General Chat

My great grandfather left a wife and child around 1882 in the Uk and skipped off to Australia and remarried in 1887 to my great grandmother. His marriage certificate here in OZ states he was a bachelor.

His first wife went on to have 2 more children out of wedlock and remarried in 1891.

My great grandmother married my great grandfather under her maiden name in 1893 despite having been previously married in 1874.
I have not identified a death for her first husband and I strongly suspect that her second marriage was bigamous.

I had one in mine in 1965. he wasnt divorced until 1974.

Thanks for that Eddie... Perhaps my G..G. Granddad never got divorced but 'remarried'... because I cannot find any death certs either.
I will try again from that angle..
Deanna X

I found one in our family for 1877, stated she was a "widow" on the marriage cert., and then found her legal husband "married" to someone else
Liz

As you say Eddie, divorce was not for the poor, I have found an instance in my own family, early 20thC and the christian name on the marriage was altered, to Edward also lol.

I have a great grandfather who married in 1884 and again in 1888. I know it is the same man because the signature and information on the certs. and church records is the same except the middle name which changes from Edward to Edwin. There is no death record for the first wife but a lady using her maiden name marries in the same town in 1889. As poor "Ag labs" I do not think divorce was an option for these people, so, were bigamous marriages commonplace at this time?