Birth or Baptism records to verify Mabel Nunez parentage.
Hello, I'm looking to verify the parents of my great grandmother, Mable or Mabel Nunez the surnames associated with her name are as follows: Grogan, Mouton, Petry. She was born in 1900 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. I have looked several places but can't find anything. I have even written to a few different places in Louisiana. I have also emailed various places. Mabel married Willie Grogan, Sr. around 1916. She had several children and then died in 1936 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. On her death certificate it states that her parents are Louisia Petry and Aurelien Nunez. Because these names are pretty common in the Petry family and in the Nunez families, I'm stuck. Thank you.
Answers
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According to the extract of the marriage record of Willie Grogan and Mabel, the parents of Mabel Nunez were Aurelien Nunez and Louisa Petry.
And the extract of her death certificate lists the same names for her parents.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLMH-JF2T?lang=en
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F37G-V56?lang=enHave you tried contacting the Diocese of Lafayette? https://diolaf.org/
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Yes, I did see the marriage information in my tree. Is there an actual record or was this information an estimate based on other records? I'm not sure how marriage records worked back then. Were the parents physically there when they got married or were they written in by the participates, clerk, etc.? Yes, I do see that on her death certificate those are her parents. I also see that Willie Grogan was the informant. I would still like to see the birth record or baptismal record if, possible. I just find it strange that she doesn't appear in any census records with either parent and her parents don't appear in any records together either. Yes, I sent out 5 letters and emails to several different places. I sent an email to the Diocese of Lafayette with no response and then I followed that up with a letter. Letter went out last week so no response yet. Thank you for your response.
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If a person was above the age of majority (usually 21 but 18 in some states), then there usually is no indication that the parents were present. But if not, then the father (or mother if the father was deceased) was required to sign a consent form, or legal guardian.
Per Google AI: In 1916, Louisiana law generally recognized the age of majority for marriage as 18, but permitted individuals as young as 16 to marry with parental consent.
Since Mabel was only 16, then (assuming the officiator was following the law) it is very likely that a parent or guardian was present.
I have seen one record out of Pennsylvania where the parents resided in Italy and a proxy had to give consent. I also know of one record where I suspect the bride's aunt pretended to be the mother (due to the first name listed).
I have also seen a lot of marriage records where they messed up the mother's maiden name or was unknown. Since at least one of the parents was present, it's more likely that the name of Mabel's mother is correct.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that Mabel could have lied about her age in order to be married and then carried on that fib through her death. I have seen countless instances of that occurring, even with parental consent at marriage.
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A possible 1910 census for Mabel/Mable shows her age as 11 or born 1899 or early 1900. Her relationship to the HOH is niece. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPB6-G39
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Thank you both for your responses. I need to do more digging.
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@MichelleMartin13
I've been to my FamilySearch Center today, and I retrieved the images of the 2 records. I cannot post them here, but I have sent them to you by PM (private message). Look for a red number on the envelope at the top right.
If anyone is curious, the marriage does not include permission for Mabel to marry. Her father is listed as living while her mother is listed as deceased in 1916. The return, which should have been completed and signed by the officiant, is blank.
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