Genealogy Chat

I've got several who were bp in both church & chapel - usually separately on the first instance, and then a family block booking second time around. Also got some bp twice at church, but on first occasion it says private (presumably an emergency & child's life at risk) and second entry says receved or publicly received. Also 2 baptised at home by the local doctor, but noted in bp register. One of these entries followed by comment died aged 1/2 hr. Jay

Mavis A possible reason then, is that they could not read the date year and transcribed it as both, rather than as one, wrong one. I am always very suspicious when a child is baptised EXACTLY a year later. Could you email your source and ask them to clarify? They may know something! The only other thing I can think of, one has come from the PR and one from the BT, and either one of those has an unreadable (or wrong) year. OC

Some of mine were baptised twice. Once at the C of E church and later into the primitive Methodists. Depends on how the initial data found is presented. In my case it was the FH database and it was only when I delved further I realised what had happened.

Sorry Olde Crone forgot to sya its 1803 & 1804

Have to admit haven't seen it myself, but Wickham Skeith in Suffolk has been transcibe & cross checked by the Local History Recorder and posted on the web (which is useful for someone in Devon) and has proved very reliable to date.

Well at least my ancestor isn't the only one, which makes it more believeable, do hate things like this, it's unsettling, you get the feeling the next thing you find is going to undermine hours & hours of previous research:-(

Have you seen this yourself in the PR? Otherwise, if its a transcription, then its a case of two people reading the year differently. When was it? Not round about 1750? OC

My great granfather was christened twice - once only days after his birth in a non conformist chapel, and then 6 months later in a parish chuch. Defintely the same one - can't be more than one John Salmon Bennett born in Bodmin - lol. Parents are the same on both as well as father's occupation. Strange! PP

No death in PR with that name during the intervening year, and as dob is the same that would follow, I like the idea of a home baptism (sickly child) followed by a church baptism later, or would it only be a 'welcoming' suppose they wouldn't actually baptise twice. These are records of a parish church.

My grandads sister was baptised twice 6 years apart. It's the same person as the date of birth was given. She was born 18 Nov 1881 and baptised 9 Feb 1882 and again 26 Mar 1888. I have seen this PR myself and there was no mention of a private baptism first. I have seen baptised privately in the PR's and then received into church at some later date, but this wasnt one of them. My grandad was born 14 Dec 1883 and also bap. 26 Mar 1888 (only once though) My thoughts are: there was a younger sibling who was born and died March 1888. I reckon the parents though they had better baptise the other children after this one died and forgot the girl had already been done. Slack vicar maybe or perhaps a new one that didnt check back (same church) Margaret

Have you checked there wasn't a burial following the first baptism and before the second? If that doesn't apply, then the first entry might be a home baptism and the second actually be a welcome to the church, but has been entered as a baptism in the PR's Merry

Any idea why a child should be christened twice? In the Parish Records everything is the same name, parents names, date of birth, but there are two entries a year apart!!