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Trying to find birth record (or anything else) for STANLEY DAVIS, my great uncle. He appears as S Davis, aged 9, born Devonport, in the 1911 census. His parents were NICHOLAS JAMES DAVIS and ELIZABETH ANN AMBROSE. His siblings were ELIZABETH MAUD, FLORENCE MAY, LESLIE ARTHUR, SYDNEY NICHOLAS, VIOLET.
GRO entries 5b 83, 5b 300 and 5b 309 have all turned out not to be the right Stanley. Quite possible that Stanley may have been his second name. Have managed to get birth certificates for all his siblings but he continues to elude me! Any ideas please, on why I cannot find the correct birth entry for him?

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Births Dec 1903 (>99%)
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DAVIS Stanley James S Devonport 5b 309

Thanks Choccy, but when I ordered that certificate GRO stated "We have not produced a certificate as the parents are not Nicholas James and Elizabeth ann". It was the same thing for entries 5b 83 and 5b 300. Have you ever known GRO to get it wrong, as I have been wondering if they might have made a mistake with one of these as I can't locate him anywhere else?

May I make a suggestion. If he was registered under a different given name, would it be worthwhile to try to form family groups using the 1911 from all the Davis children born in Devonport around the time. Then if one of the children in the list (FreeBMD) can't be placed, perhaps you could try the GRO again with that name and the parents. Hope that makes sense.

Jill

Thank you Jillian. I'm not sure I know how to form family groups groups on FreeBMD but I will try it. Thanks again.
Sandra

Sorry Sandra. What I meant was get a list of the children with any given name born Devenport from about the right time then try to fit them into the Davis families on the census from Devenport. Then see what you have left over and you never know. Any good? If not I'll do one after I've done my son's pasta to show you what I mean.

Jill

Oh I see! Yes, I'll try that thanks. ( I'm studying my ECDL notes at the same time as keeping an eye on this so I'll have a go at that when I'm fed up with the studying!) Thanks again.
Sandra

Perhaps when GRO stated "the parents are not Nicholas James and Elizabeth ann"
they were simply down as Nicholas and Elizabeth ( no middle names)

I see what you mean Mike. Their full names are listed on all the other certicicates (for their other children, that is). I have just tried out Jillian's suggestion but still no luck. Very frustrating not to be able to find him when I've found the others! Thanks for your suggestion.
Sandra

On second thoughts ...

If this is brother Leslie, I doubt your Stanley was born Dec quarter 1903

Births Jun 1904 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVIS Leslie Arthur - Devonport 5b 312


Unless Stanley was registered late .

On second thoughts ...

If this is brother Leslie, I doubt your Stanley was born Dec quarter 1903

Births Jun 1904 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVIS Leslie Arthur - Devonport 5b 312


Unless Stanley was registered late .

this death looks like it could be the same family perhaps

Deaths Dec 1902 (>99%)
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Davis Stanley Leslie 0 Devonport 5b 221

I've just had a go myself. And I've looked up Stanley Davies aswell as Davis from March 1901 to Dec 1903 for all areas.

Do you know if he married? Double check the info you have re age and father.

Do you know when he died? Backtrack the yob from age at death?

Jill

And just a thought but the way the form was completed wasn't very good . If you look at their first attempt it reads as five children living, two died but on the second attempt it's six children living with two died.

Don't know what this contributes to the answer but....

Jill

I have come across a few where they have listed the dec'd children. That death I posted is strange as I cannot see a birth to match

jax

Thanks everyone for your tips and efforts.

Mike - Leslie Arthur, born 1904, was my grandfather. My older sisters remember him mentioning Stanley. (Leslie moved to Malta and lost touch with his family in the UK, so even my father, who is still with us, did not know his aunts and uncles, but also remembers Stanley being mentioned).

Jax - the 1902 death entry couldn't be him as he is showing as being 9 years old in the 1911 census.

Jillian - the 1911 census page for Nicholas James Davis shows his wife Elizabeth, followed by 5 children starting from his second born, as his first born (also Elizabeth) was already married and listed on her husband's census form. I know absolutely nothing about Stanley, not whether he married or had children or when he would have died, or if he might have enlisted in the army (as his brothers Leslie and Sydney did) or perhaps the navy (like his father). I have tried to find him in military records but no luck there either. It's as though he never existed!

Thanks again all. If you have any other ideas please let me know as I really would like to at least have his birth certificate to take its place with that of his siblings and his parents.

I live in Malta, so it's not even a matter of popping to Devon city council's office to try and get info from there, but I guess I might just have to do that one day!

Is your father able to tell you what he remembers being said about Stanley? Is there a hint of an age he must have reached - you know - story about getting into bother as a teenager?

I had someone I knew for years existed but I could never find any trace of her except for her signature on her brother's cert (he was a mystery too) and my maternal grandmother's marriage cert also as a witness. Eventually I found her two changes of name and two possible fathers later but it took a long time.

So don't give up. Just keep looking.

Jill

There are 2 trees on Ancestry who say Stanley born and died 1902,it seems strange that there is only one birth for a Stanley.
maybe his name was mentioned to keep the memory alive.

Maybe the death certificate would rule him in or out.

Maryb

Mary, any chance of contacting the people on Ancestry who hold the trees?


Jill

Thanks Jillian and Mary. I'll have to ask my dad tomorrow if remembers anything else.
The Stanley who was born and died in 1902 cannot be the right one, seeing as he is listed as being 9 years old in the 1911 census.
I think the most likely story is that Stanley was his second name, but I still didn't find him when I tried Jillian's suggestion.

Thanks again everyone for all your help.