Deceased father of the bride on marriage certificate

[KGarrad]

It isn't necessary for the witnesses to be related to the bride & groom!
They can be anyone at all - in many cases they are church officials!

For my 2nd marriage, the witnesses were two friends.

[Gaie]

Could Robert Jones be a cousin?

[Wrexthedragon]

Ok, the witness in this case was a red herring!
I won't assume in future that the father of the bride or groom are alive at the time of the marriage.
Thanks for the prompt replies/advice all 

[JenB]

I won't assume in future that the father of the bride or groom are alive at the time of the marriage.

There have been quite a few threads on Rootschat on this subject. The conclusion all of them have reached is that you shouldn't assume that the father was still alive. Sometimes the word 'deceased' was added after his name sometimes not. If depended a great deal on whether the question 'is your father still alive' was asked, or, if it wasn't, whether the information was offered by the couple.

[Gaie]

Yes, it depends on whether the prospective couple were asked or volunteered the information that their fathers were deceased, and whether the official chose to record it!  Or even if they knew or answered honestly!!

KR
Gaie

[LizzieL]

And "deceased" fathers may not really be dead or even ever have existed. I have several examples where an illegitimate bride or groom has made up a father's name and said they wee deceased. Or more likely, that is what their mother told them at an early age to explain the absence of a father and they believed it was the truth.
Also I have come across a case where the father deserted the family and he was recorded as deceased on his child's marriage record but was actually still alive, presumably he had severed all ties with the family and they thought he had died.

[Kiltpin]

I was a once witness to a marriage at Thetford Register Office.

I was walking past the office wearing my N^o 1 RAF uniform. They only had two pictures taken; one of the happy couple and one of the couple with both of us witnesses. The bride went to great lengths to get my full name so that she would know, in years to come, who was on the wedding photograph. I never saw the couple nor the other witness ever again.

Regards

Chas

[a-l]

He could have been a cousin.

[trish1120]

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