Genealogy Chat

Hi Richard, I had an IGI baptism entry with just the mother's name & I too assumed the child was illegitimate. However, later on in my research, I discovered that the mother was a widow when her child was born, so the child was not illegitimate as it had been conceived in wedlock!! Regards, Gillian

Thanks to all for the replies. Here's the listing - does this mean it's from the Send & Ripley parish registers ? ROBERT DAWS TURNER Male Event(s): Birth: 07 OCT 1832 Christening: 18 NOV 1832 Send And Ripley, Surrey, England Parents: Mother: MARY TURNER Family Messages: Extracted birth or christening record for locality listed in the record. The source records are usually arranged chronologically by the birth or christening date. Source Information: Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type: J109872 1794 - 1875 0991746, 0991747 Film 6906308 Film Sheet: 00 On his marriage certificate, his father is named as Robert Daws Turner too. I had wondered if his father was actually Robert Daws - a fairly common name for the area. Thanks again for listening, Rick.

Hi, The IGI is only an index and is full of errors. Anything you find on the IGI should be checked against original records. If the information you found is from an Ancestral file view it with a large bucket of salt as many of these submissions are fabricated. It should say on the page what the source was. If it was parish records or Bishop's transcripts look at the originals on film via the LDS. Occasionally the names of fathers of illegitimate children were included. It is also worth looking at parish chest papers to see if the father was ordered to pay for the child's support. Gwynne

Rick Yes Margaret

Does anyone know if the lack of a father on the IGI birth/christening records means that the birth was definitely illegitimate ? Thanks, Rick.