Genealogy Forum UK

I'm having trouble tracing my 3x great grandfather, John SALTER, the only information I have about him is from his marriage certificate.

I'm just wondering how reliable the information on the certificate is, did they have to provide any proof of name, age, occupation, father's name and occupation that they gave or was it just taken on their word?

We have a family story that he had run away to marry someone his family didn't approve of, so I'm wondering if he could have given some false information but I don't know whether that would have been possible or not.

Thanks

Hi Gizmo, yes they could give what information they wanted to, especially easy if they were marrying in another Parish where the Vicar did not know the family. Most common false hoods were ages, where they lived and putting in a father's name when there was no father. They could of course give themselves another name too, a lot of men who ran off ended up living with another woman, and would then give himself her surname This family research is full of black holes I'm afraid.

Linell.

linell wrote:Hi Gizmo, yes they could give what information they wanted to, especially easy if they were marrying in another Parish where the Vicar did not know the family. Most common false hoods were ages, where they lived and putting in a father's name when there was no father. They could of course give themselves another name too, a lot of men who ran off ended up living with another woman, and would then give himself her surname This family research is full of black holes I'm afraid.

Linell.

Well said Linell - I agree - we just have to be very careful not to fall into any of the holes.

I had a whole family in Dudley who changed their surname mid census years and took the name of the mother's mother. Took ages to track them down.

Yes I have that too Maggie, one of my Gtx3 Grandmother's left her husband moved in with another bloke and she and all the kids changed their surnames, not easy is it.

Linell.

I've just found one of my sister's partners lot who had a different surname when they moved to Birmingham, only tracked them down due to them living at the same address later - all christian names, ages, place of birth etc match up.

My gr gr grandmother used her husbands surname before they got married - the first three children's birth cert's make it appear that they were married - took ages to find the correct marriage! This resulted in a lot of trees on ancestry with the wrong people on - I have lots of other evidence that back's things up.

Hi Sue, it's quite shocking really, the amount of incorrect information that is swimming around on Ancestry.

Linell.