Genealogy Chat

Would be grateful for any advice. My great grandmother Elizabeth Allinson was born in 1862, in Sheffield. In 1892 she married George Wood (not my great grandad) in Pontefract Register Office, Yorkshire. A contact on here is 99% sure that George Wood married her ancestor, Sarah Robson in 1911 in Bridlington, Yorkshire. George was named as a widower on his marriage certificate. I have ploughed through the death records, but cannot find the death of Elizabeth Wood between 1901, when she was living in Beal, Yorkshire and when her husband remarried in 1911.

Has anyone got any ideas please?

Perhaps he was a bigamist. Maybe Elizabeth wasn't dead when George married Sarah.

Sue

I've looked for quite a lot of years after 1911, Sue and still can't find her death. I've also looked at every combination of the name that I can think of.

Thanks anyway for taking an interest.

There are about a dozen deaths of Elizabeth Wood's which are possibles, but nothing in the right areas of Yorkshire. At the minute it looks like my only hope would be to either send for them all, or email all the register offices, to see if they are helpful.

I've looked for this death for so long, I thought that someone on here might have a flash of inspiration. Fingers crossed!!

Hi Maggy,

No flash of inspiration, but what could be used to narrow this down? Did the couple have any children by 1901? What were their occupations at marriage in 1892?

Beal is quite rural, judging by the map, but also close to the A1, so travel away from the Pontefract area looks possible.

If he had simply walked away from the marriage in Beal, can we follow a family forward there through unusual Christian names?

Beal is quite a distance from Sheffield. Had George met Elizabeth in Sheffield or in the Pontefract area? Where was George's family in 1891, and where was Elizabeth's?

Was Elizabeth a widow when she met George?

(I'm not certain that the answers will help!)

All the best (logging off for today)

Just a thought.........if they didn't have a happy marriage and he went off to later marry Sarah then perhaps your Elizabeth called herself by her previous name.
How about looking for the death of an Elizabeth Allinson?
Then of course she too could have had a relationship and might have been calling herself by a "husband's" name.

Sue

I think Id like to know how your contact has proved this is the same guy. Its a very common name and without any proof he left the wife .........................

Hello Ivy,

They did have children called Charles and Arthur Wood (no unusual names unfortunately).

She moved from Sheffield between 1871 and 1881 to the Beal area, and he was from the area, so no clues there either. Her father was in Hull in 1901.

She wasn't a widow when she married George, but she had 2 illegitimate children Albert Stevenson Allinson (my grandad) and John Stevenson Allinson (that's another story!). They were both married in the Pontefract and Wakefield areas.

I have found a possible death in Bradford in 1908 and have emailed the register office there to see if they can help.

Sue, I have already looked for her death in the name of Allinson. You are right, she could have had another relationship and called herself something else. That throws up too many possibilities to even think about....lol...

Thanks to both of you for your interest.

Maggy

Sometimes they are just not on the index.

My GGrandmother died in 1955.
I know that because my Mum and Dad married on New Years Day 1955 and they visited her in hospital the same day taking the bridal bouquet as a pressie as she couldn't be there. She never left hospital and died shortly after their visit.

Her death is not in the GRO index for the registration district of the hospital or the family residence.

As she died in 'London' I have hit brick walls with Offices that won't issue/search for a death.

I am now left with searching for a burial. (Mum and Dad can't remember where)

This may be your only option after exploring every other avenue.

Chris

I think your only chance is finding a descendant of her Wood children who might have some family legend about her.

What a puzzle.

Sue

Hello Heather, I don't have 100% proof, unfortunately, but the lady is convinced that her George Wood is the same one as mine. She has his birth certificate, which matches the census information that I have about him. They do have a son Charles in common, but as you say it is a very common name.

I suppose my only other option would be to wait until the 1911 census comes out to see what that throws up.

I know exactly how you feel Chris, it's so frustrating isn't it!

Thanks to you all for trying to help. Must go to bed now, work in the morning, but have a feeling this lady will be going around in my head tonight!!

nudge

Had a reply from Bradford register office today and the 1908 death wasn't the right one, the husband wasn't called George. Back to the drawing board again!!