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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: ambers on Monday 04 December 06 15:46 GMT (UK)

Title: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: ambers on Monday 04 December 06 15:46 GMT (UK)
Hi :)

I only suspect an entry I have seen for births is connected with my family, and possibly  twins.

If I order just one of the certificates would it definitely state that they are one of twins, if they were.


Ambers


Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Arranroots on Monday 04 December 06 15:50 GMT (UK)
Hi Ambers

Are we talking England/ Wales here or Scotland (or indeed elsewhere)?

English/ Welsh certs for twins might show a time of birth. They usually do when it is a multiple birth, but sometimes also when it is not!  I had to buy both certs to confirm that my gt grandmother was a twin. (Her twin died young and had never been mentioned).

In Scotland certs tend to have times, so that doesn't help you at all!

kind regards, Arranroots  ;)

Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Meliora on Monday 04 December 06 15:54 GMT (UK)
Hello, Amber,

Birth registration entries for twins will always show the same vol & page no & the certifiates normally show the time of birth so that the firstborn is known as the eldest for any legal reasons.

Meliora   :)
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: ambers on Monday 04 December 06 16:00 GMT (UK)
Thank you Arranroots.

It's an English birth, I really wanted to know in case the certificate I order isn't connected to my family. If it turns out to be un-connected and states twins, then I can rule out the other birth.

Ambers...trying to save money  ;)
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: ambers on Monday 04 December 06 16:05 GMT (UK)
Hi Meliora :)

They are the same volumn and page number....just needed to know what I might expect to see on the certificate...
They were born 1908 and was not sure what details the certificates included in that period.

Regards Ambers
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: aspin on Monday 04 December 06 16:51 GMT (UK)
Maybe someone can help me
I have a William Short born 28th August 1837 1/2past 11 o'clock pm
Chirton Parish of Tynemouth Father William, Mother Mary Short formerly Harle
father a millwright
present at the birth is Elizabeth Prendles
Address     Lawson Place Chirton
William was registered on 6th September
so could he have been a twin if so where are you

Elizabeth
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: julianb on Monday 04 December 06 17:02 GMT (UK)
Hi Meliora :)
.. just needed to know what I might expect to see on the certificate...
They were born 1908 and was not sure what details the certificates included in that period.

For general guidance on what is on certificates see

http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/indexbd.htm

JULIAN
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: 01debbie on Monday 04 December 06 17:55 GMT (UK)
Hi Ambers,

One thing I've learnt through my research, is NEVER assume anything.  I had a list of births that I gradually worked through & bought the certificates for over the years.

 I had 2 entries, same surname actually spelt the same way for a change, (Veronelli) same year, quarter, volume & page number.  So I'd assumed they were twins...how wrong can you be?  I had one child down as having died young because they weren't on the census with the family I thought they should be with, to find that 2 sister-in-laws had their babies registered at the same time.  So my 'twins' were actually cousins  :D

Debbie  ;)
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Comosus on Monday 04 December 06 18:33 GMT (UK)
They're not always on the same page number.  The first twin may be the last on a page meaning the second twin becomes the first on the next page.  So they can be 1 page apart.

Andrew
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: ambers on Monday 04 December 06 23:02 GMT (UK)
Thank you all for the replies.

I can see there is a lot more to it than I thought....cousins they could be. :-\

I have found far more births than I expected and although they have  the correct mothers maiden name, I have only ever understood that she had two children. To-day I received her death certificate,  the cause of death was Confinement, Pulmonary Embolism, Cardiac failure but don't know if this baby lived :-\

Ambers

Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Rena on Tuesday 05 December 06 02:11 GMT (UK)
Sorry - can't tell you what the old fashioned 'confinement' period was. I doubt if a baby that was not full term would survive.   :-[Having said that my gt.grandmother died from pleuresy when her baby was 9 days old and my 8 yr old grandmother & her 12 yr old sister raised him and their 3 yr old brother to a ripe old age. :D

Rena

Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Meliora on Tuesday 05 December 06 09:17 GMT (UK)
Aspin,

The way to find a twin, if suspected, is to scroll thro' the list of the surname in the birth entries looking for the same registration district,  the same vol & page no.  I did this for William Short & found his vol no 25 & page no 264 but there is no other entry for that criteria so it could be that the person who reg'd the birth, perhaps a midwife, was being meticulous in giving the time of birth.

Meliora
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: Crinoline on Tuesday 05 December 06 09:48 GMT (UK)

Just a thought...

But sometimes the time of birth was recorded if the other twin was still born, or didn't survive.
(I found this in my family).

Best Wishes, Romilly.
Title: Re: Birth Certificates for twins.
Post by: aspin on Tuesday 05 December 06 12:52 GMT (UK)
Thanks for that
I remember when I went to the genealogy class the teacher saying this about if the time was on the birth certificate it could be twins .This one is 11.30pm maybe the other baby was born after 12 making the second birth the next day .
In those days the midwife could be the lass next door helping out  for 2/6 p or should I say half a crown
(12 & 1/2 p)
Thats what it cost my mam for the midwife when I was born and the same for a woman to come and look after my dad and brothers .
I was the last one as it took the whole 9 months for her to save the money so she told me .I think it was because they wanted a girl after 3 boys
Elizabeth
PS
I have looked for the midwife Elizabeth Prendle thinking she could have been a sister but she cannot be found