Can anyone out there read Icelandic?.....

[Ian F]

A bit of a long shot I know, but........

I've come across a great uncle of mine who died in Iceland on 06 Jan 1941, and I'd like to find out how he came to be there, and how he died. I don't know if Iceland has online BMD records, but if they do I wouldn't be able to read them. All the websites I've found in English seem to be aimed at Americans wanting to trace ancestors who came from Iceland.

His name was George Anderson, and he was born in Glasgow in 1882, the son of George and Jane Anderson. He would have been 59 when he died, so too old to have been on active service with the British Armed Forces, though the Merchant Navy is a possibility.

I'd appreciate it if someone who can read Icelandic could help me with a search

A possible starting point is
http://www.islendingabok.is/IServlets/U ... ngabok.jsp jsp
Unfortunatly, a link to the National Registry of Iceland,
http://www.statice.is/depart/natreg.htm
only gives a "This page cannot be found" . Perhaps they'll get their website fixed soon!

If there's a fee to pay for searching an Icelandic website, let me know in a PM and I'll gladly pay it.

Thanks in advance.

Ian

[Tusker]

Ian F -- I dunno if this may be of help.....

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml jsp
Tusker

[JimM]

Unfortunatly, a link to the National Registry of Iceland,
http://www.statice.is/depart/natreg.htm
only gives a "This page cannot be found" . Perhaps they'll get their website fixed soon!

Hi Ian
The register of persons only appear to start fro 1952
http://www.statice.is/?PageID=436 jsp
Jim

[Ted]

Hi Ian

PM Thrall on this site - he lives in Iceland

Ted

[Thrall]

Hi Ian, I´ll try to find out about access to records after the weekend. Fairly busy though at present. I doubt that he would be found in Íslendingabók, but will try to get access - no kids at home this weekend, but they have the access code! Although one thinks of oneself as having an interest in genealogy, the fact that I only have two blood relatives (the bairns!) in the book means that I have not applied for access myself!

Will also try contact at British Embassy here if first attempts fail.

Fortunately my wife has a colleague who used to work at the National Registry......

Will PM any salient facts found.

Thrall

[Ted]

Nice one Thrall - I was sure you would take up the 'cudgel'

Ted

[Thrall]

Hi Ted, talking of cudgels, I´m doing a concert tomorrow with a glass harmonica; hands up all who have experienced one of those live...... (well there is slight visual similarity... )

Good hunting,

Thrall

[Ian F]

Since my original posting, I've found out something more.

I first found George Anderson in a tree that someone else had uploaded to One World Tree. I tried to contact the person who submitted the original information, but got no reply (That tree was last updated in 2001)

Being something of a novice at using the resources available online, I didn't know until now that you can download the original GEDCOM file that another contributor has uploaded, and this includes notes, citations, etc. that aren't shown in the online view. I did so, and found the following note attached to George Anderson:

George Anderson's Death is recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commision -he is recorded as being on the HMS Rooke but infact he was on the HMS Barrington, his actual grave is in Rejkavik, Iceland.
As yet am am not sure of his cause of death.

So now I know he was in the RN! I'd ruled out that possibility before, because I thought that at 59 he would have beem too old for active service, but it seems not.

I don't know whether he would have an Icelandic death certificate, or whether this would have been issued by the British Naval authorities, and therefore be in English.

Thanks to Thrall, Jim and Ted for your interest.

Ian

[Thrall]

Hi Ian, good to know you´ve found more. I´ll see whether I can get a photo of his grave.

He is therefore not the George F. Anderson 59 who died on vessel "Belvedere" aged 59 in GRO Marine Deaths? (Just playing devil´s advocate!) Was he born January 1-6 1882?

Will let you know if I find the grave, and info on DC.

Thrall

[Ian F]

It doesn't look like he was that George Anderson.

I was somewhat confused as to his exact date of birth, having found two conflicting sources, but I've just downloaded his birth record from SP, and he was definately born on 11 April 1882, in the Kelvin district of Glasgow, son of George Anderson and Jane (nee Wilkinson).

Regards,

Ian