Marriage Certs - Is father really alive?

[Plascoch1]

I have had one or two instances in my researches where marriage certs list bride or grooms father etc as normal but do not show him as deceased and yet independent research suggests he may have died by the time of the marriage.

Do others have any similar experiences - I would be interested to get a feel for what percentage of certs ( this in England & Wales) may have incorrectly disclosed the father's 'status'.

[Jebber]

The information on certificates is only as reliable as was given by the people concerned, I have marriages where the father is not named yet the person was legitimate and the father was still living, I have others where the father is named as you describe, but had been deceased for some years.

Sometimes imaginary fathers are named, or a brother or grandfather's name was given to conceal illegitimacy

Sometimes bride and groom were simply asked for their father's name, if they were not asked specifically if he was alive or dead they would not necessarily think to say.

Jebber

[c-side]

I'll second that!  I have a marriage cert with father apparently alive and I spent a long time searching for him on census records until I, by pure fluke, happened upon his burial some years earlier.

I also have a very elusive ancestor who I believed to be illegitimate because his father's name was not on his second marriage cert.  When I finally found the family he was legitimate and I can only assume that he didn't think his father was relevant!!

Christine

[nigelp]

I also have several marriage certificates where the father was deceased although it was not stated on the marriage certificate.

I was also looking through all the marriage certificates for Fisherton Anger, Wiltshire at the WRO a few weeks ago and for the period 1837 - 1842 almost none of the certificates had fathers names entered. Clearly over 90% of the population was not illegitimate! Someone had presumably decided that it was not necessary for this part of the form to be completed.

Nigel

[Springbok]

Hi c-side,( whoops, sorry,Plascoch1)

My Gran Lily, married Grandad at the age of 17 , he was 31!

She put that she was 18 y.o.a and father was dec'd  
Not only was he alive and kicking ,but had remarried and then fathered a daughter, born  3 months after Lily had my aunt!

Spring