What a very interesting reply - thank you for sending it to Bob and us all - even though off topic.
Cheers, Brett B McL Robinson, Hamilton, New Zealand On 17/07/2011 12:51 p.m., Jan Roberts wrote: > A Deed Poll is a legal document - not a certificate. It is a form of legal > contract but it differs from legal contracts between two or more parties in > that it only concerns one person (and it is only signed by that person in the > presence of a witness). A Deed Poll legally binds the person who signs it to > a particular course of action as detailed on the Deed Poll document. > > Although Deed Poll documents are used for various purposes relating to an > individual or a company legally committing themselves to doing something, > they have one generally accepted meaning, that is, a change of name. > However, the correct legal name for a deed that has been drawn up to change > someone's name is a Deed of Change of Name (but more commonly known as a Deed > Poll). > > A Deed Poll for a change of name contains three declarations and by executing > the Deed Poll (signing, dating and having your signing witnessed) you are > legally committing yourself to: > > Abandoning the use of your former name; > Using your new name only at all times; > Requiring all persons to address you by your new name only. > > Why is it called a Deed Poll? > > A deed is a written legal agreement that has been signed and delivered (shown > to all concerned parties). Poll is an old English word used to describe a > legal document that had its edges cut (polled) so they were straight. This > was done to visually distinguish between a deed signed by one person (a > polled deed - hence the term Deed Poll) and a deed signed by more than one > person (an indenture), which had an edge indented or serrated. > Interestingly, indentures were originally written twice (side by side) on one > piece of parchment, which was then torn down the middle and each half given > to each party. The impossibility of matching the tear was a guard against > forgery. > > Deed Poll documents for a change of name can be traced back to 1851 and can > be seen at the National Archives, which is situated at Kew in Richmond, > Surrey. > > From: http://www.ukdps.co.uk/WhatIsADeedPoll.html > > This is info from a UK site, but I am in Australia where the legal system is > based on the British. My Google research has shown that in America it might > be called Master Title Deed, yet I see that Bill Clinton's father changed his > name by Deed Poll from Blythe to Clinton. > (http://www.history.malc.eu/Deed-Poll-USA.event.html) > > Cheers > Jan > -----Original Message----- > From: Bob Vary [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Sunday, 17 July 2011 10:19 > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Name Change (not by marriage) > > I may be going slightly off topic here, but what is a deed poll? I've never > heard the term before. I take it is has something to do with name changes? > Where are you located? It sounds British. > > Bob > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jan Roberts [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 10:59 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Name Change (not by marriage) > > My late first husband changed his name by deed poll - I only ever knew him by > his 'new' name. That became my surname when I married him, and is my > daughter's surname. I have entered him in Legacy under his 'new' name, with > appropriate notes and a Deed Poll event. But no, as far as I can see there > is no way to differentiate between the names in relation to time frames i.e. > before and after. I look at it like entering a woman by her maiden name > (only sort of in reverse) - one name is used throughout the report. > > Cheers > Jan > > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert E. Carneal [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2011 8:01 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [LegacyUG] Name Change (not by marriage) > > Not to open a can of worms, but I have a related question. This is not > a gender changing, but a gender-name changing. I.e. I have an ancestor > born as Mark Paul Carneal. He decided "Mark" was too common a name, so > he changed to a gender neutral name. He changed his name to Kelly > Jessie Carneal. Everyone who didn't know him assumed he was a girl! > > Now my question, is there a way to indicate a name change in Legacy so > that notes referring to him *before* his name change used Mark Paul, > but notes referring to him *after* his name change uses Kelly Jessie? > I doubt it, at least not one I could find. Anyone else? > > Thank you. > > Robert > Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
