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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: catherinebryant on Thursday 13 May 10 12:25 BST (UK)

Title: names on certificates
Post by: catherinebryant on Thursday 13 May 10 12:25 BST (UK)
Hello all.

Can anyone  help me please?  I have a birth certificate that says the mothers name is L E Greigg, late Harding, formerly Gatland.

Does this mean Gatland was her maiden name and Harding a previous married name?  Or vice versa?

Thank you
Title: Re: names on certificates
Post by: RichardK on Thursday 13 May 10 12:27 BST (UK)
You are right - 'late' indicates a previous married name, whilst 'formerly' indicates the maiden name.
Title: Re: names on certificates
Post by: catherinebryant on Thursday 13 May 10 12:29 BST (UK)
thank you
Title: Re: names on certificates
Post by: coombs on Thursday 13 May 10 13:23 BST (UK)
Hi Catherine

Yes my great grandmother was married twice by the time my gran was born and she said "Catherine Isabella Musgrave, later Hart, formerly Coombs".

Ben
Title: Re: names on certificates
Post by: Just Kia on Thursday 13 May 10 13:42 BST (UK)
"Late" refers to a previous marriage in which the spouse has (supposedly) died.
"Formerly" refers to any previously (but not currently) used name. It could be a previous marriage which ended in divorce, her maiden name or even maybe her step-father's name if she used that for sometime. Typically it will be her maiden name.
"Otherwise" or "aka" refers to another name that the person currently used, such as if the persons parents were unmarried and they used their both their mother's maiden and father's names.
Title: Re: names on certificates
Post by: coombs on Thursday 13 May 10 15:07 BST (UK)
My great gran was 30 when she had my nan. She was 24 when she wed her first hubby who was killed in 1917 in action.