Find Ancestors

I am asking if anyone has a subscription to enable household details on the 1939 register be viewed? Is that the normal procedure for this web site? I am not fully aware of how it works.Thank you.
Carole
PS Can someone tell me what "people officially closed" means on the household list?
Thank you.
I am off to bed now so will check back in the morning.

Hi

Everyone has to buy credits to view the full details of the register. Even the people that sub to FMP

http://www.findmypast.co.uk/

Thank you so much Gins, that is all I wanted to know.
Regards,
Carole

Officially Closed means they were born after 1915 and were still alive after 1991.

Some people have reported that there are some records open which should be closed and vice versa.

The opened ones seem to be because the yob has been incorrectly recorded or transcribed.

The ones which should be open but aren't, could be because they don't have a gro death record - they may have died abroad either naturally or at the tail end of WW2.

Thank you DetEcTive, now to decide whether the households are worth opening or not. If it is officially closed, do they still have the name and information listed?
Regards,
Carole

No Carole, that's the whole meaning of 'closed' :-)

only those people who meet the criteria - born before 1915 *or* born after 1915 and known to have died before 1991 - will be shown

this is to protect the privacy of living people

I have run across a member of my own family, an uncle of my dad, who I know died in 1986 (in the GRO deaths index), but who is not appearing on any search so I am assuming his record is closed since he was born in the early 1920s - record should be open since died before 1991 though ... of course he could be there somewhere and just mistranscribed

Wouldn't know!

All the details for the 'closed' person is obscured by a thick, black, line.

If you're absolutely sure that the household person is deceased, you can apply to have the details revealed. There are contradictory reports as to what documentary evidence is required. Some people say the gro index reference is sufficient, others that a death certificate needs to be uploaded.
There is the added problem that you can’t be certain that the Closed person is living at the household address.
………

The instructions for subscribers to FMP are
You can use the form below if you would like to request a search of closed records from the 1939 Register. If the record can be opened, we will let you know when it has been done. You will need to conduct a search for that person on the site to find the record. This is likely to include the following details – name, address, date of birth, and occupation, as well as household schedule numbers.
You need proof that the person is no longer living in order to submit your request to us. We can only accept a copy of an official death certificate (issued by the General Register Office or overseas equivalent) so please ensure you have this documentation before proceeding.
Please note we require the address as of 29 September 1939 (the date when the Register was taken) for the person about whom you are enquiring.
………..

Non subscribing users are directed to the National Archives. As an example, I’d searched for a household where there is a known relative (I think!)
http://tiny.cc/9cit5x
The NA “charge a non-refundable fee of £25 for a search. This fee covers the search and administration costs.”
………..

So if little Emily is living with grandma instead of, as you assume, her parents, her record won’t be opened.

Thank you Joonie, guess I won't waste my time or money then. My family obviously fall under the category of moving overseas and they died out of the UK. Pity, I was hoping after all the hype of the 1939 listing coming, that it would provide some answers.
Regards,
Carole

Hi Joonie, So, if you go for a record of someone born 1885 (who died in UK 1959) you would see him there PLUS a woman he lived with (that you had not asked to see) but you know was born in 1888 and must therefore surely be long dead - you could see her and any other residents conforming with the rules described.
This would mean that any children in the house would not show up.
Do you get one stab at at - ie what about people who reverse their christian names?
I have never been so cautious at spending my pension as I am withe this.
One thing is good - that you don't have to have FMP membership to do it.

Thank you again DetEcTive,
Problem is I don't know where they were living at 29 Sept 1939, that is what I was trying to find out in the first place. Never mind, another dead end.
Regards,
Carole

I'm no expert here ... I haven't paid to view anything so far because I've found what I wanted just by the free search

but here's a way of checking whether what you're looking for is in the record

don't put any name in the blanks for the person you are looking for

select the 'Borough/District' where they are living - of course if you know the street name so much the better

put the name of the person you know is there in the 'Other household member's' first and second name(s) blanks down at the bottom

the search will give you that person's name and the names of the other (not closed) household members

now if you are looking for the members of a Mary Smith household and don't know the street, you might not have much luck with that

but ordinarily I have found it works well

Thanks Joonie, I would most certainly say YOU ARE AN EXPERT HERE!

Jenny

Thank you Joonie.
I previously tried putting another family member's name in and found what would be her household, but it also has three "officially closed" persons. If it won't show me any more info, no point in opening it unfortunately. I will try your suggestion too.
Thanks, Carole

An afterthought. Maybe somebody can advise me on this: As everybody had to put the day, month and year of their birth on their ration book application forms, do you think it possible that the software can pull out absolutely everyone who registered who had the date of birth - 9th August 1888? I think this is the only way to find out about a missing wife of my relative who was obviously using the surname of her new man! Obviously I would be prepared to pay for this information.
Jen

Yes, you can just search by birth date, but-

Just entering a birth date of 9th August 1888 brings up 1,650 results.

Entering the same birth date and putting female in reduces the results to 898.

What is the person's first name that you are trying find? If you are able to share some details perhaps we can help find her.

Thanks for your reply Austin.Q. The missing lady was born in Whitechapel on 9 August 1888 and named Mary Ann Connor. In December 1907 she married my uncle Henry Frederick Bass and was appearing on the 1911 census as Mary Ann Bass. The couple split but did not divorce. I tracked him to Camberwell with his new lady and they are on the 1939 census. We are assuming that if she was alive in 1939 she would have registered for a ration book. Of course it is possible that she did between 1912 and then - or emigrated but if she did it was not in her legal name. So you can see what I am up against. I can't afford to have FMP or Ancestry membership nowadays so any help of advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks again for your interest. regards Jen aged 78

Thanks for your reply Austin.Q. The missing lady was born in Whitechapel on 9 August 1888 and named Mary Ann Connor. In December 1907 she married my uncle Henry Frederick Bass and was appearing on the 1911 census as Mary Ann Bass. The couple split but did not divorce. I tracked him to Camberwell with his new lady and they are on the 1939 census. We are assuming that if she was alive in 1939 she would have registered for a ration book. Of course it is possible that she did between 1912 and then - or emigrated but if she did it was not in her legal name. So you can see what I am up against. I can't afford to have FMP or Ancestry membership nowadays so any help of advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks again for your interest. regards Jen aged 78

Oh right, I see what you mean- quite a task as she could have been down as Mary or Mary Ann!

Can I just confirm this is the lady?


1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
25 Arbour Sqr Stepney E, Mile End Old Town, London, England

Henry Frederick Bass Head Married Male Motor Van Driver 25 1886 London Bethnall Green
Mary Ann Bass Wife Married Female Nil 21 1890 London Whitechapel
-----------------------------------------

and this is Henry 1939?

Bass Household (3 People) 27 Philip Road , Camberwell, London, England
Henry F Bass 02 Oct 1885 Male Lorry Driver (Meat) Married 112 1
Lilian Mabel Wass (Bass) 21 Apr 1891 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
Eri?H J Weavens 01 Jun 1907 Male Stockkeeper Wollen Single

Jennifer, Have you checked the electoral registers?

I have world wide subscription on FMP and I can use the 1939 register and look at all the original version of the register without buying credits.

It was added to my list of areas I could have access to a few months back.

I was offered several special offers when the register came on and then had an e-mail telling me I had full access to it at no further cost.