Genealogy Chat

I got lucky.
My grandfather always said his Father My great grandfather James Riley was the eldest Son of Edward Birtwhistle and yet he had his Mother's maiden name Riley not his Father's when I researching this man I was faced with the fact that he was illegitimate, his Mother had him in Dec then Married Edward in the following Jan but never bought him up it was her parents that did.

I was resigned to the fact I would never know who my great great grandfather was until a couple of years later a distant cousin who I met on Genes was looking into the death of his great great grandfather and discovered a newspaper report of an inquest into his death and there in black and white it stated that the body of Edward was identified by James Riley who stated that the dead man was his father.
You never know, sometimes you can find a way through the devious mazes our ancestors created.

Denise

If you want some help with your GGfather's parents, why don't you start your own thread. Give all the info you have on him (when and where born, when and whom he married; any censuses you have found him on). You might be surprised what helpers on here can find.

Sheila
I am having same trouble I cant find the parents of my G-Grandfather,and cant find him on any birth register.
very confusing
Denise

Christina,

I have looked at the Bastardy Records and she was not on them.

The son was born September 1853 and the couple married in December of the following year.

Sheila, did your gt.grandmother marry shortly after her son was born?

If it looks as though she was left to raise her son alone for some time, she may have taken the father to court for maintenance.

It might be worth finding out if the local archives still hold the petty court sessions for that date.

My gt gt grandmother got married in the 1840s Her name was Ann Howell, I bought the marriage cert as I could not find her with any parents in 1841...She names her father as John Skinner...I have found one that could match but he was married to someone else at the time

Sadly unless you know the name of his father for certain, you may never find out.

I have 2 sisters who when they married both named the same man as their father (both were illigetimate and I think did have same father). This man never existed!!!

The shame of illegimacy was such that ficticious fathers were named.

My g/aunt was very brave had been known by 1 name all her life but when she married she did so under the name she had been born under. She never knew her father either...

I have one where I assume he named who he thought was his father although his mother wasn't married to him at the time and was registered and baptised in his mothers maiden name. Another names her grandfather as her father...maybe she thought he was, as she was bought up by her grandparents

My Great Grandmother had he son before she married. On his marriage certificate he named my Great Grandfather as his father.
Until I heard the comments about similar situation on WDYTYA I always assumed that my Great Grandfather was the father.
I am now confused.

Sheila