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Same GRO Index numbers ?

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Pauline from Cyprus

Pauline from Cyprus Report 4 Aug 2007 04:22

There are two birth entries on FREE BMD in 1912 with the same reference numbers, same mother but two different surnames. I am sure that this has been discussed before but I just can't remember the reasoning. Thanks Pauline

Battenburg

Battenburg Report 4 Aug 2007 06:56

Not sure if this is the answer but could it be the mother was married twice so her first married name plus her maiden name appears.

Julie

Julie Report 4 Aug 2007 07:25

Hi Pauline, This happened to me aswell, it was because my G Grandparents were not married.. so their children were registered in mothers name with fathers name on birth cert aswell.. so when looking for births it showed in both names and looked like they had been registered twice, Because the parents were not married the children could use either name.

Keith

Keith Report 4 Aug 2007 07:25

Maybe two sisters gave birth around the same time. Then the maiden names would be the same and the surnames different.

Judith

Judith Report 4 Aug 2007 07:37

Don't forget the GRO reference number for births refers to the page on which the birth was registered and will be the same for all births listed on that page not just to one child so there are two possibilities: a) it is the same birth and the father had two possible surnames eg if John Smith, also known as Jones, and Mary Brown married and had a child, Fred, the entry would appear both as Fred SMITH mmn Brown and as Fred JONES mmn Brown b) Or two different children were registered within a short time of each other (could be days or weeks depending on how many births registered there that quarter) in that register office with same Christian name and mother's maiden name Fred JONES and Fred SMITH one of whose mothers was Mary Brown and the other Jemima Brown

Pauline from Cyprus

Pauline from Cyprus Report 4 Aug 2007 08:19

Thanks all for your suggestions. This lady is my aunt and her brother, born two years later, has the same names recorded so I am sure that this is one and the same person. They lived in Shoreditch and I have just found a possible marriage for one of the fathers names ( FREEbmd) in 1907, Bethnal Green ( not a million miles away). She always used the other fathers surname though and married using that surname. So.......................is this correct ? If her mother re-married, the registered name could have been amended. or If her parents weren't married would I expect to see one of the surnames identical to mmn. or Her father was known by two surnames. I think I'm leaning towards the re-marriage but will need to do some digging. Thanks Pauline