How does someone in 20th century England end up with two death records?
I have a chap whose birth record gives his forenames as Ernest Edwin, but his marriage has him as William. Then on the 1939 register he was Ernest E again, and his wife's name matches the marriage record. But he has two death records, both of which confirm the exact DoB given on the 1939 reg and match the quarter of his birth record, and are both in the same district and quarter, one as Ernest Edwin and one as William Edward. In fact they are on the same page of the register. There's no explanatory note on the GRO record.
I'm not asking you to check my working, there's no doubt about any of the records, but can anyone explain how this double death entry could have happened? He was just an normal guy, not a secret agent!
Thanks.
Answers
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Simple ...
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He used (ie. was 'known as'), even 'Officially'; as, either, of the sets of 'Given' / 'Christian' Names of, "Ernest Edwin"; OR, "William Edward".
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It happens, I have come across a number like that.
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You would have to obtain a "Copy" of the "Death Certificate"; but, I would suggest that, BOTH, sets of 'Given' / 'Christian' Names would appear ( ie. be recorded ) on the SINGLE "Death Certificate". Where, in fact, BOTH, sets of 'Given' / 'Christian' Names, with the SAME 'Family Name' / Surname', are listed separately in the "Index" for Death Registration, with the SAME details EXCEPT for the 'Given' / 'Christian' Names.
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I have also seen the same on "Probate" Register records, where the two (x2) sets of 'Given' / 'Christian' Names, with the SAME 'Family Name' / Surname', are included in the same record; but, are separated with the words, 'otherwise known as' ...
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Certainly unusual; but, also certainly NOT totally uncommon ...
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I hope this helps.
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Brett
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Thanks. There's no probate record for this chap but, yes, I've seen several that say 'otherwise known as', but mostly they just add a middle name or have the middle name as the first name or occasionally 'invent' a new first name. I've not come across two separate death records before. Even an actor relation only had the one record, in his stage name.
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Is there a possibilty it was two people - who were twins?
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Only if one twin's birth wasn't registered though the other one's was, they both married women with the same forenames, died in the same quarter and in the same town and only one was mentioned on the 1939 register.
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What was his fathers name?
If he had the same name as his father he could have went by a different name to avoid confusion.
And on the opposite note, I have a Reginald who was called Dick, as his father was Richard Jr.
Can you check baptismal records, burial records, cemetery records, gravestone. Maybe there's a note or clue somewhere in those records.
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No, his father was John Josef. I've seen plenty of cases where the child with the same name as the parent is entered on censuses with a different - often their middle - name but the BMDs usually have the proper name, and I'd not seen two different death records for the same person before. It's not easy to find UK parish records in the 20th century, certainly can't find any of this family on line.
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Maybe family informed him of his alias, and the government wanted to be thuro. There probably wasn't a procedure for this so the staff made it up.
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