Author Topic: births but no baptisms?  (Read 1529 times)

Offline dtcoulson

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births but no baptisms?
« on: Friday 14 September 18 02:38 BST (UK) »
Hello people,

in reviewing my grandfather's siblings, all born between 1889 and 1908 in South Shields,
I have noticed that birth registration for all of these children exist (as found in FreeBMD)
but there are no matching baptism records (as would be found doing a Parish Baptisms/Christenings search in FindMyPast or FamilySearch for example).

There are ten children in this family. Should I see the lack of baptism as some sort of agnostic
statement by the parents or is it possible that baptisms occurred but were not recorded?

How common was it for children to be born but not baptised in those days and in that area?
Is it something that would have drawn consternation from the community?

Their names, in case you're curious are:
- Mary Ann Coulson (1889)
- Thomas Smith Coulson (1891)
- Wlliam Sewell Coulson (about 1893)
- Frederick Waister Coulson (1895)
- Joseph Sewell Coulson (1897)
- Jane Sewell Coulson (1898)
- Lilian Coulson (1901)
- Henry Coulson (1905)
- May Coulson (1908)




-DC

Offline goldie61

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #1 on: Friday 14 September 18 05:11 BST (UK) »
This is from familysearch wiki:
Parish Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/227 Date: 1763-1891 Contents: Including transcripts from South Shields Holy Trinity, September 1834-1848, and South Shields St Stephen, October 1846-1848 DDR/EA/PBT/2/226  Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records.

The dates of the post-1760 transcripts have been noted in detail and sometimes only cover years. For most parishes in the collection there are gaps in the sequence of transcripts. It is advisable to consult the original parish registers for these years and events.
The Parish Registers for the period 1653-1953 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/SS.SH).


So it sounds as if the baptisms for the years you're looking for are not on familysearch.
I haven't checked the years findmypast hold, but I suspect the same thing.
So Parish regs are at Durham County Record Office.

It's also possible they were non-comformists.
There are three places of worship belonging to the Wesleyans; two each to the Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists of the New Connexion; and one each to the Independents, Primitive Methodists, and members of the United Secession Church.
Lane, Burgess: Cheshire. Finney, Rogers, Gilman:Derbys
Cochran, Nicol, Paton, Bruce:Scotland. Bertolle:London
Bainbridge, Christman, Jeffs: Staffs

Offline plk74

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #2 on: Friday 14 September 18 07:02 BST (UK) »
They could also be Catholics.

Offline JenB

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #3 on: Friday 14 September 18 09:21 BST (UK) »
I think you are wrong to assume that just because you haven't found a baptism that it didn't happen.

There are huge numbers of baptisms that haven't yet found their way onto Family Search, Findmypast, Durham Records Online etc., particularly those which took place at non-conformist churches, both Protestant and Roman Catholic.
All Census Look Ups Are Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline Tickettyboo

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #4 on: Friday 14 September 18 10:40 BST (UK) »
 I have a similar situation, in Gateshead, with my own Granda and his siblings who were  born in a similar time frame.
The only definite conclusion I can draw so far is that they weren't baptised at any of the churches where I have been able to check the registers so far, there may be other registers for the area that are not in the archives/ no longer exist .

I keep looking, any database that is updated or pops up as new I have a quick firkle through. I may yet find them and at least the list of where they weren't baptised is growing, that too is a step forward :-)


Boo

Offline dtcoulson

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #5 on: Friday 14 September 18 15:31 BST (UK) »
Thanks all,

my curiosity is satisfied on this question.
Lack of records does not mean it didn't happen, it just means lack  of records.

I will close this topic shortly unless someone has an additional comment.

-DC

Offline River Tyne Lass

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #6 on: Friday 14 September 18 18:50 BST (UK) »
I have this situation with my Grandmother too.  She was born illegitimate in 1895 in South Shields.  The family were C of E.  I have searched all the Churches in South Shields to no avail.

Her birth Mother went on to live in other areas of the country so it may be possible that she had my Grandmother baptised elsewhere.  The family story was that my Grandmother was left behind and her Grandparents brought her up.  However, her South Shields school admission records that her previous school was in Harrogate - where birth Mother went on to live at one point.

Hopefully one day, I will discover her baptism somewhere. 
Conroy, Fitzpatrick, Watson, Miller, Davis/Davies, Brown, Senior, Dodds, Grieveson, Gamesby, Simpson, Rose, Gilboy, Malloy, Dalton, Young, Saint, Anderson, Allen, McKetterick, McCabe, Drummond, Parkinson, Armstrong, McCarroll, Innes, Marshall, Atkinson, Glendinning, Fenwick, Bonner

Offline Maiden Stone

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #7 on: Friday 14 September 18 23:04 BST (UK) »
They might have been Baptists or another denomination which didn't baptise infants. If they were Baptists one wouldn't expect a baptism until the person was old enough to decide to be baptised.
Cowban

Offline River Tyne Lass

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Re: births but no baptisms?
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 15 September 18 09:09 BST (UK) »
The other South Shields born children in this family were all baptised at St Stephen which was on their doorstep.  Some of my Grandmother's half siblings were also born in this area and were also baptised at C of E Churches.  It has been quite frustrating to not be able to have found a baptism for her when I have been able to find baptisms for all the others in the family.

I would really like to find out what her life situation was in her early years.  I know from the census she was in South Shields in 1901 and 1911 and that she started at the St Stephen school in 1907 (her previous school recorded as at Harrogate.)  She married in this area and then moved to Whitley Bay until her death at age 42.
Conroy, Fitzpatrick, Watson, Miller, Davis/Davies, Brown, Senior, Dodds, Grieveson, Gamesby, Simpson, Rose, Gilboy, Malloy, Dalton, Young, Saint, Anderson, Allen, McKetterick, McCabe, Drummond, Parkinson, Armstrong, McCarroll, Innes, Marshall, Atkinson, Glendinning, Fenwick, Bonner