Funny Stories - Help Wanted

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 09 Feb 2012 17:00

When I booked the rooms for my courses at the end of March, the Adult education manager asked if I could take a 3 day workshop, which the original tutor could no longer take, it's a basic course and covers all the usual suspects Census, Certificates etc, so not a problem for me to cover. How ever the original schedule also includes

'A light hearted presentation of some unusual (and comical) examples'

So here is my plea, does anyone have any that they don't mind me sharing?

ID:5899

Fireflash · Post by **Fireflash** » 09 Feb 2012 17:38

Jane, whilst compiling burial records a few years ago I came across a entry for a Gorgeous George *Smith I could not believe that this was not a mistake so bought the death cert and it quite clearly stated this as his name a 60ish male
So I bought his birth cert and that was the same, so would have loved to have known how he got that name, was it as he was being baptized, that the vicar remarked on what a beautiful baby and came out with it and that was that,but to carry it on through his life,how did he put up with it!!
John

PeterR · Post by **PeterR** » 09 Feb 2012 17:51

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx= ... pid=453480

I came across this by chance - one of the entries on the left-hand page refers to an ancestor of my second cousin. The early-nineteenth century post-it note stuck on the right hand page refers to the third entry on the right-hand (next) page. I'd not come across anything like this before in a baptism register, but I'm sure others have other examples.

Post by **hsw** » 09 Feb 2012 18:36

From the Llanfair nant y gof Bishops Transcripts, 31 December 1824 to 31 December 1825 (Burials)

Not any Buried by me, but two children of Joseph Francis of Cwmwyntell & Martha his Wife were buried by those who attended the funerals before my arrival at the Church Gate whose names were John Francis aged 20 and Anne Francis aged 24. The mother of them is a Baptist & its customary in this neighbourhood (that the parents of those) to name their children themselves, they were not baptized in the Chapel of Llanvair as there is no account of them in its Registers & I have reason to believe & think that they were not baptized by any licensed Preacher of their own Sect.
This Circumstance happened on the 9th of October 1825 a day of as violent Rain as happened before or since, the Body of the Chapel was then unroofd to be put in repair, & they the Congregation assembled, pleaded as an excuse, that they had no place to shelter themselves from the Inclemency of the Weather.
William Edwards Rector of Letterston with the Chapel of Llanvair annexed.

TimTreeby · Post by **TimTreeby** » 09 Feb 2012 19:24

Not sur if this counts.

Batism 16/1/1805 in Chawleigh, Devon.
A John and Richard Woollway were baptised. Mothers name only given as Mary.
Nothing unusual there but in extra notes are written the words 'Twin Sons her husband abroad more than a year and a half'.

Cambiz · Post by **Cambiz** » 09 Feb 2012 19:38

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... 51&indiv=1

Was disappointed to find out that C Norbabtiger Bierton was in fact a transcription error for 'Not Baptized Yet'

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 10 Feb 2012 08:59

Thanks all, some great tales there. Keep them coming . . . [grin]

johnmorrisoniom · Post by **johnmorrisoniom** » 10 Feb 2012 11:37

I just love unusual (By modern standards?) names.
I have a distant relative bn 1835 with the name of Claudius Caesar Sayle. His younger brother bn 1839 was named Julius Caesar Sayle. He then named the youngest son by his first wife after him so Claudius Caesar Sayle [Jr] bn 1876.

Finally, I came across a married lady with the name of Newyear Sewell. As far as I have been able to work out (I can't find a birth or baptism record yet) her maiden name should be Newyear Pratt.

