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James Richard NURSE was born 3 Jan 1856, illegitimate son of Ann Nurse Ann married 25 Dec 1856 in Colchester to Gustav Adolf KRAFFT Gustav was not James’s father as at the time of conception he had not arrived in England In 1866 James Richard was baptised KRAFFT in Colchester. Later spelling of surnames in this family are KRAFFT and CROFT James Richard married Harriet East on 29 July 1875 in Yorkshire A son James William was born in Sugden Fold, Armley on 1 May 1876 James Richard married bigamously to Clara Bradley on 8 May 1886 I have James Richard on every census except 1881, up to his death in 1939 James William married in 1904, giving father’s occupation as “Soldier (deceased)” This leads me to the conclusion that James Richard MIGHT have been overseas in the army in 1881 The question is – where do I go next????? (and I can’t visit Kew because I am several on the other side of the world) Regards Peter

Are you absolutely certain that there arent two James Nurse? How do you know the second marriage was definitely bigamous? What was his occupation on his death cert? Other census? OC

OC Absolutely certain! I have certificates to prove all of it! Occupations vary - shoeing smith, mason's labourer, ????(1881), coachman, master photographer, manufacturer of lustre electrics, coachman (again), engineer, cycle manufacturer (I know that one is true!) P

Hmmm - a varied work career, lol! Soldier doesnt seem to fit in there very well, does it? Without details of a regiment etc, I think it will be very difficult to find records, but have you tried searching TNA site? Hopefully someone else will come to your rescue tomorrow! OC

No connection - all my Nurse's (137 of them) originate from Thomas Nurse (b 1704) and come from Brightlingsea until they spread a bit in the 1800's P

Any connection with a previous James Nurse, do you think? A2A has details of a James Nurse, Master, regarding fraud on the tonnages of barges on the Stroudwater canal.(1832). It is an unusual surname.Also mentioned in the same document is John George. Sorry, I know this isnt what you asked for. UPDATE - looking at the 1881 census, the name Nurse isnt as uncommon as I thought, and there are several James NURSE, coachmen, of the right sort of age. If he had done a disappearing act from the marital home, he may have gone back to using Nurse as his surname. The other thing is - his son presumably grew up without knowing his father. Might his mother have covered his disappearance by telling her son his father was a dead soldier?? OC

How did you establish that he married bigamously ? Maybe he divorced, and with the variety of occupations, how can you be certain you are not looking at several different people with the same name ? Oh and hello from NZ also ! Where are you? I am up in sunny Northland. Alison

Both he and his first wife remarried. She stated she was a widow. James William is found with Harriet and her second husband in 1881 census. James said he was a widower....and he is using his baptismal name of Krafft (not many of them) - also place of birth Colchester. Believe me - I have every certificate and census possible. Also - and perhaps I should have said this before - in 1914 he wrote to the local paper stating that he was not a German (shop window broken because of the name) but that he was a loyal englishman who had 'served his country both at home and abroad 'and had given evidence of same to the police. Am in Auckland P

Where did you find the birth of James Richard Nurse in Jan 1856 ? There is no birth for a James Nurse in 1856 listed on Free BMD.

Born 3 Jan 1856 Albion Court St Botolph Registered 25 Jan 1856 No father named Mother Ann Nurse made her mark It doesn't come up in Free BMD but I have the certificate. It shows in the Ancestry BMD's 1856 First quarter, page 67 of thh\e 'N's'second entry down. Keep challenging - it's making me think P

Hello again Peter, Sorry, wasn't trying to catch you out ! I thought it would have shown up in the FreeBMD for that date. Not sure where you can go from here, but I'm sure someone on here will come up with some helpful suggestions ! How's the weather been for you today in Auckland ? It's been extremely hot up here in Whangarei. Regards, Alison

thinking aloud... Was the bigamous marriage in church or registry office? I know he said he was a widower, but there is an extremely remote possibility that he was either divorced (most people at that time would describe themselves as widowed, rather than divorced, as that was scandalously beyond the pale) OR - as he seems to be 'missing' for a period of 10 years between 1876 and 1886, his first wife could legally remarry after seven years - or even earlier, if she could prove he had 'gone abroad'. He may have been fighting in the first Boer war and I believe there are records at Kew, so a search of the site might be useful. Good luck with that, I find TNA site extremely difficult to search. OC

Thanks Second 'marriage'for both was church...... Any ideas on how to find which regiment was recruiting in th Armley area at that time? P