Genealogy Chat

I have a lady who married in a Church in 1961 and declared herself as a widow. I have gone through the Ancestry files three times now and she did not marry. Would she need to show the death certificate of the 'husband' to prove the fact that she was a widow?

1961 or 1861? Have you the actual certificate? what name is she marrying under is it the same as her fathers? Maybe she lived with someone for years and was embarrassed to state they never married, so put down widow.

Yes, it was 1961 and I have the certificate. She is not using the same name as her father, so it looks as if she just assumned the name but I am wondering what would have happened when they booked the wedding

How old was she on the marriage cert, and how far back have you searched for another marriage/death. Plus did you check that their was no pages or quarters missing in your search

She could have married in another country, couldn't she? Kate.

You got me there, Maybe she married abroad or it was a military wedding. Or maybe she told them she was married and widowed then gave all details as she no longer had the certificates of proof, they were more trusting in those days. You could always ring the Registry office or records office and ask about this situation.

She was 54 yrs old and I've checked from 1922 when she would have been 15, right through to 1943 when her first child was born. That child has been registered with the 'husbands' surname. I will phone the Registry Office to check Thanks for the help

It's worth getting the child's birth certificate to find the father's details. Check for his marriage and death. It's possible that the woman married abroad, or had an illegitimate baby during wartime. Lots of women must have called themselves widow for convenience. If the father died in WW2, he should be on the Commonwealth War Graves site.

The baby was born in 1942 during a blitz, together with a twin who was dead at birth. She was issued with a small style birth certificate, so I think my best option is to pluck up the courage to tell her what I've found and ask for more details of her birth. I can't really see her Mum marrying abroad as her 'husband' was a coal miner and was killed in a rock fall accident. Her Mum was born in 1907, so if the 'husband' was born roughly the same time, he would have been too young to serve during the War. I've just phoned the Registry Office and they don't know what would have happened in those days. Nowadays, you have to provide birth, divorce or death of partner certificates but as already stated, the War had ended and anything could have happened.