Genealogy Chat

on a marriage certificate, it gives the father of the bridegroom, and the father of the bride in 1855, would it have stated wether they were deceased or not? as is the practice now

Not necessarily. I think it depended on how the questions were asked.

My mother married in 1943 and did not state on her marriage cert that her father was deceased and he had died in 1922!

Jill

Absolutely it would - check out the marrs of 2 of Lazarus Hill's kids:

Marriage: 25 Aug 1894 St Elizabeth of Hungary, Aspull, Lancashire, England
Robert Hill - 21 Collier Bachelor of Heyes Square, higher Gullet, Aspull
Ellen Westhead - 21 Pit-Brow Woman Spinster of 2 Leigh's Yard, Hr. Gullet, Aspull
Groom's Father: Richard Hill, Collier (decd.)
Bride's Father: John Westhead, Collier (decd.)
Witness: Emmanuel Seddon; Alice Hill, (X)
Married by Banns by: George F. Grundy M.A. Vicar
Register: Marriages 1883 - 1900, Page 101, Entry 202
Source: LDS Film 1885720

Marriage: 13 Oct 1894 St Elizabeth of Hungary, Aspull, Lancashire, England
Emmanuel Seddon - 20 Collier Bachelor of 284 Chorley Road, Wingates, Westhoughton
Mary Jane Hill - 19 Pit-Brow Woman Spinster of 11 Lr. Gullet, Aspull
Groom's Father: Emmanuel Seddon, Collier
Bride's Father: Richard Hill, Collier
Witness: Thomas Westwell; Sarah Barstow
Married by Banns by: George F. Grundy M.A. Vicar
Register: Marriages 1883 - 1900, Page 102, Entry 203
Source: LDS Film 1885720

Lawrence

It could all depend on how the vicar asked the question ................ some people, even these days, only answer the exact question. They don't add any information not asked for.

So if the Vicar asked "What was your father's name and occupation?"

.......... that is the information that would be given

......... some people would add "... but he's dead"

others would not



so, unless the Vicar then asked "Is he still alive?" ......... the certificate will not show "deceased".





and, of course, do not forget that the bride and/or groom may have lied


One or both might have been illegitimate, but decided to give the name of a "father" because it looked better


In that case, the named person might possibly be the real father, but is more likely to grandfather, a local person, a local person of renown, or completely made-up.


It is practically impossible to find the name of the father of an illegitimate child ................ sometimes the vicar when baptising such a child will add a notation to the register, or the mother may have applied for support.




sylvia

PP - re: MGNV - absolutely it would?????

Did you not read the rest of my post?

No its not an absolute.

My Mums father was married twice .Mum was the eldest from his second marriage.
When he married his first wife in 1898 he gave his dads name and occupation. His wife died in 1907 and in 1909 he married gran and gave the same details for his father but added deceased I spent time and money on death certs between 1898 and 1907 and got nowhere.

The last sign of his was on the 1881 census but his family wasn't found on later census (cos she had remarried!!)

A Freebmd update was done and by chance I entered a wrong name but bingo there he was !! he died in 1884 aged 37 from TB

So it did depend how the Registrar asked the questions !

.

mgnv - did you mean 'absolutly it would' as a reply to the answer from Jill

"Not necessarily. I think it depended on how the questions were asked."

I think some people have read it as a direct reply to the OP

I have one marriage certificate where it just says deceased where the bride and grooms fathers names should be.

I'm guessing that when they were asked for their fathers names they just said that he was dead and the vicar left it at that. From other research I have been ablke to prove that their fathers had died by the time they married.

Chris

thanks to all that answered my marriage lines question, so it seems it is just any ones guess, they could be dead or alive, or not even the correct father,baffing to say the least.