Genealogy Chat

Marion, Just gives her birth name of Sarah Boston.(checked and its her) Unfortunately my father did not 'get on' with her or her 2 daughters and he went to live with his mothers cousin. He died 17 years ago so cannot ask him but I do wonder if he told me porkies! He could have been jealous of her and any step-siblings. Guess I'll just have to keep looking. Viv

Now I've found her I've got to find who and when she married first time round...and her children!!!!!!!! Viv

Viv Another example that because something is written on an official form, it doesn't mean it is correct. Good job you already knew. I've just looked at my grandfather's deathcert, registered by my (now also dead) uncle, who managed to get the place of my grandfather's birth and his year of birth wrong. I wonder how many other mistakes I have taken as correct which aren't. All the women in my family who married in the 19th century say "spinster" under occupation when I know they were all obliged to earn their living. A great-uncle obviously felt that "milk carrier" was rather lowly sounding, so gave his dead father's occupation as "provisions merchant" on his wedding cert. when my mother registered her mother's death and the registrar asked her what her husband's occupation was, my mother replied that he had done many things in his working life - she rattled through them and the registrar picked on "blacksmith, because its more interesting"! nell

Bless you Marion, Viv

Thanks Brenda, They seem to say just what they like then! LOL :-) Viv

This may depend on the way the question was asked. I certainly have widowers in my own family marrying as bachelors and the occasional wife/widow? marrying under her maiden name as a spinster. There has never been a system to relate marriages or deaths back to births and a poor registrar would not be able to check. Brenda

Does anyone know? Today I received my grandfathers marriage certificate to his second wife. My grandmother had died 3 years earlier. My dad told me his step-mother had children of her own. Why then does the certificate say under 'Condition' - Bachelor and Spinster? He was a widower and I presume she was a widow or divorcee. he was 40, she was 29. They were married at West Ham Register Office by certificate in 1915. Can anyone enlighten me as I'm really flumoxed.? Viv