Birth and Baptism
When a child was born, the parents typically followed a naming tradition
to determine the child's name. For this tradition and other naming practices,
see my Names page. Usually baptism took
place shortly after birth. At the baptism, there would be a number of witnesses,
or godparents. Often, relatives served as the witnesses, if the parents
had relatives living in the colony. Baptism records often gave the following
information: child and parents' names (most often giving the mother's maiden
name), the baptismal date, and witnesses' names. As records neared the
19th century, the recording of witnesses became rare but the recording
of the actual birth date became common.
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To contact me: michelle@boydhouse.com
Last
updated 4 Nov 2003.
© Michelle Boyd, 2003.