General Chat

I read about this on my phone earlier now I am home on mly PC I cannot retrieve the announcement to read it and digest it properly. Apparently it is being scanned and digitised and will be available on line in a year or two on FMP. Can anyone point me in the right direction to find out about this please.

http://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register

Thanks for your rapid response. :-)

I've just signed up for this , iris :-)

Does anyone know how far they have got withvtge digitisation. What places are complete and which are yet to be done.

Well my grandfather wasn't about in 1939 and he has an unusual name. Don't think I'll bother with FMP

Behind the scenes at the 1939 Register

16 July, 2015
By Findmypast
Later this year, we’ll be releasing the 1939 Register, a comprehensive overview of the civil population of England and Wales in 1939, and the most significant family history release of the decade.

This was in my mail..so no too long now :-D :-D

Ihave my silver medallion with my name, address and ID number on it.

So Ann, that is not too long to wait. I understand that anyone's details who could possibly still be alive will not be released without some sort of proof of death. The beauty of it will be children (persons under the voting age) will be included as presumably they needed a ration book? Hope there are not too many teething problems with the software. What a massive task - can only assume we will have to pay dearly for the privilege!
Any other clues as to how it will work?

Hi Jennifer,

Yes there is a 100 closure on it, no other news as yet to whether they will release it as a whole or maybe by County over a period of time.

The 1939 Register contains names, addresses, dates of birth, marital status, occupation and whether the individual was a member of the armed services or reserves.

It will only show you the records of people born 100 years and one day ago or more.

FMP have set up a system that will scan the Register at regular intervals, opening the records of each individual as their date of birth becomes longer than 100 years ago.

Also if someone has not reached 100 but has passed away they are looking into putting something in place where they can open up their details upon proof of death.

It sounds quite useful if we don't know their dob. It might even prove if someone is still living in 1939.

Let's hope FMP have cheap access offers once they've loaded it!

They will probably fleece us, as they know many of us as desperate to find and break down brick walls.

Yes, Jennifer, everyone had a ration book. If you were born after 1939, you had one from birth. My sister was born in 1941 and my mother registered her as a vegetarian from birth as they had a larger allowance of cheese instead of meat. Because the meat ration was so small, my mother reckoned this was a good exchange - especially as my sister wasn't even on solid food at that stage. :-) :-) :-)

As already said, it is a massive task so they have to get their money back.

Remember that after the release of the 1921 census there will be no 1931 census to be released (it was destroyed) and no census was taken in 1941 so the 1939 register is even more important.

Kath. x

Researchers can already apply to see a transcription from the register at a cost of £42 (£15 for Scotland), but the move will give findmypast members unlimited and fully searchable access to the records as part of their subscription.


:-0 :-0. how much!

Oh Kath. I never knew the 1931 census was destroyed. What a blow for future researchers. Do you think you can find out about a relative even if you don't know their exact date of birth? I will be searching for one lady in particular who was born in August 1888. If she had to fill in an official form for a ration book surely she would have used her correct name and not one she was maybe using while living with a man she was not married to. No idea of her whereabouts in the UK. THis is very exciting. :-D

My mother-in-law and father-in-law were never actually married (we only found this out after they both died - he was actually still married to his first wife) but every bit of documentation we have for my mother-in-law is in father-in-law's surname. The documents/certificates depended on people being truthful - and some people just weren't!!

Kath. x

So we have no chance then! Even their deaths must have been registered in the wrong names! You have helped me in the past with my uncle who had a live in love for over 30 years using his name and he was definitely still married to his wife. Some people have no consideration for us searchers do they? Haha

Jen
x

I spent literally years looking for my in-laws marriage - even my husband and his brother thought they were married - only to be told by a very elderly relative that they had never married. We knew about his first marriage but assumed he had been divorced. What we didn't know was that my husband had two half sisters from his father's marriage. That came as quite a surprise as they had never been mentioned..

Kath. x