Author Topic: solving mysteries from Baptism Records  (Read 637 times)

Offline brigidmac

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solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« on: Thursday 28 October 21 09:36 BST (UK) »
 Has anyone else come across children being baptised out of chronological order
 did they turn out to be children placed with the family or child of another family member . * The case for a Birmingham family im looking into * (modified)
it is Hard to prove if birth was registered under new parents name but may show up in DNA anomolies.

I am currently investigating a London  family where 7 children born 1898-1911
were baptised in different years .
5 baptised in 1906
3 together in a group baptism
 but first child in a later month and
 5th child the month after him
child 6 and 7 were baptised separately within 2 years of birth
but there may be another reason for this first child to be baptised out of order .

THE Mystery of my own  Birkenhead grandma's birth father was solved by the middle name on birth certificate ..interestingly middle name on baptism was different
for others that can be clue
some helpful vicars even write child of giving fathers name .

im particularly interested in England  1900-1906 era because i was involved in researching a baby placing scandal which involved babies from Ireland and wales placed in towns all over Britain

have you had any such examples ?
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

Online Marmalady

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 28 October 21 12:42 BST (UK) »
Although a bit earlier than the period you are looking at, my grandfather & his siblings have the following bapts:

Child 1 born 1878 Liverpool bapt a few months later in Birmingham (no idea why Birmingham!)
Child 2 born 1879 Bristol bapt 1896 Birmingham age 17 (the family had moved to Birmingham by then)
Child 3 born 1884 Birmingham 1896 Birmingham age 12 a week after Child 2
Child 4 born 1886 Birmingham bapt 1892 Birkdale (age 6) Grandmother lived in Birkdale
Child 5 born 1892 Birmingham bapt 1896 Birmingham (aged 3) same day as Child 3, a week after Child 2

So the baptismal order is 1, 4, 2, 3 & 5
Wainwright - Yorkshire
Whitney - Herefordshire
Watson -  Northamptonshire
Trant - Yorkshire
Helps - all
Needham - Derbyshire
Waterhouse - Derbyshire
Northing - all

Offline brigidmac

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 28 October 21 14:18 BST (UK) »
Very interesting marmelady the first story i mentioned was Birmingham that era

Have modified message .

* Sorry im getting head round those
dates you said child two was age 17 at baptism but born year after child 1

Do you have any explanation ?were they step children?
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 28 October 21 14:22 BST (UK) »

Did you make a mistake in dates you said child two was age 17 at baptism but born year after child 1

No mistake
Apart from the first child, none of the others were baptised as babies
Ages of the others ranged from 3 - 17 years old

All had same parents
Can't think of any reason why the odd baptism pattern

Child 4 was baptised in her Grandmother's church not long before the birth of child 5 -- we have speculated that maybe she had been sent to stay with Granny whilst her mother was in the later stages of pregnancy and Granny decided to have her baptised.
But that is mere conjecture -- we don't really have any idea as to why the children were not baptised soon after birth as was more general
Wainwright - Yorkshire
Whitney - Herefordshire
Watson -  Northamptonshire
Trant - Yorkshire
Helps - all
Needham - Derbyshire
Waterhouse - Derbyshire
Northing - all


Offline brigidmac

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 28 October 21 14:29 BST (UK) »
Sorry marmelady was correcting my post when you answered realised it was my mistake
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

Offline brigidmac

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 28 October 21 14:36 BST (UK) »
So it looks like only child 4 in your family baptised out of order.
Its not unusual for children to be baptised beyond babyhood .
+ Your grandmother reason is a good possibility.

The person im helping had a dna anomaly that her out of order child s descendants didnt match any of the fathers line but had strong matches to the mother
On paper the children all had same parents but dna showed the child to be a little sibling of the mother !

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Offline brigidmac

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 28 October 21 15:13 BST (UK) »
Here's a link to the placed baby mystery that  was on local BBC radio +  nearly ended up being a bbc TV program

https://newsfromthepastblog-wordpress-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/newsfromthepastblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/1907-britains-most-prolific-baby-traffickers-part-5/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16354302449136&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsfromthepastblog.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F06%2F29%2F1907-britains-most-prolific-baby-traffickers-part-5%2F

 if you can get the radio link to Richard Tisdale s blog its a great listen

This is part 5 ...i was interviewed along with a descendant of Harry Kitchen the baby retrieved by his grandmother from workhouse .


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Offline brigidmac

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Re: solving mysteries from Baptism Records
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 30 October 21 22:18 BST (UK) »
Ive just had another success where baptism gave clue to identity
Im going to spend money on scottish people
Because i realise now my scottish greatgrandfather may have been child of a relative..im not getting dna links to his mother s side
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson