Genealogy Chat

Anthony have sent you a pm. Lou

Thanks for that. I believe the person was born with one name and then brought up by someone else and eventually took their name. It just seemed odd that it showed both names on the register. I'd have thought he was either one or the other.

Thanks again.

If it was round the other way say...

'Fred Smith married Jane Bloggs or Jones'..... then there's a possibility that Jane was married before

But if its the way you have it here, then i have no idea

Could be . . .

Either somebody was using an alias (which you can do, as long as it's not for fraudulent purposes, I think), which sometimes explains why men come up with two different names.

Or they may have used both names due to having a stepfather ie. my great-grandad Samuel Rowland was born Samuel Rowland and married in that name but was illegitimate. When his mum married Mr. Norris, Samuel was named as Norris in the 1881 census but when he married as Samuel Rowland in 1888, he named his dad as Mr. Norris. So he might be acknowledging that his step-father was the only father he had known.

In the case of women, it can often be that they've been divorced and are listed under both maiden name and previous married name. The above Samuel Rowland's daughter Alice, my grandma, was first married to a Briggs and then to a Siggs so - if I look my grandad Siggs up on the marriage index, it tells me his wife was "Briggs or Rowland".

On marriage records it sometimes offers two names. For example 'Jane Smith married Fred Bloggs or Jones'.

What does this mean? Surely you can only have one name at a time?