Genealogy Chat

Hello All, My gg grandmother Emma Hart is known as Emma on all census returns & her children's birth certs. However, on her marriage cert she becomes Emily Amelia!!! I do not have her birth cert, too many Emma Harts born 1840 Birmingham!! I can find no Emily Amelias born 1840 Birmingham on freebmd!! I cannot finf her death cert. Why change her name? Thanks for any thoughts, Gillian

Who knows? I have an Eliza Ellen who is Eliza until 1891 when she then became Ellen. Her sister is Elizabeth Anne on her marriage cert and after her wedding, but pre-nuptial censuses have her as Annie. Own husband's lot did one better. Married as Dennis McCarthy and used this name on first few children's birth certs. On census he is James McCarthy until 1871 when he went the whole hog and became James Carter. But his daughter is called Carter on census and married as McCarthy. Meanwhile, all male sons of James are Carter on census except one, who resolutely remained McCarthy even though he was staying at the same house. Maybe Emma changed her name at marriage because there was another Emma in the family she was marrying into? Or perhaps she thought Emily Amelia sounded a bit posher. Alternatively, maybe Emily Amelia was her real name and she was called Emma in the family as a pet name. nell

Might this be her: Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0 EMMA HART Birth: 13 OCT 1841 Christening: 22 NOV 1841 Saint Martin, Birmingham, Warwick, England Parents: Father: THOMAS HART Mother: EMMA nell

Hi Helen, Yes I agree that Emma was what she was known as but cannot find her birth registered in 1840 under the name Emily Amelia!! I have her baptism as Emma & her father is George Hart. Baptism: 24/4/1848 St Martin Birmingham, Birth entered as 13 Feb 1840. Gillian

I have Emilys who sometimes appear as Emma. I think Emma was often treated as an abbreviation of Emily. Christine

Hi Gillian, It happened a lot! Emma could easily have been a pet name for Emily Amelia and often the familiar, every day name was used in census, and the full name on official docs, like marr cert. Many children were called after Mum or a relative and a pet name used to distinguish between the two. But not always the case and doesn't it call us a problem? My father's aunt was named Sarah Ann after her mother, but apparently was known as May - I didn't know this when looking for her marriage. She was actually married as May Sarah, and is indexed as May S. Eventually, when discussung the problem with an older cousin, she said 'Oh you mean Aunt May'. Problem solved, but it led me a merry dance. I do wish you luck with Emma. Jay

Hi All, I agree that Emma is a pet name of Emily but was surprised that Emma was used on her children's birth certs. It took me absolutely ages to find her marriage cert as I was looking for Emma!! Fortunately her husband has an unusual name: Francis George Slynn & that how I found it!!! I have seen many Emma birth certs registered in 1840 Birm but no Emily Amelias as yet!!! Gillian

So maybe is is one of the many Emmas that was registered and Emily Amelia was a fancy invention for her marriage cert? nell

Gillian, Just to cheer you up even more, a lot of births still weren't being reg in 1840 - if they left it more than 6 weeks, they had to pay a fine, so most didn't bother, if past the six week period. Bp is possibly your best option. Jay

I've got an Ann Maria who appears on the censuses as Ann; Maria; and Annie. She married twice, both times as Hannah Maria (and both times in her maiden name).

Yes I guess Emily Amelia was just a fancy name dreamed up for her marriage!! She was only 17 when married, would her parents have had to give permission? Gillian

Yes, if she gave her age as 17 and that is what is on the cert. I have a marriage cert for 1840, where the groom is under age - it just says on the cert 'with permission of the surviving parent', which isn't a lot of help! Jay

My gran was Emma Anne. On all the certs for her birth, first marriage ,childrens birth certs,census., she,s consistently Emma Anne. BUT her second husband called her Annie & he registered their first child as Annie, Mothers name Annie. nee ..... Had i not known any different i would have been on a wild goose chase trying to find her as Annie. Irony is ,the daughter registered as Annie ,was Annie Elizabeth and always known as Nell, because I suppose it would have been confusing to have two Annies,altho only the daughter was the true Annie. That threw me as I only ever knew her as Aunt Nell. Shirley

My upwardly-mobile ancestors all invented a posh second name for themselves at the time of their marriage, possibly to impress the new In-laws, but possibly just to help distinguish themselves from the hundreds (literally) of men with the same names, in the same area. My grandfather was baptised Herbert Holden and registered as such.He became an Opera Singer, using the name Seymour Holden, and married in that name to my Grandmother - who was born Ethel, but became Ethelina on her marriage cert. (And, after nearly 20 years research, on and off, I do not know why four generations of this family have Seymour as a made-up second name) Olde Crone