Ernest SMITH 1912-1941

RCG - could have saved myself some typing reading your synopsis :P

Amberdog45 - the birth you refer to is:

Name: Ernest Smith
Mother's Maiden Name: Gadsden
Registration Year: 1912
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: Ampthill
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Bedfordshire
Volume: 3b
Page: 606

Its the only result shown - BUT using RCG's info he would have been born in Poplar?

BUT this contradicts Sams info that Ernest was born in Scotland - I would still like to see the original documents that all this info comes from.

TD

edited to add:
The birth result is for Ernest Smith, there are potentially others for Ernest Smiths with other forenames

 

For info


Ampthill War Memorial


SMITH † *


Frank


No further information currently.
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/AmpthillStAndrewsRollofHonour.html

 

TD
Its the only result shown - BUT using RCG's info he would have been born in Poplar?

I Think the info I saw on 1939 register shows where these chaps were living, not their birth place.

Did not go into file as I'm tight when it comes to opening my wallet.

 

- me too -

You are right of course re place of birth/place of work

TD

 

Many thanks for all your replies. I thought I would wait about a week before checking in again in the hope that someone may have left one reply so I am quite overwhelmed with the response.

I am afraid I have already ruled out the Ernest Smith who was killed on the trawler, so I am sorry for wasting your time with him. He was a Merchant Seaman who lived in Torry, Aberdeenshire and never left apart from trips to sea. I realise now I should have mentioned him, but I have ruled out so many it would have been a long list.

Tricky Dicky - yes, that information is on Ancestry and on one of the message boards as a request for information about Ernest which I posted in 2011 - never received a response. I also have a tree named "Possible Ernest SMITH family tree" in which I traced the Merchant Seaman Ernest in order to rule him in or out. (I suppose I should delete it but am loathe to after all that research even though it is not my family). As far as I can tell my Ernest was not in the services although I don't know why (are there any records of people turned down for military service?). He is described on the adoption papers as 'Clerk - Bradfield's (builders) ??? Row/Road, Poplar moved about on demolition work'. That in itself seems bizarre - why would a clerk do demolition work? You commented "The search for UK Civilian Dead was restricted to London only as this was the stated location" - maybe Ernest moved further afield - I have no way to tell.

David - many thanks for the thought. Sadly I was only able to trace my grandmother 5 years after her death (I began with just as few details for her) but I was fortunate enough to find, via the death certificate, her niece who was the only person in that family who knew about my father. Unfortunately, she only knew that he existed but no details about his father.

Clive - thank you very much for those options, I will look into them.

Amberdog45 - I have now checked the 1939 Register and have a long, long list of Ernest Smith's with no way to choose between them. I have seen the one in Bedfordshire but all I know is that he was in Bedfordshire in 1938 and in London sometime around 1941 but I have no idea when he moved from one to the other. From what I've been reading about other people's experiences with the 1939 Register I am unwilling to spend a lot of money when I can't be sure that I would recognise my Ernest - he may have lived anywhere and had any other job!

Tricky Dicky and RCG - I have also considered that the whole thing may have been the product of my grandmother's imagination. The only thing that seems to confirm the 'facts' is that the Adoption Society appears to have telephoned Bradfield's and checked with them. Unless a complicated cover-up went on with someone from Bradfield's primed to answer the telephone and give this story out, this would seem to be the truth. I agree that it is strange that there is seemingly no record of his death. I can understand no body so no death certificate, but even with no body someone must have known something.

I am more than happy to scan the adoption papers so that you can see for yourselves (more eyes are always welcome). I should warn you that they are a photocopy of the original and a lot of the writing is very scrawled. I take it I cannot add them as an attachment here, but would it be all right to add them as images within an e-mail? If not, can anyone suggest how I can make them available for you to see?

Again, many, many thanks for all your thoughts and help.
I think you are all wonderful.
Sam

 

It's was no problem Sam and there was no time wasted on the other Ernest Smith as I started another thread on him in the hope his family might go searching for him in the future. Completely understand why you wouldn't wish to delete the trawler Ernest's tree at Ancestry.

Be very careful with the 1939 Register, it's very expensive to use, especially when you don't have an exact date or even a year of birth for your Ernest. I've been ever so disappointed with it as we've another lady trying to trace her grandfather, as her mother was adopted also. All we had to go on was a name and service number from the birth certificate and I was depending on the 1939 register producing some answers for her mother as the adoption record was destroyed in a fire. But like you, there are so many potentials on the '39 register I doubt whether we will be able to find him. At least you have the adoption record.

Keep your chin up and don't give up hope. I think you have to make so many posts on here before you can begin attaching paperwork. The option for attachments is in the More Reply Options tab, but keep an eye on file size or it might not upload. You never know what might be in those records that somebody else might give you a new lead. All the best.