Genealogy Chat

Can anyone suggest a reson why, when a birth appears to be legitimate (the mother gives both her married name and her maiden name, and the child has the married surname) the column for the father’s name is blank? Even if he had died before the birth, surely it should read something like “John Smith (deceased)”? I have read Barbara Dixon’s notes on birth certificates, but have not yet found an explanation. I’d welcome any comments – it was so disappointing to see that blank space! Janet

Because the married name is her still her current name but the husband isnt the father of the child. .

Perhaps she'd been married but her husband isn't the father. Heather

following on from that I wonder whether anybody could tell me, I have a birth cert where the mothers maiden and married name is there ,the fathers name is there, the child has the surname of the father but the parents never married is this common

Thank you for your replies, Heather and Shirley - It looks as though I'll never find out who he was then.

Valerie I don't know whether it was common, but it certainly happened. Registrars took the information from the informant, normally the mother and the husband was assumed to be the father of her children. nell

Valerie,yes that would happen,sometimes for what ever reason the couple didnt marry but wouldnt want the 'neighbours' to know that The 'wife' would be known as Mrs >>>> just to keep face and they would lie to the registrar when registering childrens births, My gran wasnt married to her second husband till after two children had been born ,but he registered both births as if they were married.and he used the pet name he called her for the mums christian name, if I hadnt known different I could have been looking at a brickwall on that one

a bit late but thanks Nell and Shirley for your replies I just realised I had not looked for any replies thanks a lot , another mystery solved then.

It might be worth looking for a baptism. Sometimes a vicar added more information on an entry. My great grandmother registered her son Henry with her late husband's surname. He had been dead for over 3 years so we have yet to find Henry's father.

i also have a birth cert were this happend the couple wernt married,well iv never found a marriage and the wife put her previous married name down as formally known as and then put the fathers surname as her new married name,funny how she shacked up with a jones !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! angie x

how about marraige cert? I have one where the fathers name is blank but they give a profession?

Suzanne thats weird, wonder why ???

I have this to - my Great Grandmother was child number two of 6 and on every other birth certificate the father is listed, but on my Great Grandmother's it is not but her mother is down with her married name and maiden name on all. However, when my Great Grandmother marries she uses the name of her mother's husband (listed as the father of all the other children) as her father. I believe though that maybe he was not her father and that it was indeed another man, because there is a 4 year gap between her and the 1st child and another 4 year gap to the 3rd child, and she was the only one born in a completly different town. Unfortunately this is just an assumption and we will never know the truth. Hope that all makes sense

My GGrandfather was illegitimate. He was born over a year after his 'father' died. There is no fathers name on the birth cert, and the mother gives both her married and maiden names. The child has the married name.

I'm having a similary problem - received a number of b.certs where my g.grandmother gives her name as Louisa Pope formerly Eason fathers name included on all certs but have failed to find a marriage cert. And we thought things like that was only happening today. DAL

I was happy to find I was not only the woman in the family to have a child & no partner/father (my son ahs a father we broke up before his birth). So now when mothe ris giving me an ear bashing over being single mum ha I can say but there is another one in the family (dead but there i black & white).