Genealogy Chat

We thought we had found all about my husbands grandad we understood his name was William Herbert Diggins but now we have now found out its Herbert William Diggins what i would like to know is if he had died when his son got married would his name still be on the marriage certificate its just so i can work out his date of birth, marriage, and death all i know is he was born in Orpington Kent Thank you Doreen

Yes the fathers name should be on the certificate and with deceased (if told) if he was dead when it happened

one of my GG Grandads changed his name round so middle name became his first so you ,may have found right one dont dismiss it. yes his name will be on marriage cert saying deceased Jeanette

Doreen What is on a marriage certificate depends upon who gives what information and the how the person filling it in recorded it. It SHOULD have the father's name, unless the person was illegitimate (even then, there might be a name). It SHOULD have (deceased) on it if the father was dead at the time of the marriage. But this is largely dependent on whether the registrar asked if the father was dead and/or if the person volunteered the information.

Several of my lot have reversed their forenames at various times or added an extra name and so on. Just makes life more interesting.

When did the son marry? Just to give some idea of time-scale................. Ancestry shows no results for the name......... Reg

You say that you 'understood' the name was William Herbert but only the entry in the birth register will show what the name IS. Whether he chooses in later life to prefer being called Herbert William or just Herbert is something with which you have to contend when looking for his name on a marriage certificate or death cert certificates - or indeed any of the certifictaes for the events of his children. Similarily, you may see a fathers name on a birth or marriage cert shown as Bill - the assumption being that it is William - until you get the birth certificate and find that he was Bill from the outset ! This happens all too often when you research - and some think it is part of the 'fun'. The death of the father can cause minor problems especially if the chap was generally know as Herbert then the names may be back to front on any certificates following his death - all a matter of what was known at the time.

Of course we are a bit in the dark as to the dates of these events but I have looked at births from 1912-1919 and the only one that fits (sorta) is William H registered Greenwich 3rd qtr 1913 1d 1851. Orpington didn't really come into its own till the 1930s when there were major housing developments - as in most of outer London, and it not so far Greenwich - Orpington ! Oh yes, the maiden name of the mother is Elston. I think Orpington births would have been registered in Bromley.

Hi My Grt Grandfather was a William H Diggins Lived in London and was buried in Lewisham. My Current Grandfather has the same name and is known as Bill.