Mother's previous name on birth cert

[Jo from Australia]

Hopefully this will be a simple to answer qustion:
On a child's birth certificate dated 1883 - the column that says mother's name and maiden name: is the term "formally" exclusive to maiden names or previous married names?
I have three birth certs with the wording "formally" which have all been the married name of the women from her previous marriage, not her true maiden name. Other certs have the maiden name listed under the married surname and not the word formally. Is this a true reflection/ interpretation or is it more by chance or luck of the registrar at the time as to the wording used?

cheers
Jo

[busyglen]

Jo, I am sure someone else will be able to give you a better answer than I, but I `think' it is more by luck or chance.

I obtained a birth certificate for a friend, whose grandmother married...husband died, and she then had a child by another man, but was not married to him. He left her, but the child was given his surname. However, the mother gave her correct nee name, and she wasn't shown as `formerly' even though she was going by another name.

Glenys

[Mythology]

is the term "formally" exclusive to maiden names or previous married names?Firstly, the word "formally" is only used by clerks who can't spell "formerly", so "formally" on a birth cert is a complete nonsense, there's nothing formal about the name at all, it just means "previously".

In most cases, if the lady has a previous marriage, you will find something on the lines of Maria Jenkins, late Robertson, formerly Sutton.
In theory, the maiden name at least should be included - after all, the column heading says "Name, surname and maiden surname of mother", doesn't it?

In real life, what goes on a birth certificate is whatever the person told the clerk at the time, so if they did not mention a previous marriage, that previous married name will not appear, and if they gave a previous married name but not their maiden name, the maiden name will not appear.

If they are as dim as one of my girls was, their middle name will be recorded in this column instead of their maiden name, which didn't get recorded at all on her son's cert.

[Jo from Australia]

Thanks Myth...and for the spelling lesson! Trying to fight a head cold so missing the basic mistakes this week! :o)

Gee, these people who filled in forms all those years ago had no consideration for those of us in the future who will use the information!

Oh weeeel, back to trying to find a marriage that may or may not have taken place! Had my thoughts that terminology wasnt fool proof...

Cheers
Jo