Genealogy Chat

I'm fairly new to this so just need a bit of advice on birth certificates.

My grandmother was born in 1907 but her 'parents' weren't actually married until the following year.

Her birth certificate shows no details of the man who I thought was her father (i.e. the man who married her mother the following year).

So either he was her father but for some reason it was decided not to show his details on the birth certificate as they weren't married, or someone else fathered my grandmother and the man who I thought was her father came along after she was born and decided to make a decent woman of her mother by marrying her.

Can anyone tell me if it was normal to leave the fathers details blank on the birth certificate, even if he was known?

Thanks

The only way the father could have been on the birth cert would have been for him to accompany the mother when she registered the birth. This applies in all cases of unmarried parents.

When the child's mother is a married woman, the assumption is always that her husband is the child's father.......even if he isn't!..unless contrary info is provided at the time of registering the birth, in which case, the father would not be named, unless he was present at the registration.........

Have you checked to see if the birth was re-registered after the marriage?
Reg

Thanks Reggie.

I'll check to see if it was re-registered after the birth.

From what I know, my grandmother's parents did not have the best of relationships so it may well be just the case that he couldn't be bothered to go with her to register the birth ..... probably why he also couldn't be bothered to marry her until well after she had produced his child !!

Thanks again

Some vicars weren't so fussy and sometimes unmarried parents are both shown on their child's baptism entry in the parish registers.

Gwyn

Dear Tony
I had a relative who was illegitimate, but on the Parish Register of her marriage it actually names her father! I had guessed who it was anyway as it was a small village and she (and her brother) had the same very unusual middle name!
Best wishes,
Caroline

My grandmother, when registering my father's birth in 1919 called herself by (what was to be) her married name, including nee [single name]. She obviously did not have to provide any proof that she was married although I believe they were living together at the time. She and my grandfather finally married in July 1922 - 3 months after the death of my grandfather's first wife.

Tangled webs and lies ... Bless 'em.

Odd middle names - had that crop up as well - always turned out to be a clue.

Jill

Thanks to all those who have replied to this.

From the answers I've received it would appear that it was most likely that my grandmothers father simply wasn't present at the the registration of the birth so his name was not recorded.

I'll check out the parish registers as it seems from the comments that these could well have more information than what is shown on the birth certificate.

Thanks again for your help - much appreciated.

Tony