Crossings out on a birth certificate!

[wayneharris]

Can anyone give me their thoughts on this please?
I found an ancester called Minnie Ralph living with her 2 sisters (Alice and Maria) and mother(Ann) on the 1891 census in Bromsgrove.
Also there was a Jane Ralph, listed as the grand-daughter of Ann Ralph. No male Ralphs were listed.
I wanted to see whose child Jane was and sent for the birth certificate. It appears she was the daughter of an unmarried 16 year old Alice Ralph (sister of Minnie Jane).
In the informant column it lists "Alice Ralph, mother" and her address. The column for name of mother however has "Mary Louisa Packwood formerly" written and then crossed out. A number 5 is evident and on the left of the certificate 5 again and the registrar's initials. Under the crossing out is written "Alice Ralph fishing tackle maker".
In the name of the father "Robert Edwin Wright" is written and then crossed out and numbered 6 and initialled in the same way!
Can anyone help suggest what might have been going on here? I believe that Alice was the mother, but who might these other two have been?
Thanks for any help you can give
Wayne Harris

[casalguidi]

Hi Wayne

A possibility ..............

The numbers 5 & 6 would relate to the numbers in the registrars list of amendments/errors corrected.  It could just be that he was transcribing the copies for the GRO and started making errors which he then corrected.

Or, maybe he did the certificate for the child and even made the errors whilst entering it into his own records.

Perhaps if you check freebmd or something there might be an entry preceding or following Jane's for a PACKWOOD/WRIGHT child which might confirm this theory

Best wishes

Casalguidi

[tabitha]

Hi,

I have a similar thing on a marriage certificate copy.

The groom's name is entered as Joseph but the signature was written as Joshua.

The registrar corrected this so the signature was Joseph too, marked it number 1 and put his initial on the left hand side.

On further investigation he seems to have amended it incorrectly as it was Joshua who married this particular bride (not his brother Joseph) and went on to have numerous children with her!

Just wanted to let you know you're not on your own with these problems.   

Good luck with your research.

tabitha

[gennig]

Hi Wayne

If the correction only has the registrar's initials on it, I think that it would be transcription error that was reallised early and corrected.

If the correction had been made for any other reason the date would be entered and I imagine some form of notation regarding the reason.

Example as I'm adopted my birth certificate has been amended so my natural parents don't show.  My Birth certificate has a statement on it to the effect that not all the information from the register is indicated on the certificate.

Cheers
Genni

[wayneharris]

Thanks all,
That has set my mind at rest.

Wayne