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unknown name

  • 02-10-2014 7:42pm
    #1
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,614 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Has anyone ever come across how the GRO indexes people whose name is unknown?

    EG: dead body turns up, they can't identify it at all - but death is registered.

    Obviously I've seen babies registered with just a surname, but not adults.
    Any thoughts?

    Genealogy Forum Mod



Comments

  • #2
    Waitsian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,706 ✭✭✭Waitsian


    pinkypinky wrote: »
    Has anyone ever come across how the GRO indexes people whose name is unknown?

    EG: dead body turns up, they can't identify it at all - but death is registered.

    Obviously I've seen babies registered with just a surname, but not adults.
    Any thoughts?

    Do you mean like a John or Jane Doe pinky? Have you found one? A murder victim? Someone who was homeless? Or a hermit with no friends and family? Depending on the era of course but there was a time when people didn't have any ID, or could easily avoid any records. And there wouldn't have been widely accessed media nor dental records to use two other examples.

    I've never seen such an entry but I imagine there'd be quite a few of them, especially in the mid to late 19th C.

    Edit: it's just dawned on me - who would register such a death and why? Hmmm, I don't know, it's a good question.


  • #3
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,614 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    Well, I don't want to go into too much detail but I'm trying to verify a story about someone who was possibly shot during the war of independence. His body was allegedly dumped at the workhouse...I don't have a definite time so going through minute books would be epic undertaking.

    If you consider that authorities might discover a body, they would register the death of an unknown person.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



  • #4
    CeannRua
    Closed Accounts Posts: 470 ✭✭CeannRua


    Just did a search - there are 'Male Unknown' and 'Female Unknown' entries showing up. Also some 'not known' and some with a first name and 'Unknown' as a surname etc. Is that what you mean?


  • #5
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,614 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    Yes - thanks. I was trying "unknown" but it was finding nothing!

    FMP still showing nothing when I search like this but familysearch shows a few. Here's one:

    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FRLJ-XPR

    Genealogy Forum Mod



  • #6
    Coolnabacky1873
    Registered Users Posts: 556 ✭✭✭Coolnabacky1873


    I just did a random search in "Cork" and a number of them came up. Many of the non-baby deaths have nice rounded ages such as 35, 50, 60.

    The standard seems to be Male Unknown/Female Unknown.


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  • #7
    Waitsian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,706 ✭✭✭Waitsian


    pinkypinky wrote: »
    Yes - thanks. I was trying "unknown" but it was finding nothing!

    FMP still showing nothing when I search like this but familysearch shows a few. Here's one:

    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FRLJ-XPR

    A 25 yr old in 1920 - sounds ominous! :(


  • #8
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    Just wondering if a body would be brought to a morgue, undertakers, hospital, or the coroner in those circumstances. Anyone from those centres might be the person to report the death for death cert.


  • #9
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,014 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Jellybaby1 wrote: »
    Just wondering if a body would be brought to a morgue, undertakers, hospital, or the coroner in those circumstances. Anyone from those centres might be the person to report the death for death cert.
    Certainly in modern times at least if an unidentified corpse is found there'll be an inquest, and that will result in the death being registered (if it hasn't already been by, e.g., hospital authorities).


  • #10
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    This is not a pleasant thought but if a body was not identified or claimed in the 19th century, would they give the body to the Royal College of Surgeons for research and would there be any records of that do you think?


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