Hello Listers, Like others, I found out that what's on a marriage or on a birth certificate is not always correct - or as in my case, it may be only partly correct. My Example: My GG grandfather Thomas Briggs 24yrs married Maria Richards 22yrs in 8 May 1854 (Sheerness) His son Thomas.F.R.Briggs was born 8 April 1855. The baby's birth certificate states Father = Thomas Briggs. That is true. I knew Thomas (Snr) had died young before the 1861 census. Going by the information on his son's birth certificate I spent a couple of years searching for his death between the years 1855 (Sons birth) to 1861 (wife a widow on census) - to no avail. Finally I gave in and sent money for a death certificate search. It came back within 3 weeks showing that Thomas (Snr) had in fact not been alive when his son was born. He died 9 Aug 1854, 3 months to the day of his marriage to Maria. He died of "purpura"(haemorrhage)...........I don't know what type of haemorrhage(ie.brain,lung,skin or from an accident). If only the birth certificate had stated father=Thomas Briggs (deceased) it would have saved me a lot of time and anguish looking for his death records. Once I found this death record I was quite upset for some time...that he had died so young, leaving his new wife pregnant and alone. Luckily she had good family around her but Maria did not re-marry until 1885 and died in 1907. Their son Thomas .F.R. Brggs married, had 5 children, became a master Tailor, and died young aged 48yrs of Apoplexy. He died at 41 Fratton Road, Landport. A few years later one of his sons,Charles (my grandfather) came to Australia. God luck with your research. Ann in Australia explorer@smartchat.net.au .