Hi Cathy You will find fathers recorded on marriage certificates with no mention of "deceased" yet they were long gone, and you may also find fathers recorded as "deceased" when they are still very much alive (a good excuse for a father not to be at the wedding perhaps) Everything you find on a certificate is only as good as the information given Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) > Thank you Cecelia. I'm beginning to think it may well be an error as you > suggest. Can I ask as well - were fathers always recorded as deceased on > wedding certs if they were dead? If so, James and Joseph were both alive > at > the times of the marriages, which should mean I could perhaps find 'him' > in > the 1841 census? > > I'll keep trying! > Cathy