Births

[wendyandrews]

No deaths either!

[Andrew Tarr]

It's just weird that I have the Morris DNA but Eliza did have brothers so that would perhaps be a possibility as to who the father could have been, although I'm never really going to know.

Wendy - if/when you see copies of both certs. it will be interesting to see when the registrations were made, and who by.  That may be a pointer to something.

[jonwarrn]

Baptism of Mary Jamima Smith, 1 July 1885, Wingate, Durham
Mother Frances
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7FR-326

Durham Records Online also has her. Mary Jemima (mother Frances), abode Wingate.

[wendyandrews]

Now that baptism would seem to indicate it could be two babies born on the same day! Thank you for finding that. Still confusing though as I can't seem to find any sign of this Mary Jemima on any censuses, nor on deaths. Admittedly I'm only looking at Wingate (Easington) as with Smith as a surname it's a bit difficult to look more widely.

[jonwarrn]

It's twists and turns! But I haven't seen any sign of her later either.

[wendyandrews]

Unless it is the same baby and there was some sort of tug of war occurring, with two registrations and two baptisms!  I hope not though, it's easier to think there are two babies!

[coombs]

Very interesting story, and I would say they are 2 different babies. Have you confirmed that the Frances Ann Smith mother of illegitimate Jemima was the actual younger sister of Joseph Smith who was the father of the other Jemima?

I have a similar case in 1856 in Evenwood, Durham. 2 George Musgraves born. One registered, one wasn't, one died as an infant and one didn't. Their fathers were brothers. When I sent off for the birth cert, I assumed it was my George, son of Thomas, born 5th March 1856, but the parents names was Robert and Jane Musgrave, when all other records said my George was the son of Thomas and Ann Musgrave.

I found out that there was 2 George's. And both George's were baptised on the same day in April 1856, and Robert's George died on New Years Day 1860 aged 3. So it appears my George was never registered, yet born around the same time as his namesake cousin who was registered and died as a toddler.

[wendyandrews]

So I'm not the only one this has happened to!
I have actually just double checked my records and think I may have solved part of the muddle. I don't think my Jemima was born on May 5th after all, having looked through a copy of the family bible transcriptions I now think that I must have added in 5th May 1885 to my tree after getting the wrong cert as her birth date isn't recorded in it as I had imagined it was. So I'm hoping that when I get the right one (they say on 31st Dec) that I will have a new birth date for my Jemima. If that is the case then it'll definitely be two separate babies, the puzzling things will be trying to ascertain whether the mother of this second one was Frances Ann Smith, who was the sister of Joseph Smith, father of my Jemima. That seems likely to me as Joseph and Frances's deceased mother was called Jemima. Also, what on earth happened to the second Jemima, or Mary Jemima from her christening record as I can't find any more evidence of her existence.

[josey]

You will let us know, won't you?