Genealogy Chat

I know that Annie Unwin (later Ball) died in the 1950s in Nottingham and Ihave just spent hours searching the bmd on ancestry trying to find her death. I'm assuming she'd be down as Annie or Ann Ball. Well,she doesn't seem to be there, so I need to find out if Annie was a nickname or something.

Do you know when they died? The Death Certificate or headstone might give you a date of birth which could help work out which was the right one in 1901. Were they married before 1901? MB

It should give you an address and the father's occupation so you might be able to identify which is the right one then starting moving back through the censuses. Without that information you could waste a lot of time. MB

Its lovely to have all this advice ( my family think I'm weird for wanting to know) I forgot to mention, grandad John Henry was the oldest child.

Oh yes, I think I will be able to find out about the date of her death from living relatives. So more information about her age would help me track her down. I looked for John and Annie Ball on the 1901 census and just found one John William Ball and Annie Ball who were in a lodging house in the centre of Nottingham. They were both listed as hawkers, ( where as I know that Annie worked lace, but she could have done that in later life I suppose) This Annie was born in Sheffield, which led to me finding a lot of Annie Unwins in Sheffield! I tracked John William down in the previous census to being a 5 year old in the Workhouse in Rothley near Leicester. That sounded really interesting, but I couldn't actually see his name when I saw the actual document on screen. So I am wondering how he could have had a brother called Edward. Maybe they were both together in the workhouse? I think I need to send off for originals of everything now..

hi why not send for grandads birth certificate and hope there is something on there that you don't know about - eg, maybe JOHN BALL had a middle name. Failing that, is there anyway that you could visit a records office and do a search? do you have any more info. did your grandad have any older siblings? good luck and don't give up!! Claire

Do you know if John Henry was a 1st born in 1907. Knowledge of any older siblings might help to narrow the search for a marriage. Have you looked to see if they were already married in 1901? Annie need not have been UNWIN when she married. She could have been a young widow and married in THAT married name, although her maiden name would still be recorded on her child's birth certificate. Do you know when she died, and what her name was then? Her age would be recorded on the death entry in the Index but the information is only as accurate as the informant's knowledge.

Thanks for replying. No I don't know when they got married, but as their son's birth was recorded as Ball, I'm assuming it must have been before his birth in 1907. I suppose I could apply for all the John Balls who married an Annie in the years before that married someone who was an Unwin. I guess that could cost quite a bit as there are about 12. But maybe it will be the only answer.

his birth cert may feel like an extravagance, but i will confim what you think you know , for sure. Maybe not remembers quite correctly - Unwin/Irwin Gunwin....

FreeBMD isn't complete, which may be why you haven't found the marriage. It is worth ordering the certificate, if only because it should record all the names the mother has ever had and would settle that question for you. If you know when Annie or John died, the GRO index would tell you roughly when they were born and would help narrow down your search.

Do you know when they got married?

Hi everyone, I'm quite new to this and I've got stuck with my grandad. His name was John Henry Ball born March 1907 in Nottingham. I have found his birth listed on free BMD but is it worth me sending for the certificate? I know that his dad was called John Ball ( who had a brother called Edward) and that his mum was Annie Marie Unwin. I have found all of the John Balls and Annie Unwins in the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Sheffield area but how do I know which are mine? I am told that they should have been around the Radford area of Nottingham, and that Annies dad was a builders foreman, but the only builders foreman on the census was too young to have a daughter who gave birth in 1907. I went through the marriages in the area on free BMD for the sensible dates and found one for Annie Unwin, but that doesn't match up with the time for any John Ball, I also found lots for John Balls. Sometimes they were on the same page as someone called Anne ( but not Unwin ) I am wondering if she changed her surname at some point. Any ideas anyone, Thanks Rosemary