Genealogy Chat

If I can't find a marriage after searching BMD, 1837, and Ancestry. does that mean they didn't marry or is there somewhere else I can search. The children had both names on birth certs e.g father Golding mother Appleby.

It might mean they married a long time before or after when you were looking on 1837/FreeBMD Or, as you say, it could mean theyw eren't marrid. have you tracked them on any censuses? Were there other children whose certificates you could check. how did you decide what years to check on 1837? Ann glos

It might also be worth looking via the local Register Office from whose records the GRO is compiled. Some have their own free search sites. Have a look on: http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/ and click on the "Local BMD" icon. There are a whole lot with pretty much the same layout - they're in alpha order at the top of the list, then the rest are in alpha order below. Some of the sites were updated today! I should say that, just as FreeBMD isn't complete yet, neither are these - but the gaps will probably be different. Fees for certs are the same as GRO. Christine

Hi I would add that I could not find my GGPx2's marriage. They had children beginning 1838 and I looked and looked for them. I didnt know the wifes surname and though I saw a couple marrying with the grooms name right and the place right it was in 1854 so I thought no way. I then managed to get the youngest daughters birth cert (none of the others were registered) and yep, the bride in 1854 was the mother of the children. She still gave her name as if she was married and then formerly. So they married at least 17 years after they got together. Why? I noticed one son had died just before, whether this made them feel they had to make it legal I dont know. So dont dismiss late marriages if the names and place are right.

Thanks I shall try all your suggestions , on 1837 I started at 1901 when I knew by the census he was still single,and carried on until their last child 1914. I have thought maybe Jessie had married before, but no husband of a jessie Appleby died in that range.I will keep trying. Thanks everyone.

Heather thank you, I remembered that Reuben fought in ww1, and if they weren't married then Jessie would get no pension. So Iwent back onto 1837 and went from 1914 I found the marriage in Dec 1915. I so nearly gave up, I'm glad I didn't.

It took me a long time to find my G Grandparents marriage. My Nan was born in 1913 and had a brother a couple of years younger so I worked backwards from Nan's birth. Finally found the marriage in 1893, twenty years before Nan was born.