Genealogy Chat

Hi Sonja, I've got two cases where widows had their married names on their next marriage certificates. It threw me for a while with one of them because the child of the second marriage had her mother's maiden name and NOT the name she had when she married her father...... so it DID happen! I also have a case where a child had his real name (ie. his father and mother's name) on the 1881 census, his step father's name on the 1891 and then goes back to his own name. Sue

Thanks for your replies all! I will have to see if SKS can do an 1871 lookup for me. I read this morning on another list that widowed woman always had their married name on the next marriage cert. Great! That solves the puzzle .... then i read the next post and THAT person said Not so! Shoot! Back to square one! I think the birth cert of Caroline maybe the way to go! Once again, many thanks. Sonja in Oz.

Minnie Rootham married Dec 1895 Huntingdon 3b 624. Wonder if her real father's name is on the certificate?

If it makes you feel any better I have similar where the husband remarried and the new wife brought along two children sharing her surname which appeared to be her maiden name. You would imagine that the first enumerator was probably a bit slack in his recording. I suppsoe when you have more itme you could look for a marriage record of the second wife just incase it exists, or even send for the birth certificates of one of her two children to see if they were illigitimate. Sometimes you have to splash out to satisfy your curiosity! I have one rellie who had four illigitimate children! i bought one certificate and was cheeky and asked the registrar to check another which she confirmed said much the same thing. These days we wouldn't think twice about it of course !

OOps forgot to mention that John was entered as a "Widower" on the marriage cert while Elizabeth was down as a "Spinster" of full age. Obviously John R, Anne and Fanny were the family from the previous marriage. I guess Lizzie could have botched the story and been married before but I think I have found her family on the 1881 which dispels my theory! Unles ..... she had the two children out of wedlock! Her brother George married in 1882 so they are not his children. Lizz may have had other family, I just haven't caught up with them yet! Thanks heaps! Sonja

1873 Mary Ann CARTER dies. Hubby John remarries in 1877 to Elizabeth ROOTHAM. 1881 census has the following: John Head 48 Elizabeth Wife 30 John R Son 17 Anne Dau 15 Fanny Dau 10 Minnie Dau 8 Caroline Dau 5 Sarah Dau 1 George Son 3m All nicely named CARTER. 1891 has the following: John Head 57 Elizabeth Wife 41 John R Son 29 Minnie ROOTHAM Stepdau 18 Caroline ROOTHAM Stepdau 16 Sarah 11 George 10 William H 8 Martha 6 Alice Ann 5 Walter 4 All bar two nicely named CARTER! Anyone like to hazzard a guess as to what is happening here? If it was the other way around, I could understand it but not the way it is. It doesn't much matter nor change anything but curiousity has the better of me! Sonja

See below.