Family History – The Importance of Certificates

 

When I first started writing Family History articles for bay in 2015, my first three articles covered the topics of Birth, Marriage and Death certificates. Eight years on and even more family history information is available from the many family history websites, however some of these sites can be a minefield for users trying to find and retrieve information.

In this article I will be looking at the importance of certificates and using information on composer Morfydd Owen (pictured right), who is buried in Oystermouth Cemetery (below).









The inscription on her headstone reads as follows.

“Morfydd Owen

Wife of Ernest Jones

October 1, 1893

February 6, 1917

September 7, 1918”

 So, let’s look more closely at these dates. October 1st, 1893 is clearly wrong as her Birth Certificate (below) states that her birth was on October 1st, 1891, and the place of birth was Treforest, Pontypridd. Morfydd was the daughter of William Owen, a draper and Sarah Jane Owen.

It is very unusual to have a marriage date on a headstone. On the face of it the Marriage Certificate (right) is correct with regards to the date, February 6th, 1917. It says that Morfydd aged 23, married 38-year old Alfred Ernest Jones, a Physician. The marriage service is conducted at the Register Office in Marylebone.  All seems correct right, but if Morfydd is 23 then that would make her birth year 1894, which we now know is wrong.

Finally, the death date. This inscription is wrong. Morfydd’s death occurred on the 17 September, 1918 at Craig y Mor, Oystermouth, the home of her parents in law. It’s here that a blue plaque was unveiled on September 7th, 2018. Her Death Certificate (below) wasn’t produced until after the funeral. This leads to other questions such as how was the funeral allowed to take place without a death certificate? So, you can see the importance of certificates.

Have you always wanted to research your family history? Are you concerned that you wouldn’t be able to navigate your way around an ancestry website and be able to get value for money from it? I am a researcher and have access to many of these websites and can carry out a thorough investigation into your family history. My fees are very reasonable.

Copyright - The Bay Magazine, September 2023

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