How Acurate are names on Death Certificates?

[Beduffbloke]

I have been searching in vain for my wife's enstranged grandfather Harold Richard Ayres Palmer.born 26/6/1912 in Cricklade, registered in Cirencester.
I enlisted the help of the Salvation Army and they came back with the name Harold Reginald Palmer?
I ordered the Death Certicate (died 21st July 1988 in Yeovil)and it shares the same birthday? So could this be my wife's grandfather but with a middle name change?
Ive tried looking up the birthday of a harold REGINALD palmer in Cirencester 26/6/12 on Ancestory but with no joy.
Anyone's input greatly recieved

[Merry]

In 1912 there are only middle initials recorded on the birth indexes.

Did the person registering the death give a place of birth as well as a date?

It soulds very likely to be the right death certificate - the information given is only as accurate as the informant could give. Who registered the death?

[Beduffbloke]

the death certicate states born 26th june 1912, Cirencester. its very frustrating as i just want to say to my father in law "ive found him" My Father hasnt seen his Dad since the 1960's when he said goodbye and headed to Somerset.

[Beduffbloke]

The informant was the owner of the care home he was living in

[Merry]

So the date is correct and the place is close enough. It's just the middle names that are not accurate?

Does the cert give a home address? If it does maybe you could get access to the electoral roll etc to see if that makes anything clearer.

I would say this is your man unless he or someone else bought a birth cert trying to establish his identity and got the wrong one (because they thought he was born in 1912 when he wasn't, or if (like someone on my tree) he didn't know where he was born and spent a lot of time trying to get his UK birth cert (my chap was born in India, but didn't know it))

[Olde Crone]

If you mutter "Richard Ayres" that could be mistaken for the more common Reginald.

My friend's father was in a Care Home when he died and the Superintendant of the Home registered the death as "Bert" because that is what he was known as all his life. He was actually born Horace though! The home did not have his birth cert but they had his date of birth from his admission file.

OC

[Beduffbloke]

this is all very helpful Folks, thank you so much

[Olde Crone]

Off topic a bit, but I'm nosey - was Richard Ayres his father's name?

OC

[Beduffbloke]

now thats where the plot thickens. we dont know!! his mother was Jane Elizabeth Palmer born in maisey hampton, gloucestershire. She is servant to Henry Ravenor age 45 and Kate Ravenor age 39 in 1911 in witney oxfordshire

[Olde Crone]

I'd put money on it! I absolutely love it when the Registrar says

"Sorry my dear, you cannot put the father's name on the certificate as father, without his permission. don't cry dear, why not give your child his names as middle names?"

So the child who was going to be called Harold Palmer becomes Harold RICHARD AYRES Palmer and his father's name IS on the certificate, even if it's not in the right column!

I'd have a look for any Richard Ayres in 1911 if I were you, for speculation if nothing else!

OC

[Beduffbloke]

ive often thought that myself!! Prehaps she had a fling with the lord of the manor??

[anne fraser]

I work in a care home and we often don't have someone's birth certificate - they don't need it to be admitted so we could easily have the wrong middle names particularly if the person was confused when admitted.

[Beduffbloke]

Thanks Anne, its all looking very positive :-)

[Beduffbloke]

So does evryone think ive found my wife's grandfather?

[Olde Crone]

I would say a cautious yes, but keep looking for another death - born in 1912, could still be alive.

OC

[Merry]

I think the fact that the middle names are wrong could be a good sign. That suggests the person registering the death used the information they thought was correct rather than as a result of some investigation that might have led them in the wrong direction.

I wonder if there was ever a notice in the local paper about the death? He might have had family you don't know about, even if the death was registered by an official.

I presume you have the certificates for 'your' Harold's marriage and births of children to check he hadn't changed his R from Richard to Reginald at some earlier time?

[Beduffbloke]

ive tried to find the care home and it went bust in 2000 :-(.
We have birth and marriage Certs both with the name harold richard palmer. I been on Free BDM and Ancestory and our Harold is the only one listed with that birthday in Cirencester in 1912

[Olde Crone]

Just checking - did you know his date of birth before you got the death cert?

Also - I didn't really take in the fact that the Salvation Army were involved in the search. They are normally extremely thorough researchers and I doubt if they would have got this wrong if there was room for doubt. I think, but don't know, that they can use National Insurance numbers and National Health numbers to trace people.

OC

[Beduffbloke]

yes my father had a copy of both the birth and marriage cert before we even contacted the Salvation Army. its begining to sound more and more like him??

[Joy Dean]

Birth registration from find my past but slightly too early
Harold R A Palmer, registration district Cricklade, in Wiltshire, September qr 1912, mother's maiden name Palmer.
Death registration
1988 July registration Somerset, Harold Reginald date of birth 26 June 1912.

Birth registration Harold R Palmer, Nantwich in Cheshire, December qr 1912, mother's maiden name Bradshaw.
Death registration 1989 April registration Herefordshire, Harold Reginald date of birth 8 November 1912.

[Merry]

Birth registration from find my past but slightly too early


Not too early - the birth was June 1912.

[Joy Dean]

Not too early - the birth was June 1912.

True; my brain is not in gear today:)

[Beduffbloke]

We have Harold Richard Ayres Palmer's birth Cert He was born in Cricklade, reg Cirencester 26/June/1912

[Beduffbloke]

Can somebody tell me if a Harold Reginald Palmer was in the Royal Tank Corps?

[kiterunner]

Presumably you mean in WW2? The WW2 army records aren't available online as so many people who served in the war are still alive.

[Margaret in Burton]

Presumably you mean in WW2? The WW2 army records aren't available online as so many people who served in the war are still alive.

It also costs 30 pounds to get hold of WW2 army records and takes almost a year. In fact in my case for father in laws it took 13 months.

[Beduffbloke]

Wow didnt Realise!!! I'm pretty sure we have found our man. Next step is taking my Father in Law down to Somerset to see where his Father is layed to rest

[Beduffbloke]

I would just like to say what a wonderful site this is and how very helpful everyone has been.