Maiden names

[Poppea]

I'm currently researching my paternal grandmother's family, Ball, and have decided to send for my grandmother's birth certificate as nowhere can I find my great grandmother's maiden name. There are several possibilities, but no proof. My grandmother was born in 1878 - will her mother's maiden name be definitely on her birth certificate? My family were scattered through divorce, which is why I've no family album or conversations to recall.

[Nick29]

Hi Poppea, welcome to Roots Chat 

I'm afraid that the word "definite" is quite hard to use when dealing with genealogy, but there's a very strong possibility that your grandmother's birth certificate will show her mother's maiden name.

[Spidermonkey]

Hi Poppea,

Welcome to Rootschat!

Generally speaking, if you have a birth certificate then the mother's maiden name will be noted (I'm assuming the birth was in England or Wales).  

This link should give you some more info as to what you can expect to find http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/births.htm

Red boxed by Nick!

[charlotteCH]

Hi Poppea and welcome to rootschat.

Is all this going on in England? If so you should get the name and maiden surname of the mother on a birth cert.

charlotte

[stanmapstone]

See http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/births.htm


Stan

[Poppea]

Thank you for all your support and reassurances. I'm amazed at the brilliance of this site. I've been slogging alone for a couple of months, with ancestry and the Lancashire bmd, but as you all know the further one goes into it the more complex and difficult it becomes, and yet, strangely, the more satisfying. I should have known how addictive genealogy is! My two areas of research are Lancashire and Warwickshire. If anyone knows of a connection between Capel (or Capell) and Perigo, I'd be interested.

[charlotteCH]

Why not post on each of those boards about the names you are researching.

If the Capels & Perigos are in England why not look for them on freebmd site and see if there is any links such as marriages there?

charlotte

[Maggie1895]

Poppea, you say there are 'several possibilities but no proof'.   Not sure if this will help but if you know roughly when and where your great grandparents married, and are registered on Ancestry, you can look up the marriage using your great grandfather's details, then click on 'see others on that page'.
If one of the women listed is one of your possibilities, it could give you some confirmation.
Of course if that's how you got the 'possibilities' in the first place then this will be of no help at all, in which case ignore the suggestion!
Good luck,
Maggie 1895

[Poppea]

Thank you for your suggestion. I have tried this, but only one possibility emerged which was Robert Bell m. Alice, which was the correct name and year, but not Robert Ball. I've wondered since if this isn't an error, but can't verify. I'm looking for Robert Ball m. Alice ?. But I do feel optimistic that I'll get there in the end.

Maggie