*TBC Archive in 24hrs*Raffle, Blyth Northumberland

[RoseRodent]

Hi, I am very, very new to all this. I started the research to locate my mother's side of the family, which I have shelved for various reasons. But along the way I was able to get a huge amount of background on my father's side, due to him having a much easier name to work with (Raffle) and also because another connected family had already done a good chunk of work, hurrah. So I am going to carry on with that side and try to find out more about the people. I have a few questions but can't figure where on the forum to put them, so maybe if I chuck them on here someone might know?

* There was an incident where someone remarried after believing (so she says) her former husband to be deceased in the Boer war. Her former husband then came home and found out she was remarried and living with another man with lots of kids, and wasn't too thrilled about that! She claimed to have received a telegram from the war office (or whoever) saying he had been killed, but she was unable to produce such a telegram when questioned. So I suppose the question is that without the actual evidence that she had good reason to belive her first husband dead, is the second marriage bigamous? Another relative who researched was not able to find a marriage certificate for the second marriage, and I believe I may have found one, though I have to wait for some money so I can get the certificate that goes with my dad's mother to check the maiden name is correct and then get the two marriage certificates to compare, and I don't have cash for that just now. Approx dates are 1902 for Elizabeth Ann Fenwick to John Percy and 1910 for same to William Hughes Carr, in case anyone has anything they can add there.

* The other question is what is the likely meaning of a birth registered with maiden name the same as the family name? Are they unmarried births, perhaps, or marrying of distant cousins, or equally likely to be either?

Thanks.

[Northern Lass]

Hi Rose Rodent
Welcome to the forum

moving this to general discussion

you will find your way around but basically General discussion is good for any query on your ancestors
if you have any from the Black country area then scroll down the board and there is a dedicated section specifically for that area

[grangers14]

I wouldnt know how it would stand as being a bigamist marriage? There was (might still be?) a 7 year rule that if you hadnt seen your spouse in 7 years and believed to be dead you could remarry.
If that was the case though you would have thought she would have used her married name? And as widow on the cert.
Jo

[grangers14]

Unless anything else to be added will be archived in 24hrs.
Jo