Twins, one month apart

Newstreet

Well here's a good one...

Two children appear for John McDonnell and his wife Mary Nibbs in the Dublin North birth records, one month apart!

Stephen McDonnell, born 27 Dec 1905
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1906/01752/1691031.pdf

Christina McDonnell, born 17 Jan 1906
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1906/01752/1691036.pdf

Twins, I assume, but why would they register two different birth dates?

EDIT: I note a death for infant Christina McDonnell on 23 Feb 1906.

pinkypinky

You should try to get hold of the baptisms for these children. That will confirm they are twins - rather than say, the couple taking the child of an unmarried sister and pretending it was theirs.

Sometimes when there's a big gap between birth and registration, they fudge the birth date to avoid the fine for late registration.

Here we go

There's a rare ocurance where a women will ovulate in one overy be impregnated then ovulate in the second overy the next month and agin impregnated and both will stick to the wall of the womb and devolved septate amniotic sacks

Here we go

It's called superfetation and it's possible for both children to have separate fathers

Peregrinus

. . . but not birth dates separated by 3 weeks. Even twins by superfecundation are born in the same labour.

spurious

Perhaps the girl was çlearly not expected to survive long after birth, but rallied, was registered, only to die shortly afterwards.

Was there a charge per child to register?
Do you know what was listed as her cause of death?

Peregrinus

spurious wrote: »

Perhaps the girl was çlearly not expected to survive long after birth, but rallied, was registered, only to die shortly afterwards.

Was there a charge per child to register?
Do you know what was listed as her cause of death?

There was no charge to register. There was a fine for not registering.

pedroeibar1

The simplest reason is often the most likely. Although different addresses are used, I'd agree with Pinky's suggestion that it was to avoid a late registration fine- note also that the mother was illiterate (her x mark) so it could have been a registry error cause by poor communication.

Wyldwood

Coincidentally, I have a similar situation just arisen, Abina Sullivan baptised in Inniscarra, Cork, August 1879 to John Sullivan and Ellen Neville, can't find civil reg., and Patrick Sullivan who doesn't show in the church register but is on the civil register as born in September 1879 to same parents, both addresses are the same. Can't figure it out.

Peregrinus

One possible explanation, if not a very likely one, is that Abina was not baptised as a newborn, but at a slightly older age.