Thisty
16-10-2007, 6:38 PM
I have hit a snag with my gtgt Grandmother Margaret Wright bn 1849 in Jedburgh, Scotland. We knew her father was named Walter Wright and that he was a tailor in Jedburgh, I've found out his wife was called Mary-Anne Chambers and they married in 1848 also in Jedburgh.
So far all seems perfectly normal.....until I found Margaret's marriage certificate to Robert Rae......
She gives her father's name as Walter Wright (Tailor) so far so good.......however her mother's name is given as Isabella Bell !!!!
Now as you can see Walter was definately married to Mary-Anne at the time of Margaret's birth so the heck is Isabella Bell? I find it hard to believe that Margaret would knowingly put a wrong name on her marriage certificate (especially given that both Walter and Mary-Anne were very much alive at the time)
To add to this confusion, Margaret does not appear on EITHER the 1851 or 1861 census with Walter and Mary-Anne even though she was still a child at the time.........where on earth was she?
Now.....my mother recalls some vague story about a servant girl who became pregnant and that Walter and Mary-Anne adopted the child out of the goodness of their hearts (yeah right!) if this is the case why did Margaret name Walter as his father? could this story be true but the fact that Walter was the real father conveniently ommited?
I can't make any sense of this one at all ..... anyone else?
So far all seems perfectly normal.....until I found Margaret's marriage certificate to Robert Rae......
She gives her father's name as Walter Wright (Tailor) so far so good.......however her mother's name is given as Isabella Bell !!!!
Now as you can see Walter was definately married to Mary-Anne at the time of Margaret's birth so the heck is Isabella Bell? I find it hard to believe that Margaret would knowingly put a wrong name on her marriage certificate (especially given that both Walter and Mary-Anne were very much alive at the time)
To add to this confusion, Margaret does not appear on EITHER the 1851 or 1861 census with Walter and Mary-Anne even though she was still a child at the time.........where on earth was she?
Now.....my mother recalls some vague story about a servant girl who became pregnant and that Walter and Mary-Anne adopted the child out of the goodness of their hearts (yeah right!) if this is the case why did Margaret name Walter as his father? could this story be true but the fact that Walter was the real father conveniently ommited?
I can't make any sense of this one at all ..... anyone else?