Confirming My Great-grandfather’s Records

After accepting the possibility that Henry Lowe & Bridget Fox could be my great-great grandparents, I had to accept that the man I’ve known as Joseph Henry Lowe for more than five years was probably named Henry Lowe.

I’d actually considered that possibility many times, as his name appeared in both forms in records — and I’d researched my great-grandfather as both Joseph Henry and Henry. I’d even ordered birth certificates for records in both names, all of which had turned out to be wrong because the father was never named Henry (as he had indicated on his marriage registration).

After several failed attempts at finding his birth certificate, I decided it was a waste of money to order more in the hopes that one might turn out to have a father named Henry. I also realized that even if I did find the correct birth certificate, I might not know for sure as, not having found them as family unit in a census, I didn’t know his mother’s first name, never mind her maiden surname. Since Henry Lowe was such a common name, it was certainly possible for there to have been two Henry Lowes or Joseph Henry Lowes born to fathers named Henry Lowe but with different mothers.

I decided I’d wait on ordering another birth certificate until I had other information that would help me identify a correct birth record from an incorrect one. I assumed that new information would not take five years and involve having a DNA test done. But it did. And without that DNA test, I’m not sure if and when I’d have broken through that brick wall. Maybe one day my great-grandfather’s military service record would appear in an online database and that would provide the information I needed. Maybe I’d review all the research I’d compiled on him and notice something that would give me the clue I’d been looking for. But maybe nothing would happen and I’d be stuck indefinitely.

It was, however, DNA that opened the door to the possibility of Henry Lowe & Bridget Fox being my great-grandfather’s parents as some of my DNA matches had identified them as their ancestors. These DNA cousins had compiled a family for the couple but weren’t aware of the existence of another child born to Henry & Bridget — that child now identified as Henry Lowe born in 1851 in Bury Lancashire. They were, however, open to the possibility, especially since we were related via DNA and that was the most likely connection.

With that information in hand, it was time to order another birth certificate. As noted earlier, I could have ordered birth certificates for candidates for the position of great-grandfather any time in the past five years, but without a mother’s name, how would I know if I had the correct one? Certificates aren’t fee. You pay for each one whether they’re correct or not.

The UK GRO offers certificate ordering online with PDFs of birth and death certificates delivered in four working days. The GRO also now offers the option of filtering by mother’s maiden name. I was surprised to find 14 different births between 1845 and 1865 where the child’s surname was Lowe and the mother’s maiden name was Fox. 

Based on the dates and locations of those births, it was impossible for all those children to be from the same couple. In fact, I’d identified at least three different couples who were having children at the same time as Henry Lowe & Bridget Fox where the father’s name was Lowe and the mother’s name was Fox. How did I know there were three different couples? Because at least once there were children born at approximately the same time (within weeks of each other) in three completely different parts of England. 

Unfortunately, the index did not provide first names for either father or mother. So for all I knew, one couple could have been my Henry Lowe & Bridget Fox. A second couple could have been John Lowe & Mary Fox. And a third could have been Ebenezer Lowe & Clementine Fox. I just pulled those names out of the air. To see the actual first names of the parents, I’d need to order the certificates.

Luckily, one birth registry item stood out: Henry Lowe born in the first quarter of 1851 in Elton, Bury, Lancashire with a mother whose maiden surname was Fox. That date and location fit with what I knew of my great-grandfather’s birth from census records.

I ordered it immediately. And as you can see from the image below, to my relief and delight, it was the correct couple. And I am confident that this birth certificate is for my great-grandfather, who is now officially Henry Lowe. 

Click on image to enlarge.

Why was my great-grandfather identified in some records as Joseph Henry Lowe when his birth certificate shows his name was Henry Lowe? Maybe Joseph was a nickname, or maybe it was a Catholic thing where the mother added Joseph to all the boys' names. I may never know.

I still have difficulty believing that I’ve found my great-grandfather Lowe's records after searching for them for more than five years. I'd come to believe that his family did not exist. But of course they must have existed. I'd just been unable to confirm who they were in records, until now. 

Top photo courtesy of Pixabay.com