Genealogy Chat

In old parish registers, it is quite common to see the initials PB beside a baptism. This indicates that a child has been privately baptised at home for whatever reason and then welcomed into the church in a public service - not baptised twice.


The other reason for a 'second' baptism is when people moved areas and put their children forward for baptism in order to claim parish relief.

A child is only supposed to be baptized once.

Ancestry has 2 baptism hits for this guy - both are from a parish register of the Church of England in Canada, as the Anglican Church was then called. The first reads:

Gaspé Anglican:
Clarence John, son of John
Francis Minchinton of the
North West Arm, Gaspé, and of
Beatrice Isobel (Olsen) his
wife, was born on the sixth
and was baptized on the
thirtieth day of September
A.D. Nineteen hundred and eight.
By me
J.W. Wayman
Rector
Beatrice Minchinton

Now this was a private baptism, and in view of the frequency in former times of private baptisms by laymen, the Book of Common Prayer has a special conditional baptism along the lines of:
Dear God, if we got it right first time, ignore this. However, if we stuffed up, then this one counts.

Since the first one was by the rector, it's unlikely he stuffed up.
Indeed, when we look at the image for the 2nd hit, it turns out not to be a baptism, in spite of how Ancestry's listed it:

Gaspé Anglican:
Clarence John, son of John
Francis Minchinton of the
North West Arm, Gaspé, and
of Beatrice Isobel (Olsen) his
wife, having been privately
baptized, was received into
the church on the fifteenth
day of July A.D. Nineteen hundred
and nine.
By me
J.W. Wayman
Rector

Beatrice Minchinton
Robie Stanley ???
following Olsens

The Mother ]
Clarence Olsen ] Sponsors
Charles Olsen ]

It was usual to baptise a child very soon after birth if it wasn´t likely to survive & then again if it did.
Also children of "mixed " marriages were often baptised twice. My grandfather was taken by his grandmother to be baptised by a catholic priest because his mother was catholic & his father Cof E& she was concerned for his immortal soul.

Perhaps this illustrates just how much our attitude to religion has changed. When I was a kid we were baptised, went to Sunday School and church, joined the cubs and scouts all under the church roof. Now I don't think anybody cares though I see an awful lot of people putting "OMG" on their posts!

Me? God is my best pal. He's always there for me, gives me lots, asks me for nothing but gets my respect anyway.

Thanks for all your replies, this baptism was the same church, parents, address, name, occupation of father etc., there was though 11 children born, he was the second. The first one lived to adult hood but 8 of them, included William Henry, died in very early childhood.

The parents didnt split up, the mother died having my grandfather, the 11th child. Very sad situation really but double baptisms seem to be more popular than I thought. I thought maybe it was something to do with so many dying so young but both baptisms took place before anyone actually died.

I have a double baptism. One was a private baptism and the other a public baptism. When I queried it with the records offices, they said sometimes, when they think a baby is not going to make it, a private baptism takes place for the family - often at home. Then if the child improves, a public baptism is carried out at the church.

Hope this helps.
Dee

I have another - nearly forgot! Merely days apart (which is really weird), one Haslemere (5 Dec 1802), the second 12 Dec 1802 in Mickelham, Surrey. Looks to be the same parents, but on the first occasion christened under both her father's and mother's surnames. Currently looking for a marriage in that interim.

Strangely enough I just came across a double baptism yesterday, definitely same child, same dob, parents, address, etc etc and in the same church too. Second baptism was about 6 months after the first.

It appears that the couple had split up before the child was born. My guess is that the mother had the child baptised and then when her estranged husband's family got wind of it they wanted it done again so they could witness the event for themselves.

I have a an xtimes great grandafather who appears to have been baptised/christened twice - once alongside his twin (brother) and again after that brother had died a few months later on. This in an church in the Weald of Kent.

It seems that the blessing was for the pair - and doubly for the surviving individual.

Are you positive that it is the same child and not a sibling named after a deceased brother?

Was it the same church or denomination?
I have heard of a child being baptised twice in more recent years and this was to please both sets of grandparents who each wanted the child baptised in a church local to that side of the family. The parents just let them both think they went along with their wishes.

Gwyn

Many people had their child baptised as soon as possible after birth to ensure the child was consecrated in case it should die. I wonder if, in this case, the child being sickly the parents might have taken it to church again to strengthen the "spell". On another note, if witnesses were different might a second ceremony have been to allow other family members to witness the event? A bit like the common double weddings in the OPR's.

I have a relative a brother of my grandad, for who I have got 2 baptisms. He was born 6th August 1888 and baptised in October 1888. He was then baptised again in the same church in March 1889.

Unfortunately he died in January 1893, but was just wondering why he would have been baptised twice. Thats the only double baptism I have found.

Anybody any ideas why this would be


Marilyn