Genealogy Chat

An eightyear old woman dies, who has been known for the last twenty years of her life as Jessica. Her birth name is in fact Jessie and I have her on my tree as such, but I have been informed by some younger family members that I should have her by her preferred name, Jessica. Is there a hard and fast rule? or is it left to the individual who is the informant of the death? I have come across this duplicity many times in older searches, but I would have thought that perhaps modern documentation would have required more accurate details, if only for future genealogical research. Graham Brember

I presume you mean an 80 year old woman? I don't know if things are more stringent now, but my husband's great-grandmother is Rosella on her marriage and death certs, but Rose on her birth cert. People are known as what they are known by - not necessarily their birth or proper name. What goes on a death cert is down to the informant. nell

personally I'd use her proper name on my tree , with her assumed(pet) name noted somewhere.

I use a tree program and I put in 'birth names' and there is an AKA box. For instance my Dad's step-father was John Thomas but always known as Tom so that is what is in the AKA box. Otherwise I would get very confused.

I don't think that registrars give a thought to future genealogical research when preparing certificates. Reg

I use a person's birth name on my tree and put in the notes or in brackets the prefered name. As for what someone is called on a death certificate, it depends on who the informant is and how well they know the deceased. Someone who is not close family might not know what the birth name is, if another name has been used for a long time. Everything on a death certificate apart from cause of death is down to the information given by the informant Kath. x.

I always put the 'found' spelling in my tree, with the real name in brackets if it is wildly different from the name they were known by. This jogs my memory in case I have to look for them again (lol) and gives lots of variations to act as bait for people who only knew my Mary Emma as Polly, or who found her baptised (as I did) as Emma Mary. Olde Crone

Thanks everyone...it seems that the informant has the last say. Graham Brember

Graeme I don't think the informant has the last say at all. You can put down her name as Jessie, after all that's what she was named. I would however note that she was known as Jessica for the last 20 years. Who knows what she was called aged 40-60? Younger people will insist on Jessica because that is what she was known to them as but Jessie was her real name. A lot of my family, current generations, go by their middle names or other random names ie I have several uncle Jacks but no Jacks if you check their birth name and only one John. No idea why they are all Jack. I don't put them down as Jack. I do note that Jack is their nickname as talking to my Mum would be very confusing otherwise. Toni