Illegitimate birth - any ideas?

[hilarykellis]

We recently discovered that my mother's great-grandfather, Anthony Turnbull, was illegitimate. I ordered his birth cert and discovered he was born in Kenton, Northumberland on 10 Nov 1862 to Mary Jane Turnbull. There is no father's name recorded on the cert. I haven't been able to find his baptism in case that offers more details, so I'm not sure if he did get baptised.

Interestingly, Mary Jane marries David Nixon on 29 Jun 1863 in St John, Northumberland, just about 8 months later. Both are residents of the parish. I thought David might be Anthony's father because I have another ancestor whose mother married his father several months after he was born, but I do not think this is the case with David Nixon. Anthony is recorded as Anthony Nixon along with the other Nixon children in census records as a young boy, but by the time he moves out and gets married, he has re-adopted the name Anthony Turnbull and that's the surname that was passed down to my mother. He did name a son David Nixon Turnbull, so it seems he did have affection for his step-father. DNA testing further showed I had no matches with multiple descendants of David Nixon's parents.

I have not been able to find MJ in the 1861 census - it seems to be missing for parts of Kenton and if she was living somewhere else, I haven't found her. Her father was Joseph Turnbull, who was dead by 1861, but I found her mother living at home with MJ's siblings and MJ is not present.

I am wondering if MJ was a maid somewhere, maybe in St. John, where she met Anthony's father (and later David Nixon)? Her marriage cert doesn't give an occupation for her but I imagine she'd have lost her job after she got pregnant anyway.

I had someone check the bastardy bonds for Kenton and there was nothing there for Mary Jane.

I know there's a strong possibility I may never know who Anthony's dad was, but are there any other avenues I could search? Is it likely his baptism would hold more detail, if it exists? And while he was born in Kenton, I think I can conclude MJ probably came home when she got pregnant, if she was living elsewhere as indicated by her not being at home in 1861?

I haven't been able to locate her anywhere else in 1861.

Any help or suggestions appreciated. I will close with the fact that Anthony named his 3rd son Robert Armstrong Turnbull and I have no idea where that name comes from - there is no Robert Armstrong ancestor on the Turnbull or Watson (Anthony's wife) side, nor any brother-in-law. I supposed Robert Armstrong may have been a friend or anyone, but am I crazy to wonder if that might have been the father's name?

[Megan Roberts]

By 1861 the numbers being baptised were beginning to diminish - they were being replaced by birth registrations. That said often children found themselves having to get baptised later in life to get jobs or married, so might worth casting your net 20 years forward.

That said, by 1861 you are into the height of Victorian and its values, and so the chances of an illegitimate child's father being named on its baptism is very slim.

I would think that your best bet is to do an DNA test and upload it to one of many genealogy sites and hope that his father's relatives are doing something similar and match is found.

[Lesley Robertson]

You have been very thorough.
I think that you only have a small chance that Armstrong was involved. In Victorian times, there were all sorts of reasons for name choices - eg one of my Great Uncles was named For the station master at the railway station where his father worked, and another was named for one of his Godfathers. Doctors and midwives were often named if a difficult birth. He might never have known his father’s name since his mother married so soo after his birth.

[helachau]

You haven't mentioned Anthony's marriage certificate. Have you obtained it? The likelihood is that the Groom's father's details will be blank. But it's a long shot.

FindMyPast has the transcript of the marriage of an Anthony Turnbull, age 26 and Margaret Watson, age 23, in Gateshead, 28 July 1889. The bride's father's details are transcribed but no details for the groom.
Is this "your" Anthony?

[hilarykellis]

You haven't mentioned Anthony's marriage certificate. Have you obtained it? The likelihood is that the Groom's father's details will be blank. But it's a long shot.

FindMyPast has the transcript of the marriage of an Anthony Turnbull, age 26 and Margaret Watson, age 23, in Gateshead, 28 July 1889. The bride's father's details are transcribed but no details for the groom.
Is this "your" Anthony?

Thank you, yes, I should have mentioned - I do have the marriage certificate and the father's name and occupation are sadly blank for Anthony. The witnesses were 2 of his wife's siblings.

I have also just noticed that Anthony's grandmother, Jane, has another grandson named "James Turnbull," aged 3, living with her in 1861. Her sons were too young for this to be any of their child. James went by James Turnbull his entire life but he lived with Ann Turnbull (Anthony's aunt/MJ's sister) and her husband Cuthbert Ramsay in 1871 and despite going by Turnbull is listed in amongst their children so there's another confusing thing. He was back with his grandmother again in 1881. I have ordered James's birth cert and marriage cert just to confirm he was Ann's son and not another one of my MJ's. If Cuthbert Ramsay was James's father, again, not sure why he would use "Turnbull" so am wondering if this is a similar situation to that of Anthony.