new to this and need some help and advice

[Markymark2406]

I am trying to do some research into discovering who my great granddad was on my mothers side.

The story is as follows, my granddad (mothers dad) never knew who his father was we have done some research and didn't get very far only finding my granddads birth certificate where his dad is not named and he took his mothers maiden name. so what now?

[Elizabeth Herts]

You might never discover who your great-grandfather was. Although this is frustrating (I have the same problem with one ancestor on my tree and with OH's great-grandfather) it won't stop you enjoying the rest of your research.

If you'd like some help with your grandfather and great-grandparents, post the details here and I'm sure you'll get lots of help.

[margaretmarch]

I am trying to do some research into discovering who my great granddad was on my mothers side.

The story is as follows, my granddad (mothers dad) never knew who his father was we have done some research and didn't get very far only finding my granddads birth certificate where his dad is not named and he took his mothers maiden name. so what now?

If there is no name in the father column of a birth cert it means that the child is illegitimate and finding the father is usually almost impossible unless you have any clues. These could be the middle name which could be a surname or anecdotal stories in the family which name the man or suggest who he could be.

Margaret

[AntonyM]

You can check for any baptism records - very occasionally they may mention a reputed father,even when not on the birth certificate. Or you can check local court or parish poor law records to see if any order was applied for by the mother to make the father pay child support payments ... what they are called and where you might look would depend on the era being researched (at one time they were called Bastardy Orders).

But the search may be very difficult, if not impossible, and you may never find out the name............ every family researcher has the same problem at some point in their tree.

[Markymark2406]

You can check for any baptism records - very occasionally they may mention a reputed father,even when not on the birth certificate. Or you can check local court or parish poor law records to see if any order was applied for by the mother to make the father pay child support payments ... what they are called and where you might look would depend on the era being researched (at one time they were called Bastardy Orders).

But the search may be very difficult, if not impossible, and you may never find out the name............ every family researcher has the same problem at some point in their tree.

he was registered in 1915,1916,1917

[Olde Crone Holden]

Do you mean he was registered three times? If so, it would be interesting to know why.

As he was born during the war, there is an outside chance that (if his father was a soldier) maintenance may have been paid through a soldier's paybook, although I feel the family would know about this if it were so.

OC

[PhotoFamily]

If not paper records, what about genetics? Especially if you can obtain a specimen from a direct-male-line descendant for Y-DNA testing. Y might give you a consistent surname to work with. Autosomal testing might give you close cousins. Might is the important word.

[Markymark2406]

If not paper records, what about genetics? Especially if you can obtain a specimen from a direct-male-line descendant for Y-DNA testing. Y might give you a consistent surname to work with. Autosomal testing might give you close cousins. Might is the important word.

so are we saying back in 1915, 16, 17 child support was in operation ?

[clematised]

http://www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/view/NCC098543 have a look at this in Norfolk for example, your local records office will have these too

Edna

[Anne in Carlisle]

If you have your grandfather's birth certificate what year is it for. Do you mean there were also registrations in all three years? If so there might be some hope that the father is mentioned on one of them. It would mean buying all three certificates though.
Anne

[Olde Crone Holden]

Child support has been in operation since the year dot - well, certainly since the middle ages.

You still haven't answered the burning question - do you mean his birth was registered threee times? This is important as it suggests his birth father was named and then removed.

OC

[Markymark2406]

If you have your grandfather's birth certificate what year is it for. Do you mean there were also registrations in all three years? If so there might be some hope that the father is mentioned on one of them. It would mean buying all three certificates though.
Anne

Interesting reading, I will get some more information off the sheet from ancestry.com, just really interested regarding the dates but will post here when I have that.

thank you for everyone's advice so far.

[clematised]

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ don't order your certificates from Ancestry as they cost far too much money, use the lin k which is the government site where they are just £9.25 each or direct from the record office of birth for £10.00 each.

Edna

[Markymark2406]

Interesting reading, I will get some more information off the sheet from ancestry.com, just really interested regarding the dates but will post here when I have that.

thank you for everyone's advice so far.

Sorry it says June. July August 1917 registration at Bosmere Suffolk the records are held at either Stowmarket or Woodbridge.

[clematised]

Sorry it says June. July August 1917 registration at Bosmere Suffolk the records are held at either Stowmarket or Woodbridge.

The year is split into four quarters quarter one is Jan Feb March, two, is Apr, May, Jun, Three is July, Aug, Sept, and Four is Oct, Nov, Dec.
This means that your 1917 birth would have taken place or registered within the dates you give, not registered three times as you had to register a birth within six weeks of the birth taking place,

Edna

[clematised]

You could amend the details that had been given if you had good reason but it had to be within the year since registering it and then they would make an amendment by adding information to a column on the end of the cert.

Edna

[Olde Crone Holden]

I'm getting confused - how do you know his father wasn't named if you don't have his birth cert?

OC

[clematised]

I have just had a look at all the births for that quarter in 1917 and of the many births there is only one male name that is the same as Mothers Maiden Name so if the birth cert has not been obtained then are you assuming that there is no fathers name on the cert because he is given the Maiden surname of his mother??

Edna

[Mary from Italy]

Is your grandfather still alive? If not, you can post his name here, and we can see if we can find anything else (although as everyone else has said, the chances of finding his father's name if he was illegitimate are very small).

Do you know his mother's Christian name?

[Mary from Italy]

Just checking, but I don't think it can be the same person that Edna found (presumably Geofferey E Nunn, MMN Nunn), because there's a death in that name in the Bosmere registration district in 1918, aged 0 (e. under 12 months old).