Genealogy Chat

I was just trying to simplify things, Merry. Perhaps I should have said, if they didn't want to break the law! I'm sure my ancestor's story is just as bad as she married somebody she definitely shouldn't have while her husband was still alive, and she used a false name and details for the second marriage. If I have nothing to do, I sometimes try to count up how many laws she was breaking! Kate.

Some of them didn't worry about waiting until the prev spouse had died, Kate!!!! As you say, some did though......hubby's gg-grandfather married the first time in London 1839. He and his wife parted company in about 1844 and he moved to Southampton with his new partner......a few years went by and the new partner died......he met another partner and they lived together......(these women pretended to be ''Mrs X'').....this lady then died and he moved on to the next one.....BUT THEN in 1879 his 1839 wife died in London. He immediately married his current partner! The original wife was one of the naughty ones who ''remarried'' not long after her husband left her, saying she was a widow at the reg office. Merry

hi my grandad on my birth side married only 7months after my nan died and she lived in the same street as my grandparents bacardi xx

Well, don't forget that divorce was more or less impossible in those days, so if a couple had separated and had new partners, they wouldn't actually be able to marry their new partner until their husband or wife had died. So in that situation you would expect them to marry as soon as possible, wouldn't you? Kate.

We've all got 'em but perhaps ' respectability ' played a part !

One of my ancestors married three times: her first husband died after 7 years of marriage, and her second husband also died after 7 years of marriage, then she married my Grt..Grt. Grandfather, who outlived her. Is it coincidence, or did she keep getting the 7-year itch and bumping them off???

Hi Helen, you think that's quick !! my husbands greatgrandmother died of Typhoid while they were travelling from one mining town in South Australia to the next one, she was buried beside the road and when they reached the town they were going to he married a widow from the same waggon load. I suppose there was no widows pension, he would have had to work in the mine, she needed money, he needed someone to look after his kids. Marriage of conveniance or what !!!

I have just been sent a stranscript of a newspaper article - 1888. Headline: 'A Pendleton Wedding - Extraordinary conduct of Bride and Bridegroom - The Ceremony Postponed - Lively Demonstrations - The FOURTH Husband Captured At Last ' !! The 'fourth husband was my Great great Grandfather - the bride's 3rd husband had, as it said, been 'gathered to the majority' ten weeks previously !! There was a crowd of over 1000 people to see them parade through the streets behind a 'gaily attired' donkey, many of them protesting about the 'impropriety' of such a 'hastily arranged' wedding, trouble ensued, the police took control, and the wedding had to take place on the following day Wonderful stuff !!! Dea x

Hello Nell, My ggf's first wife died in Apr/May/June qtr 1891, he married second wife in July/Aug/Sept qtr 1891 and gave birth to son in October 1891! Not been brave enough to tell my family yet as all said how straight laced their grandparents were. Think they would be very surprised. Amazing what you can find out from the census'. Pam.

Hi Nell, my ggg grandfather married the woman who had registered his wife's death 5 months previously.

I've got a merry widower in my tree too! Wife dies 1897, (presumably exhausted after nine children!), he's remarried by 1898 to a woman with three children, goes on to have at least one more with her! The eldest daughter (my direct ancestor) leaves home around the time of the second marriage and goes to live with her older brother - I wonder if there was some friction between her and the second wife? L

my OH keeps hinting, but just keep telling him I don't want to be Mrs Smith (how on earth will my descendants find me when they start on their trees!) said it about childbirth too, now a mom to 5 (would have been 6 but one born too early) Linda

Linda I have said that 3 times already!....NEVER AGAN! Same as I did after child birth....... 3 kids later....~

Have a similar situation - he was a bank manager, she was live-in governess to the children. Wifey dies and he marries the governess in the next quarter! Jay

I have a marriage like that too, first wife died July q 1870 and he married my great x 2 grandmother Oct 24th 1870. He must have been a very merry widow/er Linda p.s wow Gerri someone who will have been married more times than me!! 3 times for me and never again :)

Helen...your lot sound just like my lot!.....meal tickets? 2005/6...me!.... who needs a man nowadays? lol Emily Pankhurst has alot to answer for (bless her) Marriage was never for 'romance' in those days. ...maybe not nowadays too? Gerri (who is about to embark on her 4th) Move over Joan Collins lol

Blimey, he didn't waste time. 2nd marriage recorded in the quarter after 1st wife's death! nell

Confirmed marriage on LDS site - definitely her. All set to find her in subsequent censuses - but she died 1870 - registered in the Sep quarter. The following April husband appears on the census with a wife young enough to be his daughter. His children had all left home, so he wasn't in need of a carer for them. Can;t have spent much time in mourning, methinks. nell

Found a suspected gt gt gt aunt on 1861 census