How to confuse your descendants

[Olde Crone]

A great aunt's birth was registered in 1899.

Edith Grimshaw Holden, mmn Grimshaw (from Lancsbmd).

Except...her mother's maiden name wasn't Grimshaw, it was Carney. Her FATHER'S mother was a Grimshaw before she married Holden.

I haven't actually seen the birth cert, so it may just be a transcription error. However, it wouldn't be the first time that a dim Holden, when asked "Mother's maiden name?" gave their own mother's maiden name, rather than their wife's maiden name!

OC

[marquette]

And I am sure it was not only the Holdens, lots of fathers probably did; aside from not knowing what the baby was supposed to be called. Some probably might have been a bit worse for wear from "wetting the baby's head" too, a bit confused by so many questions.

[Michael]

I think my best is the marriage certificate of James Norman, with the groom's father's name given as Ethelbert Norman... who was actually the groom's BROTHER. Admittedly his father was deceased at the time of the marriage, but that shouldn't have stopped him entering his father's name with a note to that effect, rather than just picking the name of any living relative!

[Merry]

When OHs 2xg-grandfather registered the death of his second "wife" (not married as first was still living), the certificate states he was the father of the dec'd!! This may have come about because he had already said she was unmarried, but given her his own surname. I guess he must have looked older than his years!

[Merry]

Originally Posted by Michael

I think my best is the marriage certificate of James Norman, with the groom's father's name given as Ethelbert Norman... who was actually the groom's BROTHER. Admittedly his father was deceased at the time of the marriage, but that shouldn't have stopped him entering his father's name with a note to that effect, rather than just picking the name of any living relative!

When speaking to two of my aunts in the 1970s I discovered neither of them knew their father's first names in the right order or both names correct. Both aunts had different ideas and it turned out they were both wrong. I have never seen the marriage certs for either aunt to see if they got those details right when in an official situation. One aunt might have been getting her own back for her father not remembering the name he was supposed to have registered her with some 60 years earlier. (he had been to the pub on the way to the register office, leaving her named Florence instead of June - similar??!!)

[Olde Crone]

Mind you, every cloud has a silver lining.This thread has prompted me to look at Edith's wedding photo and I suddenly realised a great truth. (I think!).

She was not lovely but she had a certain look in her eye, which I realised I had seen elsewhere - yes, her grandmother Ellen Grimshaw had the same twinkle. And so did Edith's half- cousins, whose grandmother SHOULD NOT have been Ellen Grimshaw. Yet another tiny bit of "proof" that Ellen was indeed the mother of Joseph Holden!

OC

[Merry]

It skipped Joseph's generation though!! lol

[Olde Crone]

Lol, yes, Merry. It seems to have come down the female line though.

OC