First, I use the ‘Who do you think you are – Family Tree maker’ software. At the moment there are two separate family trees on it but I don’t know how to move between the two; is there anybody that does know?
Second, I would like to know if there is anywhere else I can look to find the following: -
My 2xgreat grandfather, Edward Fordie, was born in C1840 at Woolwich Barracks, then classed as Kent. He was the third child of Colour Sergeant James Fordie and his wife Ellen. I have looked in both the civil births registers and in Army births but can find no trace of the birth being recorded. Does anyone have any idea of where else I could look?
Many births were not recorded during the early years of civil registration. Parents were only legally obliged to inform a registrar of the details of a birth if the registrar demanded them.
Many people thought that a child's baptism was a legal alternative to registration. The position improved from 1875 when the Births and Deaths Act 1874 imposed a duty upon those present at a birth or death to report it to a registrar. There were fines for non-registration and penalties for late registration ( more than 42 days after a birth). Despite this some births and deaths after 1875 have not been recorded. In order to avoid paying a late registration penalty some parents reported a later (incorrect) date of birth for a child.