Marriage Dates Discrepancies

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ScotiaLass
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Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:01 pm

Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Tue Nov 19, 2019 4:21 pm

I have my mother’s birth certificate along with those of her siblings. On each one, the parents marriage date is given as a date in 1896. When I search for them nothing comes up in 1896, but there they are in 1897. Why would the wrong date be on all the children’s birth certificates?

SarahND
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Location: France

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by SarahND » Tue Nov 19, 2019 5:10 pm

Hello ScotiaLass and a warm [TS_welcome]

I have a few ideas, but perhaps others will have more. When was their first child born? Sometimes, if the child was born too soon after the marriage... then the couple would claim they were married earlier.
Or, if they married at the end of the year and it was only registered in the following year.
Or, they just couldn't remember...

Best wishes,
Sarah

ScotiaLass
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Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:01 pm

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:19 pm

First child registered in 1902.

SarahND
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Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by SarahND » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:44 pm

Then, unless there is a birth you don't know about, my first theory doesn't hold up. What is the date of the 1897 marriage? Is the day and month of the reported 1896 marriage the same as the actual 1897 marriage record?

Regards,
Sarah

ScotiaLass
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Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:01 pm

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Wed Nov 20, 2019 8:30 am

Hi Sarah, thanks for the responses. The marriage date given on the children's birth certificates is 4th July 1896, yet the marriage certificate says 18th June 1897.

WilmaM
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Location: Falkirk area

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by WilmaM » Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:49 am

I would have agreed with Sarah's initial suggestions, that they moved the year to suit the circumstances or they were typical Christmas or Hogmanay wedding.
Her last thought may well be the correct one though!

Who actually registered the births? was it the father each time or somebody else? . Often the marriage date can vary depending on memory at the time, but the consistency of yours is a puzzler.

Any missing births can be found by looking at the 1911 census - it asks the length of the marriage and the number of children born and number still living. I found my Grandmother had a baby sister who died young that way.

I wonder if the 1896 date is significant somehow? would they have had an irregular marriage then a real one?
Wilma

ScotiaLass
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Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:07 pm

I don't think they would have had an irregular marriage, grandmother was well-known to be a very strict and observant Catholic! The same date is given in all the children's birth certificates, and the person registering the birth is the father in each one.

WilmaM
Posts: 1870
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:46 am
Location: Falkirk area

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by WilmaM » Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:36 pm

It is a curious one.

I take it the marriage you found in 1897 was in the Catholic church?

Did you find any earlier births via the census? 5 years does seem a long time before the first child is born.
Wilma

ScotiaLass
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Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Wed Nov 20, 2019 3:21 pm

Yes Wilma, it was in the catholic church. I didn't search for any earlier births, it never occurred to me, since I was pretty confident about the number of brothers and sisters my mother had. That's an interesting suggestion though. Yes, 5 years seems a long time for those days, but thereafter, there is exactly four years between each child!

ScotiaLass
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:01 pm

Re: Marriage Dates Discrepancies

Post by ScotiaLass » Wed Nov 20, 2019 3:32 pm

I just found them on the 1911 census. It says she had five children born alive, three of whom are still living. So this means there were another two who died.
It says they have been married 16 years. This can't be right - that would take them back to 1875!

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