Missing births and marriages. General chat.

[coombs]

We have had one for missing burials but lets have one for missing births and marriages. Several reasons for missing burials can also apply to missing births/baptisms/marriages such as name change, emigration, false info, missing records etc.

In regards to missing marriages it could be (other than missing records, false info, name change)

They married in a parish that has no online records, and no one has checked yet.
They never actually married.
Army marriages/marriage abroad.
They married by licence and the records are not yet online for the archdeaconry/diocese etc. It took me ages to find a Bucks marriage but when FindMyPast released more records last year including licenses, i found the marriage in the Buckingham licences. So there is hope.

Missing baptisms pre 1837 (or 1855 Scotland, 1864 for Ireland, or even further afield).

Birth not registered.
Birth registered under a different name, unmarried mother.
Never baptised.
Baptised but the vicar never added it to the register.
Baptised in the workhouse.
Born abroad (father in army or temporarily emigrated for a job etc)

Probably many more reasons.

[Girl Guide]

I am wondering if the missing marriage that I wished to find is due to the fact that the vicar of the day used the page it was on to light his pipe!

Apparently he used pages from the church records to light his pipe.  The year I was looking for was 1796.  The husband died before the 1841 census so I don't know if he was born in county or out.

[dawnsh]

Missing marriages still happen...

I know of one recent marriage in the 2000's that is not in the index because the vicar was too late getting his returns back to the reg office.

[g eli]

Ancestors of mine were in court for stealing a page from the parish records for murky reasons. I don't know if the page was returned.
Liz

[mgeneas]

Some church registers are badly damaged by damp, mould, rats etc. Page edges or corners crumbled away.
I expect my Joseph Johnson used to be on one of those pages.

[conahy calling]

elopement..   sometimes family did not approve of choice of partner and couple eloped.

[coombs]

I have ancestors from Toppesfield, Essex. I think the original registers have been damaged by damp. However I think a transcript was made before they were damaged by the damp. I think the dampness damage was about 1910/1920 and they made a transcript about 1905.

Yes they could have eloped, and married far away from where they lived. Maybe the groom had to fend off the bride's over protective brother or father lol.

[tillypeg]

If you are missing some Cornish records:

Extract from the Royal Cornwall Gazette 16 April 1891
"PORTSCATHO
We very much regret to hear that Captain Thomas Peters has not been heard of since the snowstorm blizzard which visited our shores about six weeks since.  His ship, the Rose, was last seen off the Longships in the gale but as she has not reached port it is believed she must have foundered with all hands.  Captain Peters was much beloved by all he came in contact with for his kindness and genial disposition and his loss will be much felt at Portscatho."

The loss of the Chapel registers is also much felt - he was the Secretary of the Portscatho Independent Chapel and took the Chapel registers to sea with him for safe-keeping.

[coombs]

Incomplete info in record such as "A son of John Smith" or "Twins of Joseph Tiffin". I have a Susan Tiffin who wed in 1759 in Wethersfield to Andrew Page. Witnesses seemed to be regular ones in typical fashion. I think she was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Tiffin who wed in 1731. The 1736 baptism says "twins of Joseph Tiffin". Susan had a daughter Sarah in 1765.