IGI question?

Question:In the IGI I have an Eliza Longbottom born 1820 Birstall, parents Joseph and Ann.
I looked on the IGI for a Joseph and Ann marriage within a few years of 1820.
There was just one it could be - in 1814 birstall
Joseph married Hannah.
Are hannah and ann interchangeable names. What is the likelikihood of this being the same person?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In the IGI I have an Eliza Longbottom born 1820 Birstall, parents Joseph and Ann.
I looked on the IGI for a Joseph and Ann marriage within a few years of 1820.
There was just one it could be - in 1814 birstall
Joseph married Hannah.
Are hannah and ann interchangeable names. What is the likelikihood of this being the same person?

Hannah and Ann/Anne are versions of the same name, and a woman named Hannah will almost always have also been known as Ann/Anne at some point as well.

A good way to confirm this is by checking for other children of the same couple to determine when they started having children and to check for alternate spellings on the mother's name. The results are:

William 1815 (Hannah)
Betty. Feb 1817 (Hannah)
Betty. Feb 1817 (Hannah) (different dates, may be same child)
Eliza 1820 (Ann)
Henry 1821 (Hannah)
Betsey. May 1823 (Ann)
Ann 12 Sep 1823 (Hannah)
Ann 12 Oct 1823 (Hannah) (could be 2 differing readings of the same entry)
Thomas. 1825 (Ann)
Thomas. Jun 1828 (Hannah)
Martha. Aug 1828 (Ann)
James (Born 1829) Bap 1831 (Hannah)
William 1843 (Ann)
Edward & Joseph (same date) 1845 (Hannah)

I'm not sure if these are complete, but what it does suggest is that there were 2 couples of the same name at the same time, as there are at least a couple of years where baptisms are happening within 4 months of each other. This might indicate that Ann & Hannah are 2 different women in this case.... so Joseph and Ann have Eliza 1820, Betsey 1823, Thomas 1825, Martha 1828 and possibly William 1843. Joseph and Hannah having William 1815, Betty 1817, Henry 1821, Ann 1823, Thomas 1828, James 1829 and possibly Edward & Joseph in 1845.

Looking at the census returns, I have attached the following: Joseph & Ann with children Betsey (c1816-1821), Thomas (c1821-1826), Martha (c1826-1829), Sarah (c1831-1833), John (c1833)& William (c1836). Of these, we can only find possible matches to children of Joseph & Ann from the registers. Joseph is generally referred to as a Farm Labourer. Joseph's age indicates he was born c1795-1802 and Ann c1795-1801. There is a possible match to this couple where the wife is named Hannah, but as ages are different and Ann/Hannah's birthplace differs from previous returns, it's hard to match them with certainty (though Joseph's occupation of Farmer of 3 acres would be possible, and they are still in the same place of Gomersal)

There is another couple of this name, but younger, in the censuses.... Joseph & Ann. This Joseph is a mechanic and has children Emma (1838), Samuel (c1839), Lucy Ann (c1840) William (c1842) & Betsey (c1844). Joseph and Ann were both born c1815.

I can find no definite matches to any of the children of Hannah in order to establish 2 distinct families, but the records do indicate this as a likelihood.

However, if you are primarily interested in Eliza and her parents, I believe the first family I listed is hers, going by the mother's name match on the other children of the family.

Hannah, Hebrew for Ann.

Very much so, I have had similar problems in the past, and remember the IGI is a transcription and you cannot view the original entry. It could also have been who made the entry in the first place being pedantic, In a ideal world you would have a chance to cross reference the details you have.

Hope this helps

www.familysearch.org has this listed:
ELIZA LONGBOTTOM
Christening: 24 AUG 1820 Birstall, Yorkshire, England
Father: JOSEPH LONGBOTTOM
Mother: ANN

Then, www.ancestry.co.uk has her listed as this:

Betsey Longbottom
Born: 1823, Morley
Died: Birstall
Father: Joseph Longbottom
Born: 1796, Yorkshire
Mother: Hannah (unknown)
Born: 1796,Yorkshire, England

I have seen the names ANN, ANNE, ANNA, & HANNAH all used interchangeably. As well as Eliza, Elizabeth, Betsey, Betty, and even Beth.