Searching for James Griffin

[hallmark]

Thanks Sinann, I found one 'unknown' which was mother Mary Griffin and 'formerly' crossed out and that was put in incorrectly in the father's column first then that was crossed out too in 1867 which was the year we believed he was born. I guess it's a possibility. i've been through them all from 1863-1870. There weren't any civil records that I could find before that.

The years covered by the release of the historic Indexes to the Civil Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths are:

Births: 1864 to 1916

[Sinann]

Thanks Sinann, I found one 'unknown' which was mother Mary Griffin and 'formerly' crossed out and that was put in incorrectly in the father's column first then that was crossed out too in 1867 which was the year we believed he was born. I guess it's a possibility. i've been through them all from 1863-1870. There weren't any civil records that I could find before that.

This one?
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1867/03483/2280399.pdf
This child would be illegitimate so his mother was never Kelly.

[Molly M]

Hi Sinann,

Yes that's what I thought at first but then the wrong box had been written in first ie father not mother & crossed out. Then 'formerly' was crossed out separately in both boxes. Someone else had registered it a 'Margaret Vaughn' who couldn't write herself so it may be the registrar was having a bad day as the one above is crossed out too.

'This one?
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1867/03483/2280399.pdf
This child would be illegitimate so his mother was never Kelly.
[/quote]'

[Sinann]

Formerly is crossed out because she doesn't have a former name, he made a point of writing formerly so he could cross it out again, he wasn't leaving any doubt.
The Registrar was having a bad day, the one above was crossed out and written out below the Griffin one and he started filling in Mary Griffin's name in the box for father. Margaret Vaughan could possible write, people were often intimidated by officialdom and simply did as they were told, "Put your mark here." it's impossible to say for sure from one record.

James could have made up his parent's details, many did to hide the fact their parents were unmarried but there isn't usually any way to prove it, not finding a birth cert or baptism for James doesn't mean he was fibbing just that he may not have been registered and his baptism either didn't survive or isn't online.

[Molly M]

Right ok. Hard to know what to do next. I wondered if he was illegitimate since I couldn't find any records.

Formerly is crossed out because she doesn't have a former name, he made a point of writing formerly so he could cross it out again, he wasn't leaving any doubt.
The Registrar was having a bad day, the one above was crossed out and written out below the Griffin one and he started filling in Mary Griffin's name in the box for father. Margaret Vaughan could possible write, people were often intimidated by officialdom and simply did as they were told, "Put your mark here." it's impossible to say for sure from one record.

James could have made up his parent's details, many did to hide the fact their parents were unmarried but there isn't usually any way to prove it, not finding a birth cert or baptism for James doesn't mean he was fibbing just that he may not have been registered and his baptism either didn't survive or isn't online.