05 November 2013

Thrown In At the End of the Year

When searching chronological entries of baptisms in a church register, always look through the entire year--even when you are certain of the date.

The chance you are incorrect is not the only reason for doing this. Some pastors or priests would record baptisms for children born out of wedlock at the end of all the entries for the year, thus separating the entries. If you look for it "exactly where it is supposed to be," you may miss the desired entry--even if you have the date correct.

2 comments:

  1. Great tip! I've also seen this in county birth registers, with delayed birth registrations thrown in on the last page.

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  2. Great to keep in mind for some ethnic groups. In Sicily, the first-born male is named after the father's father, first-born female after the father's mother. Second born children are named after the mother's parents, where applicable. If one of the children should die, the next child of the same sex is given the same name. Both of my parents have this in their immediate families.

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