Geddis/Houston

[Tees]

Hi Aussie Lizzie,

Here is the marriage registration information:

On 5 May 1876, John Geddis married Maggie Craig in the Ballydown Presbyterian Church in the parish of Seapatrick in the civil district of Banbridge, Co Down.

You can use this information to order an actual marriage certificate from either GROs in the island of Ireland:

1) www.groireland.ie --- you go to this site and fill out the paper application form and post it off to there. You can get a photocopy of marriage entry for only 6 euros versus the certified copy for 10 euros. It will be about 4 weeks before you get it.

2) www.groni.gov.uk --- you can apply online and order a certified copy for 11 pounds. You will get your copy within a week or so.

But if you were to get a reference information off the marriages indexes look up at the www.familyulster.com and you can put this information onto the paper application form and post it off to the Belfast GRO. You will be only charged 5.50 pounds plus postage.

Next step would be asking the www.familyulster.com to see if there is a birth registration in the indexes on your Annie Geddis as she probably was born in 1881. Or you can check the ancestryireland site's database.

Then you can try and see if you can get ahold of marriage registration on the indexes that shows any link to Annie Geddie and Lewis Houston sometimes before  or in 1915--within 5 years' range.

Once you have a marriage cert, you can work backward from Lewis Houston's age and his father to identify which birth entry is his.

Good luck,

Tees

[Aussie Liz]

Hi Tees,
wow, you have found something at last, aren't you fantastic, better than the 2 paid rsearchers, one of whom said Lewis Houston did not seem to exist! I have to go out this morning but will get on to this as soon as I get back, I feel so excited & can't thank you enough.
Regards, Liz

[Aussie Liz]

Hi again Tees,
Just wondering why you think Annie b. 1881, her age was given as 15 on the 1911 census, surely they wouldn't have got that wrong, her siblings, were James b.1887, Thomas b.1880,  Mary b. 1882, one living away, John b.1887, 4 deceased, Annie b. 1896 & Matthew Ernest (Ernie) b. 1897.
Liz

[Tees]

Hi Liz,

Then there is another Annie Geddis! Good...that means we can eliminate her.

We can take the 1911 census information you have at its face value (sometimes ages can be not so precise for some people.  )

Very well, you can go ahead and place a wee request with the familyulster.com to look up in 1896 Birth Indexes for your Annie Geddis.

If they confirm she is in the Indexes, so you can use the reference information to order a certificate. When you get it, do tell us if you are spot on about her mum being a Craig or not.

If so, then we have a right marriage registration.

Next step would be to try and find a marriage registration of your Annie Geddis. (I saw a marriage registration from 1906 for an Annie Geddis to a Benjamin Houston!) You would have to risk a few dollars in order to trace her.

Another angle we could have to consider about, some people may have married in Scotland or England and returned to Ireland. Perhaps that is why we could not find her marriage registration in Ireland? Keep this in the back of your mind for some time until we are able to cover all the bases!

Kind regards,

Tees

PS You would be surprised how many people got their ages wrong on the censuses especially in Ireland...my great great grandparents gave the ages which are truly off the mark! Not so common--even they got their children's ages wrong. 

[Tees]

Hi again,

Found possible births:

Thomas Geddis- 1879
Mary Geddis - 1882
John Geddis - 1885 or 1889
James Geddis- 1884

No sign of Matthew Ernest.

But there are possible Ann(ie) births.

You can take a peek at the ancestryireland's database to see these are yours--just make sure you have the first names of parents correctly (John & Margaret).

Good luck,

Tees

[Aussie Liz]

Hi Tees,
I will look at familyulster.com but searches of the indexes at ancestryireland.co.uk for Annie & Lewis were not the right ones. Possibly same @ familyulster or might they be better?
Annie can't have married a Benjamin Houston in 1906, she would have been 10 years old!
I have never been able to find a birth for Mathew Ernest either.
I've just sent off for birth index for Annie 1896 to familyulster so will let you know.
I have a photograh of Annie & Ernie as children.
BFN, Liz

[Aussie Liz]

Hi again Tees,
Just thought I would let you know I also sent for search indexes @ familyulster for 1895 for Annie's birth year. It said on 1911 census she was 15 but she could have been 16 later in the year.
Regards, Liz

[Tees]

Annie can't have married a Benjamin Houston in 1906, she would have been 10 years old!

Liz,

I am not saying that this was a correct marriage registration! I merely stated that I saw it because of the Houston surname.

Kind regards,

Tees

[Tees]

Hi Liz,

You did the right thing by making sure that your Annie Geddis is either in 1895 of 1896 Birth Indexes.

The databases are not 100% complete. It is a matter of getting luck!

www.familyulster.com relies on actual indexes at the GRO as one has to go there and look up in them. This is more reliable than the databases.

Do let us know how you are getting on.

I would suggest that you try and find 1901 Census on her family to make sure that the ages are not off--you can access to the 1901 Irish Censuses at any LDS Family History centre.

Kind regards,

Tees