Charles Hunter

Mrge reg. 006062-76 St. Catharines, Lincoln Co.
Charles Hunter, 29, bachelor, insurance agent, Church of England. Born England, residing St. Catharines. Parents Wm. Hunter and Sarah Gimby Mallith.
Emily Joanna Lawder, 20, spinster, Church of England. Born Niagara, residing St. Catharines. Parents John M. Lawder and Mary C. Alma.
Witnesses Harvey Lawder of St. Catharines and Annie...(Illeg) of Queenston.
On November 15th, 1876, at St. Catharines, by Arthur Boultbee.

Interesting one, the above registration. The city clerk passed along the registration the higher authority on December 31st, 1876. There are one or two handwriting problems with the registration, but the dates are clear enough. See, however, publication C018 of the Niagara branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. This is a transcription of marriages recorded by St. George's Anglican Church at St. Catharines between 1840 and 1895. Page 30 of this publication shows the marriage of Charles Hunter and Emily Johanna Lawder as being on January 15, 1877. The witnesses are shown as 'Henry' Lawder and Annis Thomson.

Unquestionably, Hervey Lawder was the brother of Emily and he will have been one witness. Whoever Annis Thomson is, her first name is shown as Annie on the registration and, whatever her real last name may have been, it certainly isn't Thomson on the registration. There, her last name begins with a W.

Which leads us to wonder how many such mistakes are out there and how many times we researchers get it wrong.

The above marriage registration, at least datewise, will almost certainly be correct.