Religion.....

[Tracey]

Ina's post just now on Catholic records prompted me to ask this and rather than impose on Ina's post i have posted seperately

A finding today made me wonder how you would find someones religion as it isnt noted on the birth certificate. So how do you find this out bar finding "christening" records past the ones they have on IGI ? . I have one marriage at Buckie Catholic Church. I know the brides father wasnt Catholic (?) but how do i know past presuming ? , the mother could have been as she was born and married in Ireland ( but i dont have record of it)
In short how do you find the religion of someone who's birth you have found ?

[Ina]

Don't know the answer to your question Tracey. At one time I would have told you to check the parents marriage record to see what church they married in.

However that's not always true. Both my grandfather and grandmother's parents were married according to the forms of the Church of Scotland, yet my grandparents married in the Catholic Church.

Seems strange to me that two people born to Protestant parents would get married in the Catholic Church. Wish I had asked questions before they died. Now I'll never know the answer.

Ina

[DavidWW]

As a general rule, but see Ina's cautionary post, the church where the marriage took place indicates the church that the bride and her family belonged to.

This can be particularly important in period from 1855 to, say, 1875, as membership of the Free Kirk can often mean that there will not be any OPR index records in the period from the formation of the Free Kirk in 1843 up to 1854.

The great majority of Free Kirk congregations came back into the "Auld Kirk", - the Established Church of Scotland, - in the reunification of 1929.

However, it's by no means automatic that the groom belonged to the same church as that where the wedding took place (or, correctly, whose minister carried out the marriage, as very few marriages took place in the church building itself).

David

[Mykayla's Gran]

This is a very complex subject if my family is anything to go by – even in recent times. Thank goodness for statutory records. This wee tale involves my close family but time does go by, and as most of the subjects have gone on to that better place long since I don’t feel I’m breaching their privacy.

So, my father was Protestant and my mother Roman Catholic, and my mother would only agree to marry my father if the wedding took place in the RC Church …. or not at all! He must have been besotted because he agreed (and my father stuck to his guns on most things). Two of my older siblings were born over the next 2 or 3 years and both were christened Roman Catholic, although I don’t think they could have been taken to church after that as the situation would have been resolved a lot earlier I think. (I’ve just thought of that – isn’t it strange what you DON’T know about your own family? I don’t suppose I considered it important – my apologies to all of you who do – I honestly mean no offence.)

Several more years passed and the first day of school came for my first sister. From what I can gather, she came home chatting about her day’s activities, including religious studies, and my father found he just couldn’t accept his children being brought up in a religion different to his own. This caused a great deal of trouble between my parents but in the end my father got his way and my sister was moved to a Protestant school. My second sister went to the same school when her turn came.

Some years later the situation must have arisen again when I was born but it had obviously been resolved by then because I wasn’t christened at all and none of us were brought up in any religion. However, I was always aware of this “difference” between my parents as I grew up. They cared for each other very much and it showed over the many years they were married, but it was always there between them. With that knowledge, I grew up deciding that I would NEVER allow religious differences to cause problems in my life, and that has worked very well for me. I have good friends of various religions, or none at all, and find that respect for others as individuals is much more important to me.

Also, while researching my family tree I have found that some of my father’s ancestors were Free Church, (although I don’t think he knew that) and that one of them was a Reverend – I imagine a minister in the Free Church (because of the marriages of his sisters in that church etc) – although I’m having problems finding him. I know he graduated from St Andrew’s University in the 1860s, was named as an executor in his father’s will some years later and was addressed as the Reverend Finlay Edward McGillivray of an address in Blackridge, Bathgate. However, that’s another story I might get to the bottom of …… one day . It never ends does it?

So, this situation must have cropped up time and again I imagine, making things even more complicated for we who seek them out today. Sorry for the saga. I’ll have to take lessons in keeping my posts short !

Regards

Vee

[joette]

Yes it is a story familiar in many families although we go for the more complicated ones like when my Uncle became a Muslim & yes he did it for love & he was circumsised-ouch!!.
My Grandfather was brought up as a staunch Presb.with Parents & siblings having close links with the Church.
Out of his six children one turned to Islam in order to marry in an Islamic country,one became RC again in order to marry,two were converted to the LDS Church & the other two stayed Presb.
Schools in Scotland are not as commonly led to believe Catholic & Protestant but Catholic & Non-Denominational.Catholic Schools I believe are funded by the Local Authority as are the other. Catholics can attend either.My youngest nephews are/will be attending a RC school as did the children of my elder sister.We are a very mixed bunch!
I remember when working in Livingston a few years back with school-age children.At the time there was no seperate Catholic High School & everybody went to the same school.Despite this being a deprived area where usually religious tensions would feature I recall that this was not an issue.I don't think the children were much aware of the differences as they all went to the same schools.
I know when my Parents married in 1950 that they chose to marry in the Town Hall-by the Minister,in order that my Mother's RC relations would attend.I believe at that time they were discouraged strongly from even entering a Church.
My Mother tells of how her Mothers sister fell in love with a highland Catholic & despite initial opposition he was welcomed into the family & the children were brought up as Catholics which presented no apparent problems.

[DavidWW]

Generally associated with this theme, another member of TSAG has been twice married but only ever had one husband, but no divorce involved.

I've been married 4 times but only ever had three wives, and only divorced twice.

Suggestions for how these situations could come about?

David

[Tracey]

Re taking marriage vows ?

[AndrewP]

Here's my best guesses...

(1) Married in the ways of two different faiths (or civil and one faith).

(2) Widowed once, and re-married an ex once.


All the best,

Andrew Paterson

[DavidWW]

Re taking marriage vows ?

You need to clarify what you mean !!........

David

[DavidWW]

Here's my best guesses...

(1) Married in the ways of two different faiths (or civil and one faith).

Spot on !

One case is different faiths, the other involves a civil marriage followed by a church marriage, as it happened in different countries, but that's another story ...

David