes, Aug 27, 2024.

  1. jorghes

    jorghes LostCousins Superstar

    I've been searching for something that should exist but also seems not to exist at the same time and that is a birth record entry for a John Bell, born approximately 1841 in Radford, Nottinghamshire.

    He appears on the 1851 census in Basford (2127/323/32) with his family - father John, mother Ann and siblings Thomas, William and Elizabeth and (presumably) uncles John and William Bishop.

    I haven't found him in the 1861 census (or 1861 World Wide Army Index) but his marriage register in 1866 in Dunbarton states that he was in one of the Rifle regiments, so it is logical that he is overseas at this time. He is present in the 1871-1901 censuses in Scotland until his death in 1905.

    However, I should be able to find a record in the GRO for him, and for some reason I can't.

    It appears on FreeBMD - John Bell, 4th Quarter of 1841 in Radford, Vol 15, p 594. I can't get the same record to appear on the GRO (so that I can check the mother's maiden name) because it only gives me results for "Bradford"; and just searching for a "John Bell" in the 4th quarter of 1841 doesn't give me any results for Radford. The entry on FindMyPast is missing the mother's maiden name.

    I've tried searching the Nottingham baptismal registers on Ancestry - Radford doesn't seem to be included; on FamilySearch, and again it doesn't seem to come up.

    Does anyone have any ideas?
     
  2. VTinOZ

    VTinOZ Member

    Hi Jorghes,
    Might this be what you're looking for...
    BELE, JOHN BISHOP
    GRO Reference: 1841 D Quarter in RADFORD UNION Volume 15 Page 594
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  3. jorghes

    jorghes LostCousins Superstar

    Yes, that looks like it! Thanks.

    I just managed to find the entry on Ancestry - for some reason attached to Mansfield and with a mistranscribed page number.
     
  4. Tim

    Tim Megastar and Moderator Staff Member

    It looks like you can order the pdf of the birth certificate from the GRO, for £8.
     
  5. jorghes

    jorghes LostCousins Superstar

    Has that price increased recently?
     
  6. Sue_3

    Sue_3 LostCousins Member

    Yes, it has, the cost of all certificate services has recently increased. Paper certs are now £12.50, PDFs are £8 and digital images are £3. You could get a digital image of the above registration - that would be the cheapest option as well as the quickest.
     
  7. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    Well done - one of the rare occasions on which the GRO's fuzzy search actually works!
     
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1

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