Why Two Records of Birth?

[argyllshiregirl]

Hello,

Perhaps I am not understanding the registration system for births. I am searching for my mother's half sister, born Nancy McGregor, some time between 1929 - 1934. She was the 3rd child born to a single mother who couldn't support them all. A relative arranged for 'wee Nancy' to be adopted. The family was from Argyll and I did find a birth registration for a Nancy Evaleen MacGregor born 1931 in North Knapdale, which might fit. However, there is another registration for that name, that year, in Kilmore and Kilbride, Argyll. Does this point perhaps to an adoption, and a new birth registration? Then I noticed several other Nancy M(a)cGregors on that same page who seem to be registered in 2 different places. Thank you for helping me understand the meaning of this.

Mary

[iluleah]

It is likely to be same name for different people registered

[argyllshiregirl]

The thing is that the names are so unusual. How many Nancy Evaleen MacGregors would be born in Argyll in a given year? I have never even heard the given name Evaleen until now. Another person on that page on SP is Nancy Meiklejohn McGregor, also listed twice, same year, different locations. Can there be 2 people with that name? These are too recent to look at, and would have to be ordered, which is not possible right now. I was just wondering if there are reasons why someone might be registered twice in 2 places. My hope was that that reason might be adoption.

[argyllshiregirl]

Okay, I partially answered my own question by digging through SP's guides. I still don't know if this is our Nancy or why she would be born away from home. Better hospital facilities? Or born where an adoptive family was living? This is what it says on SP "You sometimes find two index entries for a birth. This applies from 1855 to 1934 when a child was born outside the registration district of their parents’ usual residence. The birth was registered in the district where the child was born. The registrar then sent a copy to the registrar of the district where the parents lived. The details were transcribed into that register. Both entries are indexed. If you order a birth certificate it will be from the original, not the transcribed register entry."

[dowdstree]

Not much help in finding your Nancy but my mother's birth was registered twice.

Mum was born in Edinburgh in 1918 but her mother's home address is given as Kirkwall, Orkney so the birth was registered in both places.

Dorrie

[MonicaL]

If the surname on the index is the same on both cases (McGregor), then the notes from SP explain the why.

Sometimes for illegitimate births and where the father wishes/ed their name to appear on the register, there are 2 registrations, one with his surname and the other the surname of the mother but the location is the same (unless you have the situation you are looking at with different locations coming in to play. By logic, you would then have 4 registrations in two places with two surnames  ...I think!).

When you look at the actual birth entry on the register, it will, for example, read 'born here but usual residence there' with given addresses for both.

Monica

[argyllshiregirl]

Thanks!

To expand on that, what would be the case in the event of an adoption? Would yet another birth registration be issued with a new surname?

Mary

[MonicaL]

Yes, there would be. See additional notes here www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=848141.0

Monica

[Forfarian]

Sometimes for illegitimate births and where the father wishes/ed their name to appear on the register, there are 2 registrations, one with his surname and the other the surname of the mother but the location is the same.

That's different. It is still just one birth certificate but the birth of an illegitimate child whose father signs the register is indexed twice, once by the father's name and once by the mother's.

That raises the interesting possibility that the same birth certificate might be indexed under three surnames if it was a case of a married or widowed woman having an illegitimate child. I don't think I've ever actually seen that but it is possible.