It's not unusual for an illegitimate child to be known by its father's name, even when the father's name is not on the birth certificate. The absence of a father on a birth certificate doesn't mean that the father's identity was unknown, just that the father did not accompany the mother when she went to register the birth. Similarly, there was nothing to prevent anyone choosing to be know by his/her mother's surname, and that too is not uncommon, even when the child was registered under its father's name. It's also quite common to find an unmarried woman with two or three children with different surnames, and even more common to find an older couple with a string of illegitimate grandchildren, some with their mothers' surnames and some with their fathers'. It doesn't necessarily imply anything peculiar. Anne ________________________________ From: PAUL HARDIE <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 13 December 2013, 9:36 Subject: [Lanark] Can anyone help with this query Hi folks, I have came across a marriage cert which has a male down as the father but who has a different surname to the male getting married. The male getting married is a Kemp who's father had died several years previously but the person down as the father on the marriage cert is a MacDonald where as his mother is still down as a Kemp. Also I have been unable to find any more info on the MacDonald as he does not turn up on the next Census Can anyone tell me why this person would be on the marriage cert as the father when he is not the original father of the male and the mother has still retained her married name from her dead husband which looks like she has not married the person who is down as the father. Also the mother is not down on the cert as a widow so this is realy confusing me.Im sorry if this sounds confusing but its something I have never come across before. Many thanks and a merry Xmas to all when it comes. Paul...                           ------------------------------- WHEN REPLYING to a post please remember to snip most of the earlier message. Be sure the reply to address shows as [email protected] You may contact the List Admin at [email protected] or click on the following link to the list information page online:  http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/LANARK.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message