FAO Craft/Dot

[annie0000]

Hi Craft - thanks for that web site for Shetland folk - looks really good. The family I am looking for just now come from Orkney and although the site does seem to have Orkney people on it, might aren't coming up. I have saved the link though as it may prove useful later on. Thanks again. You're a star.

Hi Dot - thanks for your tips as well - I think I am getting addicted to this stuff now!

[dothawkes31]

Hi annie, I've been totally engrossed this week myself as i have had a week off and as i was no going away I have spent it pretty much getting my research onto genes reunited and also using find my past to make a bit more headway. I've also registered with the LDS website as a volunteer indexer and now i am starting indexing the 1935 census for Rhode Island! the very first card was for a Crowther who was born in halifax in 1885 and i have crowthers from there in my tree! I think anyone with time to spare would enjoy the indexing, I'm only going to take on 60 minutes a week i think for now.

[annie0000]

Hi Dot - is that similar to the FreeCen project? They seem to have a group of volunteers adding all the scottish census on to a website for free - it is a bit of a hit or a miss though as some areas have only got small amounts on yet. I rejected the genes reunited after I paid my money and then realised they didn't have scottish records. I am using MyHeritage.com to document my tree.

I only wish I had more time (and money!) to do it but with working full time and the kids still young and a house to run- well you know what it's like. At the moment I have quite a few facts and names, but not much "meat on the bones" just discovered an ancester who died in the kelso poor house so been looking at some stuff on that. Might come back to you for some pointers from time to time. Thanks again.

[dothawkes31]

Hi annie, I've only just read your question about identifying an father when the parents did not marry, it does depend on the circumstances as to what documents were created at the time. For one thing you are lucky to have an entry on the birth registration that actually names the natural father.
As it is on Shetland you would need to research the local legislation there as really only can tell you what would happen in England.
If the mother was unsupported by the absent father and did not have any other means of providing for herself or the child when it was borm, up to the 1820s in England under the orders of the local parish committe she would be brought before a JP to name the father and a filiation or b@stardy bond would be made against the named man and he would be compelled to pay to the mother and child for their support. After the 1820s this system was changed and seemed to fade out with the new poor law. Records of the filiation orders and the examination of the mother would now be indexed by surname in County Record Offices.

[dothawkes31]

sorry this is in two parts i went over the 2000 characters, at least a warning comes up now and your reply doesn't vanish into the ether!

After the new civil registration system of 1837 (1864 in Scotland), illegitimate births could only be registered if both natural parents attended the register office if they were unmarried. This was to prevent a woman naming anyone she liked to name as the childs father on a legal document.

In Scotland I believe it was the same case. Therefore if the father attended the register office and added his name as the natural father under the law, then it is likely he was unattached and unmarrried at the time. This might acyually eliminate some of your candidates. You say that there are several likely suspects in the same community with the same name and same occupation, what you can do is identify using the census where these men were actuall living and working around the time of the conception and try to eliminate others aswell, particularly look to see if they are part of a chapel congragation and living with their families. It does sound like a type of stereotyping but it is actually a way that works, good luck.

[annie0000]

Fantastic thanx Dot. This is the Orkney branch of the family, but by this time they had moved to the mainland and were living south of Stonehaven. She was a servant, he was the ploughman. The child then appears in the census as living with her parents and then a few years down the line she marries someone else. I haven't looked at all the censuses yet, but that will be the next step i think. My gut feel is that the child remains being brought up by Granny and Grandad - they had two kids that were not that much older than the granddaughter at the time of the census. She then goes on to have a baby girl who is my Mum's mum, but fully named after the Granny. As i say it is facinating stuff. Thanks again - i'll let you know how I get on.