Genealogy Chat

If a woman marries, the husband dies or she divorces, would the records show her with her maiden name or married name if she married for a second time?

Thanks

when I married for second time my cert shows my first married name and in "condition" says previous marriage dissolved. No mention at all of my name at birth.

Thanks LadyinRed

It appears the person I'm looking for didn't marry then.

If the first husband died she would be recorded in her previous married name and the condition would be Widow. No mention would be made of her maiden name. However, if there are children from the second marriage their birth certs would show her original maiden name and possibly her previous married name as well.

she may choose to go back to her maiden name especially after a divorce and in this case would show as maiden name on next marriage

remember it is only fairly recently that you have had to prove ID to get married i.e. with birth cert, decree nisi etc, in the past you just said who you were and it was believed, hence all the father's names on marriage certs of illegitimate children who would have had no idea who their father was

Thanks everyone.

This is quite a recent 'marriage' - possibly around 1945. I can find details of her children with her maiden name listed and I have found her death details with the 'married' name but I can't find any marriage details. I'll keep looking.

Thanks for all your help

A lot depends on the date. Typically in the 19th Century, the certificate would show Mary, Latterly Smith, Formerly Jones. Where Jones is her maiden name and Smith is her previous married name.

In the 20th Century, I have found examples where only the married name is quoted and others were both married and maiden name is there. too I also have examples where the GRO has actually indexed both married and maiden names, but this seemed to be rare, although a little gem when you find one.

However, in many recent cases the marriage shows only the wife's married surname, but the births show her maiden name. I have managed to suss a few, though, using a bit of clever detective work.

Moral probably is that nothing in this game is cast in stone check and re-check everything.

If Mary Jones "married" Mr Smith, her son John will appear as
Smith John Jones RD=Wigan vol=8c p=62 or whatever.

If she didn't marry him, but he acknowledged paternity, there will be two index entries to the same b.cert, showing:
Jones John Jones RD=Wigan vol=8c p=62
Smith John Jones RD=Wigan vol=8c p=62

Thanks mgnv. That hasn't happened in this case but I have a vague recollection that this aunt didn't marry and was considered a disgrace by my grandmother. If she never married could her death details be in her 'married' name though?

a death registration uses information provided by the informant and from the death cert

if she used her partner's name even if they weren't married she may well be recorded as such on the death cert by the doctor and the informant may also have used this name

Thanks Helen

I was thinking that because if the informant wasn't aware she wasn't married she would be registered in whatever name she was known as I assume. I think this is what happened then.

Beverley, are you able to post any details & let us have a look for you?

I would rather not post details as the children are still living and I would need to post their details too.

Thanks for the offer anyway.