Margaret Cowan's elusive mother

[newmodernist]

My great-grandmother Margaret Cowan was married to George Orr on March 23 1913 at St. Anne's in Belfast - her father was listed on the certificate as Robert Cowan labourer and her age was given as 22, meaning she was born around 1891.

I've found a birth for a Margaret Cowan to a Robert Cowan and Mary Ann McKay in December of 1891, but I can't find Robert and Mary Ann's marriage, or anything else about the family.

I also found a birth for a Maggie Cowan to a Robert Cowan and a Selina Hunter in March of 1894. There was a family bible I found in my mother's possession that had Margaret's parents listed as Robert Cowan and Selina (with no last name) listed, and my grandfather's birth certificate stated that a Selina was present at the birth.

Could a marriage certificate be that incorrect about a birthdate?  Is it possible I have the wrong marriage?  I know for sure her name was Margaret Cowan and he was George Orr - and I can't find another marriage for those names!

[dathai]

1891  Robert Cowan
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FY4R-659
         Mary Anne M'Kay
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FY45-7Y6

[dathai]

Robert Cowan 1893
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FYCQ-325
Selina Hunter
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FYCQ-PN1

[loobylooayr]

Hi newmodernist,
In answer to your question - Could a marriage certificate be that incorrect about a birthdate?
I would say definitely yes.
The marriage certificate info would be as accurate as the information provided by the bride/groom.
In this case it's not a birthdate, actually it's the age of the bride - splitting hairs  I know- but I'm just clarifying with you that the date of birth is not on the cert....Is it?
So Margaret Cowan might have said she was 22 but she could have been 19 or 20 or 26 or......

I've come across a few women who shaved some years off their real age to become younger.
Margaret has perhaps added a few years on. Wonder if she had to get parental/maternal consent to marry if she was under 21.

So while this is not proof that your Margaret is the daughter of Robert and Selina - it is not impossible.

Looby

[newmodernist]

Hi newmodernist,
In answer to your question - Could a marriage certificate be that incorrect about a birthdate?
I would say definitely yes.
The marriage certificate info would be as accurate as the information provided by the bride/groom.
In this case it's not a birthdate, actually it's the age of the bride - splitting hairs  I know- but I'm just clarifying with you that the date of birth is not on the cert....Is it?
So Margaret Cowan might have said she was 22 but she could have been 19 or 20 or 26 or......

I've come across a few women who shaved some years off their real age to become younger.
Margaret has perhaps added a few years on. Wonder if she had to get parental/maternal consent to marry if she was under 21.

So while this is not proof that your Margaret is the daughter of Robert and Selina - it is not impossible.

Looby

This is good to know.  I'm 99% sure now that Selena Hunter was the mother of Margaret Cowan as I pulled my grandfather's birth certificate from storage and found it listed a Selena Cowan as being present at the birth.  So now I guess my job is to see if there are any other George Orr's who married Margaret Cowans aside from the one in 1913 where the ages (you're correct, there was no birthdate, only an age) match better.  If not, I guess she lied because she didn't have permission to wed.

[newmodernist]

Now the interesting part is the only Selena and Robert Cowan I can find are here on this census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Victoria__part_of_/Convention_Street/224758/

where clearly James would've been born much prior to the marriage found of Selena Hunter and Robert Cowan in 1893.

[dathai]

1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Victoria/Methuen_Street/1218521/

[dathai]

Just to verify the children born after 1901
John 1903
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/31264a1104071
Maria 1908
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/ed3ce90513446
Edward 1905
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/c1c7b50883512
while the census states children are sons to head of household does not mean they are all Selina's children he could have been a widower with young children when he married Selina.

[dathai]

possible death for Robert in 1911
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRJ7-F2K