Hi Listers. I am hoping someone can help with one of my brick walls. My Grandfather ERNEST SMITH son of Joseph Edward Smith (1855) and Hannah Raybould (1857) appears on the 1891, 1901, and 1911 censuses as being born in the Stourbridge Registration District in 1880. On the 1881 census the family was living at 44, Hagley Street, Stourbridge. Ernest does not appear. Their daughter, Laura Gertrude was born in 1878 in the Stourbridge Reg District but Christened in Lower Gornal on 19 June 1878. I have been unable to find Ernest's birth on BMD. Nor his death which I believe should be between 1936 and 1948 due to information on marriage and death certificates although I know that these can be misleading. Also I cannot find Laura Gertrude's death or her possible marriage. Again, I found Laura on the 1911, single and staying with her mother. Any help in trying to sort this out would be extremely gratefully received. Thanks in advance Rona. 

Hello Rona, I only looked at the 1891 Census entry of the ones you quote, but it doesn't say he was born in the Stourbridge Registration District in 1880, although it does allow that conclusion to be drawn. The return merely states that he was 11 - which, if true, gives 1879 a 3-to-1 advantage over 1880 as his birth year - and that he was born *in* Stourbridge, Worcestershire. While granting that Stourbridge was in both Worcestershire and the Registration District, it doesn't mean that the entry is a true statement. Probably the big clue here is that Laura Gertrude [called 'just' Gertrude in 1891, which possibly was what she was known as, and may have married and/or died as] was baptised in Lower Gornal - which was her mother's birthplace. It was quite traditional for a first-born to be baptised in her/his mother's home Parish, which also might give a further idea of where to look for Ernest in 1881. Lower - and Upper - Gornal were only Ecclesiastical and never Civil Parishes, being for Registration, Census, and Electoral purposes parts of Sedgley [Civil] Parish - in Staffordshire and Dudley Registration District. The birth of an Ernest SMITH was registered in 1880 in the Sedgley Sub-District of Dudley Registration District [per UK BMD] - the Register being held at Dudley Registrar's Office under reference SEG/130/267. There were 2 hits for 'Ernest SMITH' registered in Dudley District in 1880, of which the likely one is Ernest SMITH - 1880 Sep Q - Dudley 6c 74 [The other is a Joseph Ernest in the Mar Q [6c 121], but he *should* appear in the Censuses as being a year older than 'yours' - and his birth was registered in Dudley Sub-District as 'Joseph E'.] Unfortunately Ernest wasn't recorded in 1881 with his Granny Hannah RAYBOULD in Temple Street, Lower Gornal - nor with his uncle & Aunt next door... :-( [But it seemed worthwhile trying!] Anyway, I hope the little I've found may have dislodged a brick or so... Gus ----- Original Message ----- From: "rona benson" <rona_benson@yahoo.co.uk> To: <ENG-WORCESTER@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 6:53 AM Subject: [WOR] ERNEST SMITH 1880 STOURBRIDGE Hi Listers. I am hoping someone can help with one of my brick walls. My Grandfather ERNEST SMITH son of Joseph Edward Smith (1855) and Hannah Raybould (1857) appears on the 1891, 1901, and 1911 censuses as being born in the Stourbridge Registration District in 1880. On the 1881 census the family was living at 44, Hagley Street, Stourbridge. Ernest does not appear. Their daughter, Laura Gertrude was born in 1878 in the Stourbridge Reg District but Christened in Lower Gornal on 19 June 1878. I have been unable to find Ernest's birth on BMD. Nor his death which I believe should be between 1936 and 1948 due to information on marriage and death certificates although I know that these can be misleading. Also I cannot find Laura Gertrude's death or her possible marriage. Again, I found Laura on the 1911, single and staying with her mother. Any help in trying to sort this out would be extremely gratefully received. Thanks in advance Rona. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-WORCESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message