Alfred Joseph - where are you?

[Uncle John]

The story started with a wild goose chase in Jersey:

http://genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=893&page=2

I'm looking for the birth of Alfred Jospeh Mitchell, who died aged 6 in 1880 in Sunderland. There was only one matching English birth in the correct timeframe, in St. Saviour Southwark district in quarter 2 1874 (vol 1d page 96).

I've now got the certificate, which is wrong. ;(;(

It seems highly unlikely that he was born far from Sunderland and highly likely that he was registered. All possible sightings gratefully received, please.

[Merry]

Do you know who his parents were and where they were in 1871 and 1881?

Was he the first born?

Do you know when his parents married?

[Merry]

Is this him?

Alfred Joseph Mitchell
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Event(s):
Birth: 26 APR 1874

Christening: 21 MAY 1874 St Marys, Sunderland, Durham, England
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Parents:
Father: Joannis Edwardi Mitchell
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Messages: Extracted birth or christening record for the locality listed in the record.

[JayG]

So he was born before his parents married?

Marriages Dec 1874
Hewitt Fanny West Derby 8b 526
Mitchell John Ellery W. Derby 8b 526

Unless i've picked up the wrong couple on the census & marriage.


Ignore that

This is their marriage

Marriages Jun 1871
Brown Fanny Sherratt Sunderland 10a 819
Brown Fanny Sherrett Sunderland 10a 819
Mitchell John Edwin Sunderland 10a 819

[Merry]

I'd say it's likely either his reg didn't reach te GRO or he wasn't registered.

Were any of his siblings registered?

[JayG]

The only Alfred Joseph (any surname) registered in Sunderland June & Sept quarters is

Births Jun 1874
Parker Alfred Joseph Sunderland 10a 730

[Uncle John]

Merry and Jay - yes his parents were John Edwin Mitchell and Fanny Sherratt Brown, and that's his baptism. The eldest child was John Charles Edward Mitchell, born May 1872 and also baptised at St. Mary's RC Chapel. All the other children were registered, including his namesake born late 1880. And their baps. are all in the IGI.

Unfortunately Sunderland BMD only has recent births and deaths, with only marriages going back to 1837. And Sunderland RO could only find the "wrong" birth.

[JayG]

Might be worth contacting Sunderland RO & checking if any of these births are sons of John & Fanny.

Births Jun 1874
Mitchell Edward Sunderland 10a 718
Mitchell John Falconer Sunderland 10a 755

Births Sep 1874
Mitchell Herbert Sunderland 10a 724

[JayG]

All the children on the 1881 census appear to have corresponding birth registrations so it's strange Alfred Joseph doesn't seem to have.

[JayG]

Unfortunately Sunderland BMD only has recent births and deaths, with only marriages going back to 1837. And Sunderland RO could only find the "wrong" birth.

UJ they do have births pre 1985 but they haven't updated the site info. BTW i've searched on there but can't spot him.

[Uncle John]

Hi Jay

The IGI baptism record gave a dob of 26 April 1874, so I've just emailed Sunderland RO to ask if they'll search their April 1874 births. I've told them the London one was wrong.

[Merry]

Hi Jay

The IGI baptism record gave a dob of 26 April 1874, so I've just emailed Sunderland RO to ask if they'll search their April 1874 births. I've told them the London one was wrong.

They'll love you, as there seem to be 14 sub-districts to look through (maybe those were not all current in 1874?? I hope not!)

[Uncle John]

Perhaps they'll take pity on the £7 I invested on their "dead cert.". I can't imagine there'd be more than 2 or 3 sub-districts in the urban area. Sunderland wasn't huge in the 1870s.

[JayG]

Hoping for a good result for you UJ.

I found them helpful a few years ago when I got something checked out.

Shame the baptism doesn't have their address, but name & DOB should suffice.

[Uncle John]

The address is High Street Bishopwearmouth (they moved around a bit between censuses but not far).

[Merry]

The address is High Street Bishopwearmouth (they moved around a bit between censuses but not far).

It would really help the registrar to know that, as then they would only have to check one sub-district!

[vallee]

oh sorry about that Uncle John will you be sending me the cert so I can pay you for it ????

[Uncle John]

It would really help the registrar to know that, as then they would only have to check one sub-district!

Thanks for reminding me. I've sent a supplementary email.

[Uncle John]

oh sorry about that Uncle John will you be sending me the cert so I can pay you for it ????

if you have Henry William Mitchell a boilersmith and his wife Eliza Jane formerly Duffield living in Brandon Street Newington!

Incidentally the certificate is headed St Saviour Surrey (sub-district Trinity Newington).

[Uncle John]

I've just had a bit of feedback from the RO. They've located his 2 nearest siblings (older and younger) but no sign of Alfred Joseph. Their tea-breaks for the next few weeks will be spent going through the 10 intervening volumes of South Bishopwearmouth births. As Jay said, they have actually indexed more or less everything so it may be one that's been missed or was mistranscribed (or horror of horrors someone has ripped the page out). Fortunately the first names of the parents are reasonably unusual if the surname has got mangled.