Dead father on birth certificate

[Frank75]

Yes it was fortunate.  James was the younger brother of John, my ancester, who was born before civil registration and because I haven't found the marraige of their parents it gave me the mother's surname which broke down a bit of a brick wall.

It's not the only example I have of using a sibling's birth certificate around the time of civil registration to give info regarding parents.

On the note of father's on birth certificates.  My paternal grandmother's parents had six children. Two before getting married and four after wedlock.  All the children were registered in the mother's maiden name with no father shown.

Frank

[BW252]

My G G Grandfather James Taylor was lost at sea (SS Albion) in Dec 1855.   His son Andrew George was born in Aug 1856 and his BC states his name and underneath "(posthumous)".   He was not a still birth - lived for 81 years!!!
Details of the loss of his father are also on the BC

[mike175]

Some of the earlier parish registers were a little less ambiguous, as in this entry from the 1700s:

"Baptized Elizabeth Daughter of Philip Post and Mary Davis Begotten in Fornication" 

[majm]

Hi mike175

Some of the earlier parish registers were a little less ambiguous, as in this entry from the 1700s:

"Baptized Elizabeth Daughter of Philip Post and Mary Davis Begotten in Fornication"

There's a lengthy thread on that topic http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,522648.0.html

Cheers,  JM

[mike175]

Hi JM,

Thanks for the interesting link, I didn't realise it was so frequently commented on in the registers . . . of course I knew it occurred everywhere, including among my own ancestors, despite my sheltered upbringing 

Mike.

[Ermintrude46]

I've seen Posthumous given as a forename when the father of the child had died before they were born (Posthumous Pocock being my favourite!)
Ermy

[Galium]

This Posthumous child is not my ancestor, but I rather wish he was:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevejarrett/2792082492/

[rancegal]

   I've just come acros this thread at a convenient time, because I'm transcribing some PRs and one entry reads
 ".........son of John Eldershaw and his widow"

  So, not only is the father dead, but the mother has become invisible too!

[majm]

   I've just come acros this thread at a convenient time, because I'm transcribing some PRs and one entry reads
 ".........son of John Eldershaw and his widow"

  So, not only is the father dead, but the mother has become invisible too!

Oh the poor FOUNDLING ... perhaps his mum died in childbirth .... how sad ... does the PR give him any godparents to oversee his upbringing?  Or perhaps she was present and was known only as Widow Eldershaw    

Cheers,  JM