Genealogy Chat

I've just found anothe set of G grandparent's where the woman was pregnant at the time of marriage. One set was 8 months pregnant, one was 6 months pregnant and one was five months pregnant. What was the world coming to?

''it wouldnt have happened in MY day'' didnt realise my granny told porkies!! jess

Lots of women were pregnant when they got married. Also, lots of women who didn't have their first baby until a 'decent' interval after the nuptials may have had a miscarriage or stillbirth. Human nature hasn't changed that much. nell

I know - it's just funny to think. I've been told that my g auntie and g grandad were such prim and proper people - funny to think. The other used to say that she was a 'love child' always got some laughs did that one, God bless her,

Nearly every female ancestor of mine seemed to be already pregnant as she walked up the aisle. I wouldn't have believed it before I started researching my family history, LOL. Kath. x

I recently found that one of my husband's ancestors was still living at home with her parents and her newborn baby - baby had dad's surname, but the couple didn't marry until after the census was taken. Old Welsh joke Mrs Jones: 'Ave you 'eard? Dilys Watkins is getting married! Mrs Davies: Duw! I didn't know she was pregnant?! Mrs Jones: She isn't. Mrs Davies: Duw! There's posh!!!! nell

Hi All A couple of weeks ago I recieved 2 certs...... 1 of my great-grandparents marriage on the 31st May 1913 and my grandfathers birth on the 1st June 1913.......close call!!!!! Sarah :)

I don't mean to sound sexist but it was very common for the bride to be pregnant when the marriage took place as what use was a barren bride to a man when all he wanted was to have children to carry on his name. That is part of the reason the Henry VIII got through so many wives - the first 2 didn't give him the son he wanted but the 3rd managed to give him 2 with the first dieing in very early infantcy. It's a shame that no-one ever told the men of times past that the lack of a child could have been their fault and not the poor womans! My greatgrandmother lied to her children and said she married before having the first child and had to remarry her husband because of some army polatics with benifits - I don't believe a word! she married before haveing hir first child alright as I have the certificates to prove it but she was 6 months gone and their is only 1 marriage certificate so if they remarried they only had a blessing! I do wonder if that was the case as she married in the local parish church but her husband was catholic (he 'forgot' to tell the preist!). Nell I've not heared thatone for donkey's ears! LT

((((LOVE WAS IN THE AIR)))))) plus no contraceptives of course!

Lots of mine were also heavily pregnant by the time they reached the altar. What did surprise me was to find two women (from what I had always thought was a straight-laced family) who lived with their men friends for 5/6 years before getting married. One of them had an illegitimate baby by the man she later married, and they're recorded as husband and wife on the census, though they weren't married yet, and in the other case the man is recorded as a lodger. These were both in the second half of the 19th century, when I would have thought living 'over the brush' was very much frowned on. I was also surprised to find a couple of women who remarried immediately after their husbands died (in the same quarter). However, in the days before the dole, I suppose it was a choice between remarriage and the workhouse, especially for a widow with children.

I think it unusual to come across a female relative who WASN'T pregnant before marraige. It's all been quite an eye opener!