How to record relations

Question

I have created the profile Davies-8585 for a woman (Wilhelmina Dorothy Davies) who seems to have uncertain parentage. Her birth record shows her mother as Catherine Davies and father as William Davies. All later references appear to treat her as the youngest daughter of William and Margaret Davies, whose eldest daughter was 20-year-old Catherine when Dorothy was born.

The relationship with her mothers appears to have been known, as the report on Dorothy's wedding mentions a cousin as bridesmaid, and that bridesmaid is the daughter of another of Catherine's sisters so would have been a niece if Dorothy was Catherine's sister.

I have no information about who the biological father might have been, except that Wilhelmina is an odd first name for a Welsh family. Catherine married a widower when Dorothy was ten.

So my question is what is the right way to record in Wikitree that I think the birth certificate is lying about her father, but she was brought up as the daughter of him and his wife (and hence sister of her birth mother)?

Answer 1

It is also possible that the birth mother's was indeed Margaret Davies, and it was incorrectly recorded as her daughter, Catherine. It does happen.  Margaret was only 42 at the time of Dorothy's birth. Something as simple as Catherine reporting the birth on behalf of her mother could cause such an error. Sadly, it is also possible that William was both Dorothy's father, and her grandfather.

Research notes are a great place to record cited discrepancies.

I'm not disagreeing at all with your interpretation, or how you handled the profile. It is entirely possible. You have included and cited all the information you have. With what you have, it's either a family secret, or an error.