Genealogy Chat

After a very long search I have today traced the baptism of an elusive ancestor who claimed consistently on every census to have been born in the City of London. I duly searched all the likely parish registers of the the City but without success. At the London Metropolitan Archives by chance I came across a booklet by a blessed lady called Jenifer Edmonds that listed strays from Bethnal Green, and there was my man; the reason I couldn't find him was that he was baptised by the chaplain of the City of London Hospital where he was born. So if you cannot find a baptism where you think it should be, see if there is some other institution in the district that had the authority to carry out the ceremonies.

Thanks Peter for adding this, every little bit of information helps, although I did find this out years ago too. Trish

Thanks Peter, every little bit of knowledge helps doesn't it ? And isn't the thrill of finding something in an unusual place very satisfying ? I was waiting at our State Archives Office one afternoon for a item to come up from stack, and was idly cruising the book shelves. There was ledger which listed the burials of a particular funeral director who worked on the outskirts of Sydney - I suddenly found three burials about which I had been curious, but being post 1945, would have been difficult to chase up through official channels.(In the last few months they have published death indexes to 1976, so I would have been able to find them eventually, but it was a great boost in the early days of my research) Diane Sydney

Thanks Peter, I would add that not all baptisms occur when you would expect them either. I have a family who belonged to a protestant sect that baptised children at seven. I have also seen two or three children from the same family being baptised together.

Thanks Peter - but where did you find those records please? And what is the publication which contains strays?

Most of mine WEREN'T baptised in the Parish church, as they were strong non-conformists. OC

Heather, The booklets were on sale at the London Metropolitan Archives but they originated at the Family History Shop. If you google 'jenlibrary' you will find the website and address. Annie, You are quite right that there are sometimes multiple baptisms. Yesterday I found a batch of five from the same family including one that had been done before.

This is useful info to know, thanks! Laura x

I've found some of mine, at least with the first born will take the child to the parish the mother was born in, even if they live quite a way away, to be baptised/christened Rebecca