Genealogy Chat

I have been discussing this subject with my aunt today as she insists the name on the marriage certificate for her father's (my grandfather) father is William.(deceased.) I have my grandfathers death certificate which states his date of birth and district he was born. I have his birth certificate which gives fathers name as Thomas. Everything matches. There was no on else born the same time or area on 1901 census except Thomas and his family. I am still a bit uneasy but I believe mistakes were made quite frequently. I have birth certificates where the mother put her mark as she could not read or write. On one she is down as Marian and another Mary Ann and on 1881 census Maria. I have another wedding certificate where the bride had her father's name on and I spent ages trying to find him only to find the family on an earlier census and the mother was widowed. I could go on and on.. but I won't. We must keep a sense of humour(: Shirley

You have now set me thinking again about my granddad. I have his birth certificate, 1880. I had been wondering if they had married as I have not found the marriage, he has his fathers name the mother is formally etc. In 2 census they both have m and she wife. in the last census 1901, he is down as married and she is housekeeper and has her maiden name. I did wonder if they had argued as granddad was in the Boar war. Sadly granddad was an only child as a brother had died young. g granddad died in 1904 maybe I should get his death certificate and see if g grandma has herself married to him again. Irene

Hi Everyone, Just to set the cat amongst the pidgeons. YES THE FATHERS NAME ON THE MARRIAGE CERT.IS WRONG. I have discovered for a fact, that an elderly relative,put on her certificate,that her father had a double barraled name. It was her second marriage,not,she had only lived with the previous (husband) and had 3 children.Obviously all 3 children were illegitamate.But to make herself look good,put that down.What I cant understand is,didnt the 2nd Husband wonder why her father,had the same surname as her children.Or part of the surname.Probably they werent so suspicious in those days.Talk about a Skeleton in the cupboard. Obviously she couldnt put her maiden name on cert.that would have proved she had never been married.Crafty eh. regards trish

My mother-in-law's father had four daughters. On each of their marriage certificates he has a different variation of his name. Henry Raymond, William Henry Raymond, William Henry Williams Raymond and Harry Raymond. Talk about pulling your hair out. Wish I could have met this chap. (And I still have not found his birth certificate because I have found three William Henry Raymond all with a father called Richard Raymond). Happy hunting from baldy.

Yes name could be wrong-I have a marriage cert of an ancestor who put his fathers name down as George, when it was actually John. Fortunately we proved it was a mistake as they lived in a small village with an unusual name, by checking the parish records for his birth/marriage and on census records, father was always John.

My "brick wall" ancestor was named James Mumford. During one census, he used the name Joseph Mumford. After years and years of research, believe his actual name was James Joseph. Good luck with your research.

What a common problem, I have it on a few of mine. My Grandfather Robert's birth cant be found with a father Edwin, even tho it says that on the marriage certificate. Another one of mine has a christening record with a father James, a marriage cert with a father Francis. My father who was illegitimate put his father as Daniel, he didnt know who he was and I've no idea where he got the info. I agree sometimes they were known as something else or sometimes they use a middle name. On the CWGC site I found one of my Grandfather, Robert, sons KIA with the father listed as John, I queried it and it appears his widow filled out the form, I've no idea where John came from. Creates a big problem for all of us. Sometimes a birth certificate solves the problem, if you can find it!!! Christina

More like he was called by the name he used, this often happened, we have an Auntie Connie, but in the indexing its Miriam same as her grandmother, and my father in law Charles which is even on our marraige certificate was Arthur Charles, and his grandmother Ethel, on her death and marrriage was born Harriet Ethel. My husband's family did seem to change their names a lot. Irene

In answer to your question, I think YES, the father's name could be wrong. My own problem is with my grandfather. On his marriage cert to my nan it says his father is Edward Robert Buzzing (Deceased). I found an Edward Robert Buzzing married to a Sarah. My grandfather's mother on his birth cert was Sarah BUT the father was down as George Charles James Buzzing (the same name as my grandfather)!!! I've come to the conclusion that grandpops was illegitimate as Edward Robert died in 1892 and my g/father wasn't born til 1908. Good luck in your search but you have to remember that back in those days LOTS of mistakes were made.

Yes it can be, I have an ancestor who changed the name of her dad on each of her marriage certs, turns out she was illegitimate and probably had no idea who her dad was.

Hi It could be that he was known by a different name to his actual birth name, I've had that quite a few times and its causes major headaches.

I would appreciate your opinion on this. My Father Joseph Edward Betts (b.1926) died when I was 9 in 1969 and so I never knew much about him apart from he served in the second world war and then was in the army until 1962, I have his medals, I know nothing of his family only bits my mother could remember, I have five older half brothers and sisters, I have recently made contact with my half sister and she too can not remember much of our granddad, he seemed to come and go and finally disappeared for good in the 1950s and I remember my mother saying my grandmother died around the time I was born in 1960, so looking on 1837 online (reportedly the complete birth, deaths, marriages) starting 1960 and found her death, then I found her birth through my fathers birth entry, then found her marriage in 1922 so sent for the certificate and found my grand father was a Edward Betts, aged 19, which gives his birth year around 1901/2, his fathers name was given as Joseph. I looked at all the Betts births from 1900 to 1905 and found there was only 1 Edward Betts born Ashton under Lyne in 1903 so the right age. I sent away for the cert and it has now come. Here are my Questions 1. Is this my Grandfather? 2. Could it be possible for his fathers name Joseph on the marriage certificate to be wrong. The birth certificate said he was born at 3 Tenter Brow Stalybridge, Cheshire to Elizabeth Ellen Betts and William Charles Betts, I then found his family at this address on the 1901 census and they had 2 other children. Now here are what leads me to think this is he and his parents. My father had a younger sister who died aged 4 in 1927 and I sent for her death cert and the person that registed her death was her grand mother Elizabeth E Betts the same name as on Edward Betts Birth Cert. And the other coincidence is that William Charles And Elizabeth Ellen Betts had on the 1901 census a child John Adolphus Betts, Edwards older Brother, I recently found my dads only living brother Brian A Betts in Sheffield, his middle name is Adolphus, would it not be a strange coincidence that two members of a different family would have a name like that or is it likely Edward Betts my Granddad named his son after an older brother, I have found no Joseph Betts’s that fit’s the bill. Any Thoughts appreciated. Kindest Regards Gary.