Genealogy Chat

Any advice on how to solve this puzzle would be much appreciated. My great grandfather was called William Whittington, on his birth certificate his mother is down as Eliza Whittington, no maiden name and no fathers details. On Williams marriage certificate his father is down as Henry Whittington (deceased). I have double checked the information with the registry office who confirm it is correct but how do I trace if his father really was called Henry (suppose they could have been cousins?) or could his fathers details have been something made up by his mother to stop gossip? Any help much appreciated.

I know this is no real help, but I have the same problem. On my grandmothers birth certificate it says her father was Jack Davis. yet on her marriage certificate it states her father as Charles Day who was actualy her granfather. She never spoke of her real father so probably he had done something wrong. So I think in those days you could put who you liked. Debbie

Julie I suggest you try to fiind a christening record. They can be really good sources. You don't give any dates....have you been able to find Eliza on any census and if so what was her marital status? Sue

Thanks Sue, not thought of that. William was born on 18th October 1855, there is an Eliza Whittington on the Nottingham census in 1851 but I don't know for definite if its her - there is no sign of Eliza or William on the 1861 Nottingham census but William is back in Nottingham in 1881, married with 2 children. The Eliza Whittington on the 1851 census was born in Sileby, Leicester so maybe she won't home at some point. Where would I look to try and find the christening records?

why not try to find the parish church at Sileby?.....on the IGI, there is a christening of a William Whittington at Sileby ....it says about 1856. It's not a very reliable source I know, but it may be worth searching through the parish registers. A search around GENUKI or Cyndi's List (both on Useful Links in the Resource Centre on GC)....or just do a Google search for Leicester Records Office and see what comes up. Sue

Another answer is if the grandparents brought up the child then the child often thought of them as parents unless told otherwise, it did save some explanations. There were more born out of wedlock them we thought one I found John Albert Simpkins looked high and for his birth cert. Not until I found the marriage of his parents did I realise he was born out of wed lock so took his mothers name. This being a nephew of my g grandparents. His father ended up marrying 4 times, his first two wives were buried in the same grave, he is buried with the third, and the last one I still don't know when she died. He lived well into his 80's. Oh if only we could ask them a few questions.

Thanks for your help again Susan - will try and look into the Christening records and see what comes up. I agree with you Irene - if only we could ask them things would be much simpler. Although, at least my mums side of the family didn't have these issues, her fathers family lived in the same village I was born, as far back as 1804!