Barriers To Genealogy In The Future

[Billyblue]

How will future family historians trace our "professional" welfare recipients, with multiple children from multiple fathers? Names on birth certificates may not be the same as those used in life.
This is not intended as a jibe or judgement, simply an observation. 

Many years ago when I was working in the medical sphere, we had a young lady who had multiple children by multiple fathers.  When she was first pregnant, the reputed father ditched her; she took up with next guy who consented to have his name as father of the child when born.  Then he ditched her after she got pregnant with his child, and so on it went, down the line.  So all these children had fathers named on their birth certificates, who are not their father at all!  I often wonder if their mother ever told them the truth        

Dawn M

[Andrew Tarr]

As has been said, society has been 'liberated' progessively since WW2, with a steady dwindling of deference to 'authority'.  I can't help wondering how complete our census is, and whether there are a few million more people in UK than we imagine.  As so many people only register their partnerships (of whatever kind) if and when they feel inclined, what about births? (I guess most deaths will get dealt with somehow) 

But I don't believe it didn't happen in the 19th century.  There is no record of the birth of one of my gt-gt-aunts in Devon in 1845.  At that time, if a family just didn't get round to registering a birth, what difference did it make to anything important?  They probably considered baptism of more value.

[DavidG02]

At that time, if a family just didn't get round to registering a birth, what difference did it make to anything important?  They probably considered baptism of more value.

I agree that the issues of the past are similar. I cant find a birth record for my grandmother. Not an official one. It may well be in a Catholic Church record somewhere.

What about the American Survivalists or those who disagree with Government Regulation? Its an interesting future

[Cell]

Another I have thought of , in line with this , are cuckoo events in Maintenance Orders. What do people think of compulsory DNA testing for ALL newborns?

why not a triangle as well??

Kind regards

[DavidG02]

Thank you for your valued response

[jaybelnz]

I can see future generations scratching their heads

At least we can forewarn them to be in the same household on census night giving their relationships just to "clarify"   

It is our genealogy gift to them

Census doesn't help in South Africa, they are destroyed as soon as the data is extracted.  It makes me want to weep at all the valuable information that has been lost for generations.

Same in NZ, destroyed after statistics are done!.  We have to rely on Electoral Rolls!

[ThrelfallYorky]

(Being long-winded, I've several time got warnings that a new post is "in" whilst I'm still typing - even though I type quickly)
I suspect that 100 years hence there simply will not be genealogy as we know it. After all, when we've documented all trees to date (accurately, of course), then between uncertainty of parentage, and the trick so perfected with the "Doomsday" project, of making sure that the machines-to-read-the-computerised-information become obsolete/unavailable, then there simply will BE no genealogy research - and no "Rootschat", either.

[pinefamily]

Welcome to the "posts while you were typing" club, ThrelfallYorky. 
And I think I agree with you; who knows where society and technology will go? The only thing that keeps me thinking we will still have records and data in the future is the Big Brother concept. Governments and companies (think Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) already want to know everything about us. I can't see this changing in the future.
And regarding documentation in the past, what about imagined fathers on marriage certificates, to hide illegitimacy? Or a husband who had died or deserted still named on a birth certificate, for the sake of propriety?

[jaybelnz]

You're quite right TY!  And for those of us who have already done the hard yards, all our own descendants will need to do is add to it as they go along! 

I think we should try to ensure that the message, and hard copies as well as tech ones,  are handed down through our present and future generations, that someone in each family volunteers, or is nominated, to take responsibility for and be the faithful recorder and keeper of the treasure!  😄😄 

Will that work in my family??  I truly don't know!