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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Glamorganshire Lookup Requests => Glamorganshire => Wales => Glamorganshire Completed Lookups => Topic started by: Daves Family on Friday 21 January 11 18:34 GMT (UK)
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I just received a copy of what I believe to be the marriage certificate of my Great Grandparents; Thomas Jones and Mary Phillips, who lived in Dowlais at time of marriage. They were married on the 1st of January, 1849 at Zion Chapel in the District of Merthyr Tydfil.
Uner the age column it reads "full". I need help in what that term meant in 1849.
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in theory, 21 and over. Although they wouldn't have been the first to claim full age when they were actually under 21.
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Osprey is right - and it's a nightmare, as this also hid ages where there was a massive age gap ... so theoretically, the Wife could be 21 compared to the Husband's 71 ...... doesn't help when you're trying to work out someone's age for example :-\
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They also amended ages to bring the couple closer together, my grandparents certificate from 1894 shows him as 55, her as 35. She was 35, my grandfather was at least 66!Even if it's in writing on an official document don't take it as gospel.
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I have a couple shown as 18 for the bride and 24 for the groom. Yeah right! More like 15 & 27.....
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they were funny weren't they ... I have the scenario where one Sister marries her other Sister's Father in Law .... she was 24 - he was EIGHTY!! .... AND they had a child ... he died the year later, probably from exhaustion !! Funnily enough, they also had "full age" on the MC ..... you don't say :-X
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He wasn't wealthy by any chance surely?
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erm .. quite HA HA HA :o
They were a successful family of Masons, that were commissioned to build a Church in Exeter.
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Maybe a freemason too?
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I wouldn't be suprised ... and very wierd Christian names ... Folliot ???
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Some families did this, took a surname and made it a Christian name which was carried through for several generations. I have at least 2 cases in my mother's tree, Stuben(or Stubbing) Ayres, first used as a forename in 1731, and lasted at least 2 hundred years, and Holmes Cornwell in the same tree. The family surname Ayres was also used as a Christian name I believe.
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It's a nightmare isn't it ?? With the Welsh connections, there is always the "nicknames" too .. like Dai Click the photographer, Dai small coal (when most people worked for the NCB!!) etc .... I have a David Davies alias Sabbath - because he was born on a Sunday .. they Baptised their Son, David (!!!) David Sabbath alias Davies ..... ARGH!!!!
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Eeeeek! I had always thought that the certificates were correct - how naive can you get?!!! I knew that the census returns of 1841 took ages to the nearest 5 years so took that with a pinch of salt, but goodness me, this is a whole new ball game! I also knew that "full age" just meant over 21, but had never considered the lying that might go on....... bangs head on table and kicks self for being so gullible... :-\
As for christian names, I have a family where the mother was called Salome and the daughter Mount Sinai ........ haven't yet worked out what religion they were - and interestingly one of them appears to have had an illegitimate daughter! Father is named, but not married to mother. Hey ho! Maybe that is why the religious thing came in ???
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Mount Sinai ???? oooh!! I have a few Salome's :o
Yep!! Unfortunately, you ahve to have a degree of open-mindedness when researching your family. NONE of the records are 100% accurate. As for the transcriptions ... DON'T get me started !!! :-X
It did usually mean they were over 21 .. but some were considerably over 21 .. and others were economical withthe truth .. they were also quite shy of putting Widow - God forbid they actually got divorced .. I dont have any really old ones of those !!
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My mother's lot in Cambridgeshire were strict Baptists! I have just about the entire old testament from Absolom to Zebulon via Nebuchanezzar! I think they did this because there was no television to watch! Believe me though 14 Hephzibahs can be as difficult to fit in the tree as 14 Marys.
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Oh WOW ... I sympathise !! :o
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No problem, thanks I got used to it! :)