Geoff Clegg <geoff.clegg(a)btinternet.com> wrote:
Help needed in understanding the Magor christening information on
FamilySearch. Normally a register entry will show one of the parents having
the same surname as the child. However some of the entries in the IGI for
Magor do not seem to follow this pattern. In all these cases the child's
surname seems to be different to the father's surname. For example:
<snip>
8 July 1811 - Uriah Roberts, father Robert Charlton, mother Iddy
The person that I am interested in is Uriah Roberts. Is his father named
Robert Charlton or Robert Charlton Roberts?
=================
Dear Geoff,
You've encountered one of the weaknesses in the way the IGI treats Welsh
christenings for dates prior to January 1813.
An assumption is made that prior to 1813 all children in Wales were named
according to the patronymic system; i.e. the father's forename was used as
the child's surname. In each of your examples, the father's forename was
Robert, so the assumption is made that the child will have the surname
ROBERTS.
Unfortunately, in most cases the assumption is wrong. In most parts of
Wales, patronymic naming had largely been abandoned by the early 18th
century.
Your "Uriah Roberts" was actually Uriah Charlton, the son of Robert
Charlton. If you examine the entry in the actual parish register (or
bishop's transcript) you'll see that this is so.
These anomalies in the IGI entries for Wales are explained on page 99
onwards in "Welsh Family History - A Guide to Research" edited by John and
Sheila Rowlands, 2nd edition published in 1998 by the Federation of Family
History Societies (Publications) Ltd., Birmingham, UK. ISBN 1-86006-065-0.
In my view, this book is essential reading for anyone researching Welsh
family history.
Kind regards,
John
----------------------------
John Ball, Ystalyfera, South Wales, UK
E-mail: wfha(a)clara.co.uk
Homepage:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/
Welsh Family History Archive:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/
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