Statutory Deaths-What does "Present" mean?

[marypryde]

In viewing images in Statutory Deaths, I find that some entries under "reported by" indicate "(Present)" after the person's name and relationship. In cases where "(Present)" does NOT appear, the name of the reporting person could possibly be in different handwriting than the registrar's. Nowhere have I found an "X".

Does "Present" have anything to do with whether the person reporting the death is able to sign his name? Or am I just making this more complicated than it is?

Mary Ellen

[StewL]

Hello Mary Ellen

It is simply stating whether the person reporting the death was there at the actual death or out of the residence at the time, and what their relationship to the deceased was.

[Jake Drummond]

I assumed it meant that the person named was present at the time of the document being made out.

[WilmaM]

Present on Birth and death registrations means that the person registering the event was present in the house when it happened.

On both these registrations they would have actually signed the register, so what we are seeing on SP is their actual signature, or X mark [ followed by a witness signature to confirm it].
I find that rather exciting, as some signatures look like my present families writing!

Marriage registrations are different as the register was filled in later by the registrar from the schedule filled out by the parties at the time and place of marriage

[Tracey]

I find that rather exciting, as some signatures look like my present families writing!

Oddly enough my writing has become like thiers after reading so many hand written letters by my gt's. My neat Convent school girl italic writing has now become a neat scrawl. But it was spooky to see the way my gt gt grandmother and her daughter signed thier name and how some family members are signing thiers now.

[trish58]

Looking at person present can also be a huge boon for finding other members of the family.

Last year I was looking at a death certificate of an ancestor and looked at person present it turned out to be the Son of my 2 x Gr Aunt and hubby, I didn't know they had any children as they were in their 40's when they married.
Now through tracing their Son (now past) I was able to trace their Grandson who has since sent me some lovely photos of my Gr Aunt and hubby.
So the moral of the story is never overlook the person "presnt".

Trish