Dear List, Could someone tell me if there is an MI for Mary Eleanor THOMAS (Ellen)? She died around 23 Aug 1969 and the funeral was scheduled for 29 Aug 1969. Her death was registered in the Colchester district and shows her DOB as 21 Nov 1885. Her husband was Arthur Henry THOMAS but I haven't been able to find a registration for him. I know he was born about 1884. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Bruce Heath, Ohio

hi Bruce Do the details you have for her funeral arrangements that you have mention where the funeral was to take place? Which cemetery she was buried in? Colchester Registration District covers a wide area of Essex and she could be buried anywhere within that area, or out of that area. You can be buried anywhere not just in the place where you died. One of my ancestors died in Suffolk but was buried in his home town in County Durham. If you can tell the list whereabouts the funeral was due to take place then we might be able to help more easily with an MI for her. There might not be an MI but she might appear in the Book of Remembrance in the cemetery where she was buried. If she was buried in the Colchester area then the Colchester Cemetery & Crematorium office, which I gave you the webpage of the other day off list, might be able to help with finding her burial place in their area. They have an e.mail address on their Contacts page of the site. Give them the details of Mary's burial in an e.mail and see what they can come up with for you. You need a copy of her death certificate fairly urgently as it will answer a few questions for you. You said in your first message to the list that you thought Arthur died about 1959, what makes you think that? Do you have a document or letter etc., mentioning this? Whereabouts do you think Arthur Henry died? in Wales or in England, perhaps in Essex? There is a death on FreeBMD of an Arthur H. Thomas March Qtr. 1940 aged 55, (so born about 1885), in the Maldon Reg. District of Essex volume 4a page 1862. I could not find a death reg. for the same name in the Essex area around 1959 but then FreeBMD's transcript of the GRO index is not complete and it might be that Arthur's death is yet to be copied to the FreeBMD site. However, Maldon is not so very far from Colchester, nor from Chelmsford, in which Registration District Office the ancient Maldon registers are now kept. Do you know what Arthur Henry's occupation was given as in the censuses? Did he have the type of occupation where he would have had an apprenticeship or was he something like a general labourer or Ag. Lab when his occupation might have changed from one job to the next? If he kept the same type of occupation all his life then that might be something to check the above death entry against. If his occupation that was one which changed at every census then it will be much more difficult to pin his death down to the above entry. What was his occupation given as on any birth certs., you might have for his children? Were all of the children of Arthur Henry & Mary Eleanor Thomas born in Wales or were the last few born in England, perhaps in Essex? I found a birth in June Qtr. 1919 Chelmsford Reg. District volume 4a page 883 for a Jean Thomas where the mother's maiden name was also Thomas. I don't know if this would be of interest but thought I ought to mention it. Regards Jenny DeAngelis <<Could someone tell me if there is an MI for Mary Eleanor THOMAS (Ellen)? She died around 23 Aug 1969 and the funeral was scheduled for 29 Aug 1969. Her death was registered in the Colchester district and shows her DOB as 21 Nov 1885. Her husband was Arthur Henry THOMAS but I haven't been able to find a registration for him. I know he was born about 1884.>>