Cambiz · Post by **Cambiz** » 10 Feb 2012 21:37

I think I read it on a much earlier post in FHUG ot the mailing list about one person's ancestor/relative who on three consecutive censuses was not with his family, but in a pub in the next village.

tbsm · Post by **tbsm** » 11 Feb 2012 01:44

True story several years ago I was looking up a film in an LDS Church here in Scotland and came across a birth in Dysart, Fife with the fathers name blank but someone had written in pencil PASSER BY, an old lady sitting next to me leant over and said he surely didn't PASS HER BY quick enough. The 6 folk in the room that day could not stop laughing the rest of the afternoon.
To this day I wished I had took a photo of that film.

ireneblackburn · Post by **ireneblackburn** » 12 Feb 2012 09:05

Back in the days when you could only look at the census on microfilm in a record office I heard a lady say 'What a lot of people are called doe'

It was actally do short for ditto

eggnog · Post by **eggnog** » 12 Feb 2012 19:35

A first post on this forum and perhaps not in the completely best of taste for a first post. However. A couple of years ago whilst researching a WW1 British Army Labour Corps unit I came across the record of an Ernest FITALL who is commemorated on a War Memorial near Dover in Kent. It seemed to me ever so slightly unfortunate that, of all the young men in Kent that she could have married, Fanny chose to marry Ernest.

margarita · Post by **margarita** » 14 Feb 2012 12:22

eggnog,

I just love the delicate way you phrased that.

A good first post.

Maggie

Stevebye · Post by **Stevebye** » 17 Feb 2012 12:16

1861 Census

BYE, Sarah Head Unmarried F 65 1796 Annuitant Invaild Confined To Her Bed 38 Years

No TV or Radio, what did she do for entertainment ?

Algae · Post by **Algae** » 21 Feb 2012 12:35

'My dear mother, I suppose you will be astonished to hear that I got married friday last...'

Robert Ross from Reay married Agnes Smith from Prescot in Edinburgh on 03/06/1870. This from his notebook is probably a transcript of the letter he sent to Christina Ross (Campbell), his mother, in Reay.

I wonder how long he pondered the wording.

bgriffiths · Post by **bgriffiths** » 22 Feb 2012 21:24

From the 1911 Census

A cousin of mine, James Halsall, and his wife Amy, were living with a 71 year old widow, Elizabeth Hardie, and her companion. James was a chauffeur, Amy a helper in the household.

I think Amy filled in the form, she certainly signed on behalf of Elizabeth, who then dictated the following, which is written in red ink underneath:

I have filled up this [word unclear] under protest.
For 71 years indirectly & directly I have paid taxes and yet have no voice in the making of the laws which inforce [sic] these taxes. E.H.

Whatever next? They'll be giving women the vote [grin]

And apologies in advance, but I just couldn't resist an honourable mention for Mr & Mrs Hoover of Canada who in 1882
could not have foreseen the amusement they would provide future generations when they named their daughter Fannie....[oops]

Brian

rkburrows · Post by **rkburrows** » 22 Mar 2012 09:36

I am sure that most of us have seen a lot of typographical errors in old documents and been amused at some of the spelling. Just to let you know that this problem continues in the modern computer printed entries in the indexes held at the GRO.

My father remarried in 1983 and the entry I looked for was Burrows married Jelfs.

When I could not find it I checked the date with my step mum and redid the search.

After a good while I found it. It was recorded as

Burvold married Jelps

I despair for my future generations trying to find this as I do not believe there is anyway to correct it.

jmurphy · Post by **jmurphy** » 23 Mar 2012 05:59

I haven't been able to find the image yet, but a friend alerted me to a census record in one of the towns I was studying. Under the occupation field, the enumerator helpfully wrote in that the child was not legitimate.

lydige · Post by **lydige** » 08 Apr 2012 01:15

When I was first starting out about 6-7 years ago, I discovered the IGI. I was so excited to find a possible new family name because it was so unusual. Imagine my embarrassment when I worked out LNU meant 'last name unknown'. Doh!

colinmoretti · Post by **colinmoretti** » 17 Apr 2012 16:28

1851 census
HO107/1847, folio 143, page 8,
household schedule no 43
Head, Keeper of a brothel
plus male stranger, age about 27, nothing else known
schedule no 44
Head, commomn prostitute
schedule no 45
Head, commomn prostitute

[eek]

Colin

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