This article resonates with my genealogy research journey *so* much. My father and his siblings all have a name listed on their birth certificates as their father, but after taking a DNA test, we discovered that person on official documentation was not their father. It opened the door to a whole new set of information for us (we met his newly found three sisters from his biological dad!), but I am still trying to find out who the original name on the certificate belongs to. I’ve searched for this person far and wide and have come up with nothing and I’m starting to settle into the reality I may never know… and that he may not actually exist at all. I have one more avenue to explore that could reveal this person’s identity but I’ve stalled on digging because I’m not sure I’m even ready for that definitive answer. Anyways, I thank you for this article and for your writing on the subject - it’s been immensely helpful to me.
Thank you for sharing that with me Angela. You might have already reached the same conclusion about the mystery father, that his name was entirely made up. Sometimes not knowing can actually be better than knowing the truth.
Yes! So, interesting — and what I believe can’t possibly be coincidence — the name listed in the birth certificates does pop up in my historical records… but as my grandmother’s brother, who died at the age of 2. I’ve suspected she just took the name for someone who might’ve been engaged with unsavory things. That may be a reality I’m not wanting to know… mostly bc I’d like to honor her legacy and remember her in a positive light.
Another excellent discussion about research. I ask the same questions of my students when I teach military research and give my cousin's headstone as an example. Even if something is etched in stone from a military document (that wasn't thoroughly checked for accuracy) - can be wrong. Always verify.
My grandfather was married to another woman in another part of the country before he met my grandmother in London and my father was was born. He had a son with her, and when that son married in the 1950s, his marriage certificate states that his father was deceased. I know that he was in fact alive then and living with his family in my home town, dying there around 5 years later. What I don’t know and cannot prove is whether either his first son or wife knew the actual circumstances and were covering an earlier desertion with a white lie, or whether one or both truly believed he was dead. I also don’t know if anyone else in our family knew of the earlier wife and child’s existence. Never mentioned in my lifetime, that I am aware and all others gone now.
Being seen to be keeping up appearances was extremely important to our ancestors. Some people call it brushing the truth under the carpet but respectability or being thought of that way, was very much part of every day life.
Ha! I encountered this problem yesterday when I found a registry of every child who received two free nickels on Independence Day in Warroad MN starting in 1932. And I found 14-year-old Robert Kakaygeesick's name listed in 1936 with an age of 10 recorded. There are plenty of primary documents which contradict this "fact" recorded in the nickel registration. What further complicates the corroboration process is that I have to wonder whether the error was intentional, and if so, the motive. Who wrote Robert Kakaygeesick's name and why would they put down the wrong age? Was it him, an adult who accompanied him, a community volunteer who filled it in? Did the age limit of 12 for the free nickels have anything to do with it? Sometimes the official errors are to blame for the rabbit holes I go down.
There’s always a reason Jill. Sometimes a mistake, sometimes a lie, sometimes a misinterpretation, as you know there are so many reasons that a record could be wrong. The age limit for the free nickel does seem to be strong evidence to me
The motive may be clear, but not who actually wrote his age. The penmanship is cursive and the same for all three names of boys listed with ages 4, 5, and 10. Which adult completed the registration? And the motive may have been honorable -- not wanting to exclude Robert from the festivities. All speculative. We can't rewind the past and replay it so easily.
Two good examples in my own family. My father, born in 1922, was named Warren after the president. In 1923 the president was tainted by scandal, so his parents started calling him Russel. He's always been Russel, but his birth certificate said Warren.
My great-aunt Betty always said that she chose Betty because her real name was Hildegarde. After she died her birth certificate surfaced. Not Hildegarde, Irene Marie.
Those two examples are brilliant examples of why you should never trust a single source! These are so far removed from the original names, unless you knew, you would never make the link.
Your post resonates with me completely for two reasons.
1. My father's name in the official records was not the one he used throughout his life. He was registered under a name not recognised by his family.
2. My maternal grandmother died in the 6 weeks immediately prior to my wedding. Yet her gravestone has been altered to show the year as the following year and the rest of the date is wrong also. The genealogy site did not acknowledge my post telling them about these discrepancies.
We often think that official documents or records have to be right, because they are just that, “official documents”. We can also question how is it possible for a gravestone to be wrong? But all of these records are only ever as accurate as the person providing the information. My grandfather was known by everyone in the family as “Jerry”. His wife, friends, kids, grandkids etc all called him Jerry. When I started researching my tree I naturally assumed Jerry was a middle name. His full name was Horace Frank Chiddicks and to this day I still have no idea where the name Jerry came from.
