Search for father of Henry Richard Collins

Question

Hello fellow genealogy enthusiasts,

I would love some help, I'm trying to find the name of my gg grandfather Collins. (WT id = Collins-5836)

Here is what I know: he married Antoinette Charlotte Gersbach in South Africa. They had three children, May, Blanche Edith (b.1901) and Henry Richard (b.1890).

I am unable to find any documentation with his name on - no birth certificates, no marriage certificate, and I don't know when exactly he died. (I have checked the Cape Town archives for a death notice but no luck there).

Any info or suggestions on where to look would be MOST appreciated!

Toni Andrews
South Africa

Comments

Hi Toni,

Have you obtained the marriage records of his children? Their death certificates?

Sometimes the best clues we find are later dated, as with the records about someone's children.

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Hi GeneJ_X

I have the marriage register of Henry Richard, would the certificate have different information? (Sorry if that is a newbie kind of question ^_^)
It seems the death notice I have for Henry's sister is also the wrong one, as it doesn't include parent's names. -_-

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Hi Toni,

I have not worked with Cape Town reports from the 1960s. Not all locations use the same protocols and thus reporting schemes. As well, jurisdiction protocols change over time, thus the records available (and details) will change.

As you did not discover clues to the parentage in the marriage records, are we able to learn them from the death records (whether register or certificate). As you come forward in time, it is often the case that records become more detailed.

P.S. WikiTree ID Collins-5836, the son, reports a date of birth but no birth location. It sounds like you believe the parents married there.

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The strange thing is that I am unable to find a death record for Henry. My grandmother told me he died 25 Apr 1966 - but still I find no record. Although she also said he was born in Lincolnshire, UK (hence the lack of location on the profile page, I didn't want to add details until I knew which was true).

I assume Antoinette was married in South Africa, as she was born here...but perhaps that is not the case...

I do know Antoinette died 12 Dec 1951, from a church record for her burial, but I can't seem to find her death notice - another strange happening.

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I see in your comment below that you plan to confirm Antoinette's burial record. That is a good step. Depending on their protocols in the 1950s, the cemetery records my include some notation about her death record and/or obituary. There could be a notation about when the cemetery plot was purchased and who purchased it.

Hopefully you'll be able to learn if she is buried with other family members.

Answer 1

Have you tried the cemetery records?

Comments

Hi Kimberly,

Are the cemetery records kept at the Archives too?
I could check for Antoinette's record, but I have no info on her husband, so not sure which cemetery or what year to check.
Will definitely investigate further though, thanks ^_^

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Cemetery records are usually kept at the cemetery office. Here where I live in a rural area. Several of the cemetery records are kept at the funeral home or with the caretaker. If you know which cemetery try their office or local funeral homes. Good luck.

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Thanks! I think I'll try Antoinette's cemetery first and see if that brings any joy :)