Genealogy Chat

When someone gets married for the second time would she give her maiden name to the priest or her married name?

I have Brigid Hines married William Dunn April 1854. I found both William (head) and Brigid Dun (wife) in 1861 living in Whittingham with 2 children. Also there is Maria 24, John 22, Peter 19, Robert age 9mths all unmarried and surname Branen. It states that these were sons in law and daughter in law.

1851 census Brigid Branen (widow) and children same as above. Looks like it is definately the same family judging by dates of births.

The Irish side of the family is driving me insane.

I have had a couple of 2nd marriages and on the certs it states the 1st name, formally ??? nee ??? so it gives you both the 1st marriage name and the maiden name.

She should have given her married name when she married. Have you bought either certificates? But the marriage cert would show you her fathers name which would settle the matter for you.

Robert 9 months in 1861, so born 1860. If they married in 1854 surely he would have been a Dunn not a Branen?

Computer been playing up. Bridget and William Dunn were born c. 1814 - 1818, but never married until 1854 (this seemed quite late). The youngest child, Robert, I wondered if he was maybe illegitimate. The children with the surname Dunn are all either son or daughter, but those with the surname Branen are all son or daughter in law (impossible given that Robert is only 9mths). Thought it more likely that it should read stepson or stepdaughter. I have Bridget's parents names from parish register as John and Mary, but were still in living in Ireland at the time of her marriage to W.Dunn. Finding it hard to trace the family through the census because of the misspellings.

I think the ages you have given for the 1861 are actually the ages in 1851. The image has Maria 24, John 22 and Peter 19. All the Branen children except Robert born Ireland. Robert b Whittingham.

This could possibly be Robert's birth reg. I wonder if he could be Maria's son?

Births Sep 1860 (>99%)
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BRANNEN Robert Alnwick 10b 284

That's what I thought. It's the William Dunn Head and the fact that marriage has Brigid Hines, but then all these other children as in laws. Am I just having a brainstorm (not another one), but surely it would list the children as stepson etc.

It did list them as stepson etc, except that back in those days, they were commonly called son-in-law, which is the older name for a stepson.

many thanks everyone.