Genealogy Chat

Not having any luck in tracing the marriage of my grandmother b1913 to my grandfather b1903 between 1930 - 1950 when he died. Her name is Elsie Gill and he was Edward Wilcox. They had 4 children all of which have birth records with mothers maiden name Gill. She remarried later and on the marriage certificate it states her sjurname to be Wilcox (formerly Gill) however it does list her as spinster not widow? As my mother is the last surviving child it is really important to us to trace this marriage as my mother was only 3 years old when her father Edward died. Any help is gratefully recieved as I am at the stage of looking for a professional geneologist to help my search - if anyone can recommend I would be delighted.
Many thanks
Paula

Hi Paula,

The info from your Grandmothers second marriage may mean that she wasn't actually married to Edward Wilcox. Although she stated her name was Wilcox that doesn't actually mean that they were married.

Your Grandfather was 10 years older than her ......... so could he have been previously married?? A good chance, and divorce was an expensive thing to go through, so unless he had means to do this he probably never divorced. This was a very common practice back then.

Have you looked for a marriage for Edward in the area that he was born/ worked or lived?

Dee x

I notice that the title of your post is GRETNA GREEN MARRIAGE. Is that where you believe or think that the marriage (If there was one) took place?

Were all the children born around Liverpool/Lancashire??


Gretna Green was just over the border in Scotland.

You will need to look at Scotlandspeople website for the marriage.


http://www.gretnagreen.com/weddings-gretna-green/history-traditions-gretna-green-weddings/anvil-priests/richard-rennison-last-anvil-priest


Read this as he could have been the man that married your granma/Grandad.

Is this your grandad's death reg.. as he died Prescot where the last child was born.

BMD Search result details
Civil Registration event: Death


Name: WILCOX, Edward
Registration District: Prescot
County: Lancashire
Year of Registration: 1950
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at death: 47
Volume No: 10F
Page No: 195

Is this his birth:

Name Edward Wilcox
Year of Registration 1903
Quarter of Registration Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration District Liverpool
Registration County Lancashire
Mother's maiden name
Volume Number 8B
Volume Page 72

If this is correct then there is no second name. Of the 26 potential marriages in a search 1930-1950 22 had a second Christian name. Can you confirm please to narrow the search.

Two possible births for an Elsie in Lancashire:

Name Elsie Gill
Year of Registration 1913
Quarter of Registration Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration District Warrington
Registration County Lancashire
Mother's maiden name Haynor
Volume Number 8C
Volume Page 350

or

Name Elsie Gill
Year of Registration 1913
Quarter of Registration Apr-May-Jun
Registration District Chorlton
Registration County Lancashire
Mother's maiden name Warcop
Volume Number 8C


or

It looks like 1 childs birth is indexed in both surnames that indicates that at that time this couple hadnt become a married couple.

:-) Hi folks
Thanks for all the input. I still havn't located tha marriage, it is probable it doesn't exist although I think I have opened a can of worms which I had hoped wouldn't happen.
Regards
Paula :-S