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Author Topic: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?  (Read 6769 times)

Offline iolaus

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Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« on: Monday 05 October 15 14:34 BST (UK) »
This is going to sound odd but I seem to be coming to the conclusion that my three times great grandmother was registered as a boy and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas of how I could prove (or disprove this)

Emily Fido (she marries as Emma but is baptised Emily) was born around 1852 in Woolley, Somerset according to the census, however shortly after her birth the family move to Bristol

I can't find a birth record for an Emma or Emily (or even any females) in the right area at the right time.  Emily is her parents 7th child so I can't see her being registered under her mothers maiden name of Fry.

She was baptised at All Saints in Woolley on 6th June 1852 - daughter of George Fido and (H)Anna Pinker (Fry)
She married in Bristol registry office on 5th October 1869 - daughter of George

The only 'potential' birth in the right area I can see is in the June quarter of 1852 a little boy Henry Fido (according to Bath BMD his mother's maiden name is Fry)

I can't see this Henry in the baptism records for that area, he is not on a census etc, I can't see a matching death record for him

Could it be possible that Henry is actually Emily?

Offline ThrelfallYorky

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 05 October 15 14:43 BST (UK) »
Was it actually compulsory to register all births by that date? (I know that came in in 1837, but how soon did it really "catch on"? Or it might be a simple error in transcription, and the entries before and after may show it up?
Have you any idea who the Henry may be - does the name occur elsewhere in the family?
Noty every child was born where the parents lived - in at least three cases in my family I've found "missing" children, especially firstborn ones, when I've looked where Mum's parents were living. I'm sure it's not just my lot that went home to Mum to have their children! Worth a look?
Threlfall (Southport), Isherwood (lancs & Canada), Newbould + Topliss(Derby), Keating & Cummins (Ireland + lancs), Fisher, Strong& Casson (all Cumberland) & Downie & Bowie, Linlithgow area Scotland . Also interested in Leigh& Burrows,(Lancashire) Griffiths (Shropshire & lancs), Leaver (Lancs/Yorks) & Anderson(Cumberland and very elusive)

Offline msv

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 05 October 15 14:43 BST (UK) »
I haven't come across this in British registers, but have found it several times in French Records. In France, when the child came to marry, they had to 'prove' they were a different sex by getting friends and relatives to swear before the local Mayor.
Some children's sex isn't always clear at birth - so it is possible.

First I would check other areas, just incase the mother was staying with relatives or friends for the birth.


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Offline iolaus

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 05 October 15 14:54 BST (UK) »
I did a UK wide search there is a Emily Fido born in St Pancreas - but thats the Dec quarter - so would have been well after her baptism

In the year before her baptism there are 7 Fido babies born in the UK

Alfred (born Langford), Thomas (born Ross), Eliza (born St George Southwark), Thomas (Chippenham), Charlotte (Chippenham), Mary Ann (Chippenham), and Henry (Bath)

If I disregard the other boys, Emily has sisters called Eliza and Mary Ann - both of whom were living in 1852 so I can't see it being either of them
Charlotte is the daughter of Henry and Alice

As far as I can see there are no Henrys in the family at all - but the more I'm saying Henry and Emily in my head the names keep starting to rhyme

Online heywood

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #4 on: Monday 05 October 15 14:58 BST (UK) »
Hi iolaus,

I was going to suggest just ordering the certificate to check the details.
However, as it is a bit of an oddity, perhaps you  may get a response if you contact the  local register office and ask.

Heywood
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Offline stanmapstone

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #5 on: Monday 05 October 15 14:59 BST (UK) »
Could be a mistake in the quarterly returns sent to the GRO

Stan
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #6 on: Monday 05 October 15 15:03 BST (UK) »
Check the entries above and below "Henry" - it may be an error of some sort on the register. I had a recent example of incorrect place of birth and upon having the original entry checked discovered that the place of birth had mistakenly been transcribed from the line above.

Does Emily appear on the 1861 census as Emily?

Offline avm228

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #7 on: Monday 05 October 15 15:04 BST (UK) »
It may simply be an indexing error as to the name - so that "Emily" has been misread, and therefore wrongly entered in relevant indexes, as "Henry".  Without the certificate you won't be able to find out whether the entry for the child's sex in column 3 says "Boy" or "Girl".

Since there is a baptism for "Emily" at around the time of the birth it seems unlikely to be a case of genuine ambiguity as to whether the child was male or female.
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Offline iolaus

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Re: Was my Gr, gr, gr grandmother a boy?
« Reply #8 on: Monday 05 October 15 16:00 BST (UK) »
Quote from: Ruskie on Monday 05 October 15 15:03 BST (UK)
Does Emily appear on the 1861 census as Emily?

Yes, although the surname has been mistranscribed as Fide

Just found this on find my past In the early days of registration some birth certificates actually got the gender of the child wrong, largely due to the fact that the parents may have been illiterate and couldn't check the details were correct.

I suppose if the person registering the birth misheard 'Em'ly' as 'Enry' there could have been the assumption she was a he - and if George and Hannah couldn't read they wouldn't correct it.

I will get the certificate but if it comes back as Henry, son of George and Hannah on a date shortly before Emily's baptism (their other children are 2-3 weeks old at baptism) where do I go with proving this is actually Emily's and not a brother who is 'missing'
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