[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Twins in Latin records

[Jerry Frank]

Dick:

Can you compare to death records?  Twins did not often survive more than a few weeks.  Death records would probably show each separately.

Jerry Frank
Calgary, AB




----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard A. Stein" <ra_stein at telus.net>
Date: Friday, January 20, 2006 3:52 pm
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Twins in Latin records

> How are twins recorded in Latin records?  I am extracting German 
> names from a Catholic parish in the years 1780 to 1800.  Out of 
> some 300 baptisms so far, there are no instances where two 
> children born at the same time, i.e., twins, have their baptisms 
> recorded separately.  However there are cases where two given 
> names are stated.  
> 
> There is one instance where the word "alteri" is used, i.e., "Eva 
> alteri Rosalie".  The index, compiled years later in Polish, lists 
> "Ewa i Rozalia, bliznieta" with a curl under the e.  The Polish 
> word bliznieta means twins, so this case is clear.
> 
> There are some 20 instances where the two names are separated by 
> "et".  18 are females with Anna as the first name, e.g., "Anna et 
> Christine".  The two males have Johann as one name, in one case 
> Johann is the first name, in the other it is the second name.  In 
> addition, there are 11 cases (10 female, one male) where there are 
> two names, such as Anna Christine, without any separating word.
> 
> My question is  Should any of the cases using "et" be interpreted 
> as twins?  For these cases, only one name, almost always the first 
> name, is listed in the index.   I looked carefully at the records 
> but can't see anything else that indicates twins, but possibly I 
> am missing something.  The poor handwriting and abbreviations of 
> some words compounds the problem.  But in 300+ births, I would 
> have expected several sets of twins.
> 
> Any help will be appreciated.
> 
> Dick Stein
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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