Genealogy Chat

Lol Lesley thats a nightmare! I bet we could all tell tales of how many pounds we have wasted searching for badly transcribed rellies! I am still trying to find my Alice Selina Powell. I've just sent for the three year search under the name Selina Alice. She has to be there somewhere!

Thamks everyone for replying just wanted some one elses view on it all, couldn't believe it when cert arrived and it said robert james instead of charles, and mother as elizabeth not mary!!! The funny thing is i can find his brother on 1901 and his furture wife but no sign of him at all and I've spent a fortune checking all possibilities Anyway thanks again Shelli

The thing with our ancestors is in one way they made it easy (the oldest son is usually named after either father or grandfather etc etc) but in others they made it difficult ... My gt gt grandmother had three sets of twins .. the first set died and having already had 12 children she named the second and third sets by the same names in the hope that they would too! And it's not just ancestors ... My father-in-law would have named all three of his sons after himself if mother-in-law hadn't managed to register my husband first ... so we have Derek (father-in-law), Derek (oldest brother - known as Nibs, no idea where that came from), Derek (middle brother - known as Tony, his middle name) and Ivan. And we call this a hobby!! But, in answer to your question ... don't rely on the 1901 census. I spent months and months looking for my gt grandfather Philip Heckingbottom, born Pontefract, living in Southport with his wife Sarah Jane and their various children. All of this information I knew was accurate but could not find them. Eventually I searched for Philip's born in +/- 2 years of his date of birth. I found him listed as Philip Hecking (as a middlename) Bottom with his wife Saint J Bottom and the children all listed as surname Bottom. Viewing the original quite clearly showed the surname as Heckingbottom. I e-mailed them and asked for a refund of my various searches and complaining about the awful transcription ... guess what - no reply!!

People used to change their names quite often. It has been known for someone to have one name at birth, another at marriage and yet another at death. All certificates for the same person, but different names on each. I usually starts, when the person has the same name as another member of the family, so they call him something different, so as not to muddle him with the other person, then that name sticks. It didn`t help my research, when my grandmother`s sister insisted on calling every male relative, Brian. Your James may have had such a relative, who insisted on calling him Charles, or was it the other way round. Then when he married, he used that name. Am I making any sense?

Jan thanks for replying just wanted to see if some else thought the same thing, everything seems to add up but the names, seems too much of a coincedence Shelli

You have to accept that names vary. My grandfather, Charles Alfred, is shown as Charles on the 1881 and Alfred on the 1891. His brother is shown as Arthur on both, yet the only name on his birth certificate is Walter. Jan.

From Hubby Nan's bitrh cert I got her fathers and mother details. From this i got their marriage cert. The person I have a problem is her dad... Robert Charles Jeffries. 21 Nov 1906 when he married he is 27, father Isaac. Can't find him in 1901, but thru help on here have family in 1891,father Isaac, mother Mary, all born Marylebone. In 1881 whole family again Isaac, Mary several siblings and Robert aged 1, again all born Marylebone. Using this info I searched 1837, and found birth for Robert Jeffries Born Marylebone. Stupidly I only specified father name, have just rec'd cert and mother is listed as Elizabeth Jeffries formerly Mybrook. Not Mary!!! And his name is Robert James not Robert Charles. I htought I had wrong cert, but can find no other birth in right area and time.Upon further investigation gave found marriage of Isaac Jeffries to Mary E Mybrook In dec 1866, right before birth of eldest child. Now as Mybrook isn't that common so I presume this is one and the same person, but why is he listed as James on birth then Charles on everything else? What I want to know is have i got the right family and are they for some annoying reason mocking me from beyond the grave with all these names changes!!!! Shelli