Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Wrong surname on birth certificate

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Rachel

Rachel Report 23 Jul 2003 18:48

Can anyone help me solve a mystery. Family documents show my gt grandfather to be Edwin Murray b 1873 in Edinburgh.Therefore I set about finding his birth cert. After much searching I found Edwin Murray Williams illegitimate born in Edinburgh in 1873 to Edwin Williams( a commission agent) & Isabel Mcpherson. Fast forward to 1881 my gt grandfather is living in London with his parents Edwin and Isabel Murray (same occupation for Edwin & Isabel born in Scotland) and his siblings ( who I can verify from family photos etc.) I even think I have found Edwin Murray seniors birth on LDS. I would like to know if anyone has come across this type of thing before or have any idea why my gt grandfather was registered at birth with a different surname?

Alison

Alison Report 23 Jul 2003 18:56

My grt grandfather was registered at birth Thomas Edwards Warrender, I tried in vain to find a marriage for his mother Mary to some one called Hill, the name he used later in life. I was told recently that Hill was just a name he picked he used Edward as his middle name dropping the "s" and used his new name on all official documents even though he never changed it officially.People ,it seems, could change their identity at lot more easily in th 1800's

Christine

Christine Report 24 Jul 2003 08:53

When a birth is registered and the father is not present, he can be named on the certificate as the father but the child cannot be registered in his name. If the parents marry at a later date he can then take on his fathers name. Column 10 on a birth cert ("name entered after registration") is for this purpose. Hope that helps to explain the reasoning. I had the reverse problem to you - my grandfather was registered as Roland Pritchard, but was known all his life as roland Marlow - his mothers maiden name - and I haven't the faintest idea why!! All my life I thought I was a Marlow but obviously I'm not!! Good luck with the rest of your search Chris