Genealogy Chat

Hi girls Well I have both marriage certs here in front of me.. Isabella Lincoln married John Harrison on 9th January 1897 at the register office in Sunderland.He was 22 and she was 20. Then on 10th May 1902 at St Johns Church , Seaham Harbour she married my grandfather William Dale Swan. On the certificate she is shown as Spinster. I would love to find out what went on, We only found out about this because the relies 'let it slip' Why do they have to be so secretive?Dont they realise Im chomping at the bit here,,,,

Hi all, Thought we had a bigamist in the family too, but not sure now. Hubby's gr-gr-grandfathers sister got married in 1885, found a second marriage in 1890, but no death for 1st hubby, also found him alive & kicking in next 2 census! Uses her maiden name for both marriages and claims spinster 'status'. BUT have just found divorce, filed in the national archivists site, and dated 1891, a year or so after her second marriage! Debbie

sorry I am interested and hoping to hear more from Claire. Ann

Clare, Have you found any more information on this, and my question is , were they found out or have you just discovered it. As you can see from Sarah and my examples it was not uncommon. Sarah, I think yours was even more amazing. Ann

Wow! what an amazing story Ann! I should imagine that was a bit of a shock to find out... Im fine, still trudging along trying to find more info, although i have given my hubbies Chinese Ancestry a rest for a while...I have run out of avenues to follow! Hes over the moon about all that we discovered, so thank you again for your help! Hope you are well! Talk soon Sarahx Sorry Clare about using your message as a chat room, but at least it gets your query back up the top again!!! sorry!

Hi Sarah Hows it going? Mine went to war dropping 10 years in age with the help of the authorities, suffered from shell shock and as the story goes lost his memory. Must have been demobbed in Birmingham far away from home in Yorkshire and his many kids and married my Gran who was 25 years younger than him.His daughter from marriage one got married the same quarter, the entry in the ledger after his. Hope its going well, Ann

Hi Anne! Hope u r well! ooh! I thought I was the only one, my Great Grandfather kept two families on the go at one time! My great Grandmother didnt find out about the other family until one day whilst she was doing his washing...she found a note in his trouser pocket, written by his other wife to her...saying that he had another family on the other side of town and thanking her for doing his washing!!! He must have been one busy man, trying to keep two wives! best wishes Sarah

Were they found out though. I get the impression that it was so difficult to divorce that they just started again.My Grandad married my Grandmother as a bachelor but I have since found out he was married before over 20 years in fact, and had a large family, as far as I know his 1st wife was still alive when he remarried. He was never found out until I started researching. All this happened just after World War one so I suppose it was a mixed up world.

The guy would have gone to prison and undoubtedly it would have made the local papers. Which marriage certificate do you have, your grandparents one or the one which shows the bigamous (sp?) marriage?

My grandmother was,,apparantly married to a bigimist,Their child was given the surname and when my grandmother re-married my grandfather,,the name was used a middle name,On the marriage certificate it shows her as single. I want to know how i can find out more about this marriage, Surely the guy would have gone to prison? Would it be in the local newspapers for that area? Any ideas anyone?