Dissecting Certificates for Information

I have changed the settings on the Family History information so now you have to hover over yellow – bad idea!


That took all day so not much research been done – then it was wrong so being changed back to grey.

I'll own up to something now, I tried to divide the tree into my maternal and paternal lines but it didn't work so I ended up having to reload a back up copy and guess what??? It had the certificate references missing, so that is my next task.

This is my second day of gleaning info from certificates, because I find it difficult to write I am typing a document sheet containing both a transcript and my own notes about the information.

It may be an idea to give you an example and therefore show you why I think certificates are essential.

For example the certificate of ny Grandfather's Aunt Caroline's second marriage to Jacob Madin gives the following information:

The transcript -

1857 Marriage solemnized at St Philip's Church in the parish of St Philip's Church in the County of York

February 22nd; Jacob Madin Caroline Hemingway; Full Age Full Age; Widower Widow; Labourer ---; Philadelphia Philadelphia; James Madin John Dennell; Labourer Labourer; married after Banns by me Joseph Farrell Wright; Jacob Signed Caroline Marked; Witnesses William Brook & Maria Dennell



The information -



1/ February 22nd was a Sunday

2/ Full Age - Both were over 21

3/ Jacob was a widower = therefore what can be found in 1851 Census?

4/ Both were living in the Philadelphia area at the time

5/ John was a labourer at the time of the wedding

6/ Witnesses William Brook Maria Dennell

7/ Joseph Farrell Wright states no position in the Church.



Research needed -



1/ Was this before weddings became popular as Saturday events? Were Sundays a common wedding day?

2/ a known fact as I have Caroline's birth date

3/ Will search the census transcripts online for Jacob Madin & Caroline is stated as a widow so when did her first husband die?

4/ What was Philadelphia area like? Where was it?

5/ This is the first mention of John as a Labourer, what sort & where?

6/ Who was William Brook? Date shows Maria was heavily pregnant with the illegitimate Walter and still unmarried.

7/ J F Wright was the Assistant Curate at St Philips for 5 years 1855-1860

OK. I've cheated because all the work has been done for a few years. I have just used this marriage to show what information can be obtained apart from the obvious.

I am still transcribing all the other certificates in my possession and copies that have been kindly given to me.

More later