What about your oldest father?

[Roger in Sussex]

OC,

In terms of English practice then, it would be like Richardson (for example) - people with that surname don't necessarily have either to be male or to have fathers called Richard, though presumably at some point in the mists of antiquity they did have an ancestor with that name.

Thanks for gratifying my curiosity

Roger

LOL Michael

[Lin Fisher]

My GG Grandfather died 24 Feb 1897 aged 74 and his last son was born Jun qtr of 1897. I'm not sure if he lived to see him.

His 2nd wife was 36 years younger than him.

Lin

[JudithM]

My gt grandfather's brother, born 1860 had his first family between 1883 (when he was 23) and 1905; then married for a second time in 1936 and had a son the following year when he was 77. Despite her being 34 years younger than him he outlived his second wife by 8 years, brought up his small son with help of his daughters and lived 'til he was 91.
It was hard to get my head round being contacted by my grandad's cousin who is only a 14 years older than me, and at a family get together seeing him with his nephews, 30 years his senior!

[Mavis by the Moor]

LOL, nice one Michael

[Little Nell]

I've just found an older one!

Not entirely sure as his age is given 1841 and those of other household members are slightly out, plus I haven't got his baptism, but going on death age (which is consistent with 1841 census)

My great-great-great -great grandfather John Gray was 60 when his last child was born.

His wife was 24 years younger than him, but still died 20 years before him.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

My 6x great grandfather, Richard Barley c1698appears to have been 67 at the birth of his last child, Mary bp 15/5/1765. He was on his 3rd wife, who was the sister of his eldest son's wife

[Little Nell]

And a close runner to John Smoothy is another gt gt grandfather, John Purvey, whose 15th chld (by his 3rd wife) was born when John was 59.

[Bo the Bodger]

I wish to advise that my 2xG Grandfather on my father's mother's side of the family is officially a naughty old man! He had a family of 6 and later on became a widower. I found him remarried in 1891 census with a 5yr old son - this makes him 76 when his youngest son was born and that lad was an already gt uncle!

[Lovettpod]

Lol!

In In six weeks time I shall set up a new record in my family history for being the longest-lived male.

That's not the only record I have in mind.

Could you wait a couple of years and we could both break the records in our trees?, have always admired intelligent men ;););)

My oldest is only a sprightly 62, George White my GGGGrandfather, married twice with a least 17 children I know of, of which all appear to have survived to young adulthood.

[samesizedfeet]

my oldest is 72.

William Rennoldson buried Feb 1837 aged 74, by his second wife Emma who was 37 years younger than him.
They married on 15th February 1834 and baby Emma was baptised exactly 8 months later on 15th October 1834. So I may qualify for the oldest man in a shotgun marriage.

He only appears to have had one other child, my 3 x great grandmother Margaret born 18 years earlier, by his first wife Mary.

[SuffolkSue]

My 2x g.grandmother supposedly had a child with her first husband, he was aged 83yrs and she was 33. I have my doubts as this childs christian name was the surname of her next husband.

[Caroline]

My 3x great grandfather , Richard Gillet of Oddington and Stow on the Wold, was 72 when his last child was born.

His first child, John my Gx2 grandfather was born in 1835 and Grace the youngest was born in 1880.

Richard had 7 children with his first wife who died in Febrary 1875. He then married Esther Dickens Steed in January 1877 aged 69 although he said he was 62 on the certificate.

Esther had had a son born in February 1876 who was registered as Percy Gillett Steed .... Percy, son, was the informant on Richard's death certficate in 1895. She also had three other children (1864, 1866 and 1869) who appear to be registered under her maiden name but I haven't bought all the birth certificates yet to check their paternity!! So I am not 100% sure how many children he actually fathered.

When I was exploring the Gales database, I came across an article which was describing a Petty Session case where Richard Gillett and Daniel Steed (Esther's father) had appeared in court following fisticuffs in May 1877 -they had cross-summonsed each other. Daniel was a shepherd working for Richard - obviously he did not get on with his new son-in-law who was 7 years older than him!!

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

She also had three other children (1864, 1866 and 1869) who appear to be registered under her maiden name but I haven't bought all the birth certificates yet to check their paternity!!

In theory (lol ) if a child is registered in the mother's maiden name and she has told the registrar she is not married, then, if the father has attended the birth reg and had his name declared as the father, there should be a separate index entry showing the child with his surname. Like this one:

Births Mar 1870
Morgan Simon William M Kensington 1a 96
Ward Simon William M Kensington 1a 96

Miss Ward and Mr Morgan married the following year.

If there's no separate index entry then, in theory (again) the father won't be mentioned on the cert if the mother is single.