On a marriage certificate, why is the bride's surname different to her father's?

[tjh1989]

I have a marriage certificate of an 'Annie Laura Baker' but her father's surname is listed as 'Harvey' and not Baker. She was only 18 at the time of marriage so I believe that she is too young to have been widowed and using her first married name.

What are the most likely explanations here? She was adopted?

Many thanks

[dawnsh]

Hi tjh1989

Welcome to Rootschat 

...or he was her step-father

[lizdb]

Does she say she is a spinster?    It is possible she had married before and been widowed.

More likely though that she was either illegitimate, or born from her mums first marriage, but then her mum married , or remarried as the case may be, and Laura gives her step fathers name.

When is this? Can you follow the family on censuses to see what happened?

(Dawn - you put it so much better - why do I use hundreds of words when just a few will do!!)


Welcome to Rootschat, tjh1989!

[crisane]

She may have adopted the surname Baker if her mother remarried to a Baker after the death of husband and father Harvey.
When and where did Annie marry and to whom?

And I came in late as usual 

[tjh1989]

Does she say she is a spinster?    It is possible she had married before and been widowed.

More likely though that she was either illegitimate, or born from her mums first marriage, but then her mum married , or remarried as the case may be, and Laura gives her step fathers name.

When is this? Can you follow the family on censuses to see what happened?

(Dawn - you put it so much better - why do I use hundreds of words when just a few will do!!)


Welcome to Rootschat, tjh1989!

Thanks for the welcome!

I struggled to find the census records (worst comes to worst I can buy her birth certificate).

I think I may have found her on an 1871 census as her date of birth ties up (1867). The census address lists many people so I'm not sure if this is a workhouse? There were residents with the surname Harvey but no John Harvey - maybe a coincidence.

Anyone smarter than me care to figure it out?

Piece:1828
Folio:   123
Page Number:10

[keyboard86]

Hi the Ann Baker you depict on that census ref is aged 4 with another Ann aged 23 occ Servant both born Blofield in Lingwood Workhouse
Keyboard86

[tjh1989]

Hi tjh1989

Welcome to Rootschat 

...or he was her step-father

Ah, think you may be right!

[davidft]

Have yoy ruled out this 1871 entry ?

Name:   Annie L Harvey
Age:   3
Relation:   Daughter
Father's name:   John Harvey
Mother's name:   Sarah Harvey
Where born:   Cambridge
Civil Parish:   St Clement
Ecclesiastical parish:   Ely
Registration district:   Cambridge
Household schedule number:   106
Piece:   1590
Folio:   91
Page Number:   20

[Jool]

Could this be the marriage of Annie's mother Ann Baker and John Harvey

Mar Q 1874 Blofield 4b 337
John Harvey
Ann Baker

Only 2 names on page