Looking for a birth

[AudreyF]

I am researching Charles Ernest Hawkins who was also, randomly, known as Ernest Charles Hawkins. He was born in 1875 and his parents were Elias Hawkins and Julia Isabella Wright. Elias and Julia married in 1870 and Elias' father was James Hawkins, a hairdresser. I have an 1841 marriage for James Hawkins to Deborah Brown Matthew and it confirms James as a hairdresser.

I am now looking for the birth record of Elias. I have his baptism on 19th July 1844 in Blandford Forum, Dorset with James and Deborah as parents and James as a hairdresser.

Two birth records on the GRO: Elias Hawkins in 1844 in the Wells Union with mother's maiden name of Trask and another in 1845 in Chard with the mother's maiden name of Trask.

Puzzling!

[helachau]

GRO Birth Registration
Hawkins, no forename, Jun Qtr 1842, The Blandford Union, vol 8 page 23 - mother's maiden name Mathew
Hawkins, no forename, Jun Qtr 1844, The Blandford Union, vol 8 page 21 - mother's maiden name Mathew

[AudreyF]

Well, how odd! I didn't get either of those in my searches. I suppose I was too specific!

The 1844 birth looks more likely, I think (?) but I'll think overnight.

This family have driven me mad for years - and continue to do so.

Thank you for your help.

[helachau]

All too often "less is more" when searching

[Pam Downes]

The 1842 record probably refers to the Abraham Isaac, aged 8, who's in the same household as Deborah and Elias in he 1851 census. HO107/1853 folio 277 page 28

Pam

[Pam Downes]

Two birth records on the GRO: Elias Hawkins in 1844 in the Wells Union with mother's maiden name of Trask and another in 1845 in Chard with the mother's maiden name of Trask.

The birth registration in Chard in 1845 has a mother's maiden name of BAKER, not Trask.

Pam

[AudreyF]

I think it's worth the 'risk' to order the 1844 birth certificate with no forename. (I wonder why there was no forename.)

I did find the record of mother's maiden name of Baker but when I back-tracked the search it disappeared and the Trask one appeared.

I've just searched again this morning with less specific information and then with more specific information to test the differences and the different results are confusing, to say the least!

So, thank you for helping and sorting me out - I've learnt a lot.

[pwholt]

There is no forename because the family had not yet decided what to call the child. Not uncommon at that time. I had one child aged 1 month appear on a census as John but when they got around to registering the birth (42 days allowed), they chose something different!
If you have two sons with the same first name, check for a death occurring between the two dates It was common to use the same first name if a child died, and even later if there was a birth intervening between the birth and death of the first child.. pwholt

[AudreyF]

That's interesting - thank you. I know that Ernest Charles/Charles Ernest Hawkins was registered one way and then baptised the other way and regularly 'switched' his forenames.

I have often come across the tendency to name a second child after an older child who had died. It's always struck me as rather gruesome but life was harsh in earlier times.

In the instance of a child being registered with no forename and a certificate being issued, do you know if an update or amendment would have been made to the record and/or a new certificate issued? I'm just wondering if that will save me some confusion searching for siblings and confusing them with Elias appearing again with his forename decided upon.

[pwholt]

Re-use of first names often had a purpose - to keep a family name in use, or to fit with a named person on a lease for lives. While there might be an amendment to the registration of the birth, this might not affect the INDEX which is what you are looking at. As they had a certificate of birth registration, the family might not bother to amend the registration when they decided on a name.pwholt