RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Bedfordshire => England => Bedfordshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: carol46 on Sunday 09 January 22 20:04 GMT (UK)
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William Eric Gurney died in ww1 he was born in Luton and married a Minnie Weldon. Believe they had 3 children William 1907 who is my husband's grandfather, Albert and a daughter called Edna. There was another child born 1920 called James Walter Gurney. Now this child can't belong to William Eric Gurney if he died in Ww1 can he. Any ideas?
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I'm afraid that it looks like an illegitimate birth - not unusual, I'm afraid. Purchase of the child's birth certificate may or may not provide an answer.
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That's what I thought.
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You never know. Since she was a married woman she, and the baby, would appear under her late husband's surname even if he was provably not the father. The certificate might name him anyway, or no father at all, or you could look up "James Walter" with the relevant details to see if there's another entry under a different surname, which might suggest two different parental surnames on the certificate.
A christening, if you can find one, might potentially be more likely to name the biological father.
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According to the GRO Index he was registered as Gurney at birth, mmn Wheeldon. I would be very surprised if the birth certificate gave any information that suggested any other parentage. I can find no other James W registered in Luton in 1920, mmn Weldon.
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I have something similar in the tree of a fairly close DNA match (80cm / 6 segments). Alleged father died in 1917, daughter born in June 1920. Birth reg records the child with the surname of the mother's deceased husband and mother's maiden name. No other registration with alternative surname.
In 1921 the child and her mother are living with the maternal grandparents. No sign of any man who might have fathered the child.
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A local woman was married, had children, then her husband died in a terrible accident which was reported in great detail in the local papers. A few years later she had a child naming deceased husband as the father and at least 2 more children after that. The only thing that surprises me is that the registrar (local doctor) filled in husband's name each time.