Genealogy Chat

Hi,

My great-grandparents married in 1899. It states on the marriage certificate that they were both Widow & Widower. My question is - would they have both had to show death certificates to prove their partners deaths? They were in their late 30's at the time of the marriage and have found the witnesses were both family members of the marriage registrar, not people they knew.

Thanks

No

you did not have to show any kind of proof of marital status nor of age!

I didn't show my birth certificate for example in 1967!

Of course, many people in those days would have been marrying in the parishes in wich they had lived all their lives, or at least one of them would ........ so the vicar would know!



That means you have to find their first marriages, and then see if the other partner had died.


Post the names if you want some help!



sylvia

Thanks for that. It just seemed strange that they were only in their 30's and both widowed. I know they already had children together and found the marriage for my great grandmother, but names are so common it is hard to pinpoint the partners deaths. It wouldn't suprise me if they just moved area as I hear they did that regularly!

Anyway, thanks very much. didn't expect an answer from England so early, but see you are in Canada. I'm in Australia. Thanks again.

Valerie

Hi
Its not that strange to be widowed at a young age then, TB was endemic and living conditions were often very poor in crowded cities, Houses often were of multiple occupancy with limited sanitary arrangements that were shared by several families.
My grt x 2 grandfather died in 1884 aged 37 from TB as did other family members including youngsters,between then and the 1920,s

It actually was not at all unusual or strange.

In fact, if I see that someone is over the age of about 25 when they married, then I always look for an earlier marriage!


My gt grandfather married at 21 in December 1844, his wife was 20. He was widowed in May 1850 when Maria died from TB at the age of 25 ....... they had 3 small children, the 3rd was born about 3 months before his mother died, and died 2 weeks before she did.

James married again in October 1852 ........... stating on the marriage certificate that he was 26 when he was really 28. His new wife was 23! They had 10 children over the next 20 years, the youngest being my grandfather!


James then died in 1877 at the age of 55, of head injuries after falling out of a railway carriage as the train drew into the station ...... someone apparently had neglected to lock the door on the track side of the carriage. I've read the newspaper account, and the coroner apparently suggested that there might be cause to go after that "someone" for neglect of duty ......... it seems that nothing further was done.


sylvia