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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Topic started by: moonchops on Saturday 18 September 10 20:50 BST (UK)

Title: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: moonchops on Saturday 18 September 10 20:50 BST (UK)
I'm not sure if anyone can point me in the right direction with a query I've had outstanding for the last year and which I can't seem to solve.
My ancestor is James Fisher born in Scotland 1790 approx. He married a Marion and I have them living in Carlisle and appearing on census there. I searched Scotland's people for Marion's surname and found the only Marion (or Mary and other similar names) who married a James Fisher was a Marion Russell in Ayrshire.
However, on the birth certificate of James and Marion's son Joseph it states that Marion's maiden name is Anderson. I can find no record at all of a James Fisher marrying an Anderson. Could this have something to do with Marion keeping her mother's surname? is that possibly a common thing with Scottish tradition etc?
I have conducted lots and lots of searches on SP to try and piece together how Marion Anderson and Marion Russell could be the same person - there are certainly a lot of Andersons and Russells in Muirkirk (the area of my search) and I can find tenuous connections between the families but no definitive proof.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated  :)

MC
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: sancti on Saturday 18 September 10 21:36 BST (UK)
You have her surname on a birth certificate and personally I would accept that. Remember lots of marriages were never recorded on the OPR's which are records for The Established Church of Scotland.

Do you have confirmation on her death record?
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: moonchops on Saturday 18 September 10 21:46 BST (UK)
Oh! I didn't know that not all marriages were recorded (not sure what an OPR is sorry).
I don't have her death cert as there are too many Mary Fishers in Carlisle and I'm not ordering certificates for all of them to see which one it is  :-\

Thanks ever so much for taking the time to reply - much appreciated.
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: sancti on Saturday 18 September 10 21:57 BST (UK)
OPR's are Old Parish Registers which belong to the Church of Scotland. Dissenting churches are not included but not all members of the CoS had baptisms/marriages recorded.
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: sancti on Saturday 18 September 10 21:59 BST (UK)
More info here

http://www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/research/list-of-oprs.html
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: moonchops on Saturday 18 September 10 22:31 BST (UK)
Thanks again - I have clearly been too eager in my searches on SP and totally missed that very important fact RE missing records!
Title: Re: Mystery RE maiden name on birth cert
Post by: sancti on Saturday 18 September 10 22:52 BST (UK)
I think we have all been guilty of that  ;D