This article resonates with my genealogy research journey *so* much. My father and his siblings all have a name listed on their birth certificates as their father, but after taking a DNA test, we discovered that person on official documentation was not their father. It opened the door to a whole new set of information for us (we met his newly found three sisters from his biological dad!), but I am still trying to find out who the original name on the certificate belongs to. I’ve searched for this person far and wide and have come up with nothing and I’m starting to settle into the reality I may never know… and that he may not actually exist at all. I have one more avenue to explore that could reveal this person’s identity but I’ve stalled on digging because I’m not sure I’m even ready for that definitive answer. Anyways, I thank you for this article and for your writing on the subject - it’s been immensely helpful to me.
Thank you for sharing that with me Angela. You might have already reached the same conclusion about the mystery father, that his name was entirely made up. Sometimes not knowing can actually be better than knowing the truth.
Yes! So, interesting — and what I believe can’t possibly be coincidence — the name listed in the birth certificates does pop up in my historical records… but as my grandmother’s brother, who died at the age of 2. I’ve suspected she just took the name for someone who might’ve been engaged with unsavory things. That may be a reality I’m not wanting to know… mostly bc I’d like to honor her legacy and remember her in a positive light.
I did know of someone that just took the name of a person in the local cemetery that thought did occur to me
Another excellent discussion about research. I ask the same questions of my students when I teach military research and give my cousin's headstone as an example. Even if something is etched in stone from a military document (that wasn't thoroughly checked for accuracy) - can be wrong. Always verify.
I couldn’t agree more, the need to verify everything you discover is often overlooked by many.
My grandfather was married to another woman in another part of the country before he met my grandmother in London and my father was was born. He had a son with her, and when that son married in the 1950s, his marriage certificate states that his father was deceased. I know that he was in fact alive then and living with his family in my home town, dying there around 5 years later. What I don’t know and cannot prove is whether either his first son or wife knew the actual circumstances and were covering an earlier desertion with a white lie, or whether one or both truly believed he was dead. I also don’t know if anyone else in our family knew of the earlier wife and child’s existence. Never mentioned in my lifetime, that I am aware and all others gone now.
Being seen to be keeping up appearances was extremely important to our ancestors. Some people call it brushing the truth under the carpet but respectability or being thought of that way, was very much part of every day life.
Ha! I encountered this problem yesterday when I found a registry of every child who received two free nickels on Independence Day in Warroad MN starting in 1932. And I found 14-year-old Robert Kakaygeesick's name listed in 1936 with an age of 10 recorded. There are plenty of primary documents which contradict this "fact" recorded in the nickel registration. What further complicates the corroboration process is that I have to wonder whether the error was intentional, and if so, the motive. Who wrote Robert Kakaygeesick's name and why would they put down the wrong age? Was it him, an adult who accompanied him, a community volunteer who filled it in? Did the age limit of 12 for the free nickels have anything to do with it? Sometimes the official errors are to blame for the rabbit holes I go down.
Sometimes all we are left with is the balance of probability
There’s always a reason Jill. Sometimes a mistake, sometimes a lie, sometimes a misinterpretation, as you know there are so many reasons that a record could be wrong. The age limit for the free nickel does seem to be strong evidence to me
The motive may be clear, but not who actually wrote his age. The penmanship is cursive and the same for all three names of boys listed with ages 4, 5, and 10. Which adult completed the registration? And the motive may have been honorable -- not wanting to exclude Robert from the festivities. All speculative. We can't rewind the past and replay it so easily.
Two good examples in my own family. My father, born in 1922, was named Warren after the president. In 1923 the president was tainted by scandal, so his parents started calling him Russel. He's always been Russel, but his birth certificate said Warren.
My great-aunt Betty always said that she chose Betty because her real name was Hildegarde. After she died her birth certificate surfaced. Not Hildegarde, Irene Marie.
Those two examples are brilliant examples of why you should never trust a single source! These are so far removed from the original names, unless you knew, you would never make the link.
Exactly! Well said @Paul Chiddicks.
Your post resonates with me completely for two reasons.
1. My father's name in the official records was not the one he used throughout his life. He was registered under a name not recognised by his family.
2. My maternal grandmother died in the 6 weeks immediately prior to my wedding. Yet her gravestone has been altered to show the year as the following year and the rest of the date is wrong also. The genealogy site did not acknowledge my post telling them about these discrepancies.
We often think that official documents or records have to be right, because they are just that, “official documents”. We can also question how is it possible for a gravestone to be wrong? But all of these records are only ever as accurate as the person providing the information. My grandfather was known by everyone in the family as “Jerry”. His wife, friends, kids, grandkids etc all called him Jerry. When I started researching my tree I naturally assumed Jerry was a middle name. His full name was Horace Frank Chiddicks and to this day I still have no idea where the name Jerry came from.