Advice of how to search for family members when you don't know their names, date of birth, or date of death?

+3 votes
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On my mother's sude of the family, Harrison and Hibber, I know almost nothing about them. All I know are my late-grandparents, Leonard Harrison and Hilda Hibbert. I also know my mother's two brothers, their wives, and their children. My mother says her father's parents were Leonard Harrison (no age range) and Elizabeth Woolley, and her mother's parents were Horace Hibbert and Margery (she thinks) Bottomley. She thinks her nana, Elizabeth Woolley died around 1979 (give or take a year), but that was it. I have been researching for months, but haven't found anything. They all lived in Denton, Manchester and the county of Hyde, Cheshire, Lancashire. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
in Genealogy Help by Michelle Estrada G2G Crew (720 points)

1 Answer

+11 votes
 
Best answer
Hi Michelle, you do have something to go on at least. Location is very important and you mention Hyde, Cheshire. Googling "registration district for Hyde, Cheshire" tells us that "Ashton" or "Ashton under Lyne" are what we are looking for.

Now if we use FreeBMD https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl and search births, Hibbert, Hilda, 1930 to 1937 we get a result:

Hilda Hibbert, 1934, March quarter. Ashton district, Vol 8d, Page 904, mother's maiden surname Boswell.

Now the next question is did a Horace Hibbert marry a Boswell ? Again, FreeBMD is useful and a marriage search gives: Horace Hibbert, spouse Boswell, 1922 Dec quarter, Ashton, vol.8d page 968.

If you want to find the wife's first name then you do a reverse search ie put Boswell as the first surname and Hibbert as spouse surname. Now you get Matilda Boswell married Hibbert.  ( At this point check the result against the previous search - make sure it is the same marriage ! )

This is an example of what you can do with just FreeBMD.  Margery Bottomley has become Matilda Boswell !

Best regards, Joe

P.S. For births before Sept 1911, FreeBMD does not show you mother's maiden name. For that use the GRO index https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

You need to sign up but it is free to search - you only need to pay if you want a copy of the certificate itself.
by Joe Farler G2G6 Pilot (150k points)
selected by Dave Welburn

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