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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Nick29 on Sunday 17 June 07 14:20 BST (UK)

Title: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Nick29 on Sunday 17 June 07 14:20 BST (UK)
I suspect that my g. g. Grandfather and his brother married two sisters, in about 1831.  As of yet I don't know the sisters' maiden names, but hopefully that will change soon, when I get a copy of the birth certificate of one of the siblings born in 1844.  Are there any other tricks or tips to find the marriages ?  I think it may have been a double wedding.  The brothers came from Eltham Kent, and I think the sisters came from Chipping, Nr Buntingford, Herts.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: irret on Sunday 17 June 07 15:12 BST (UK)
Can we have the brothers names and birth dates please. :)and the girls christian names if you know them?
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Nick29 on Sunday 17 June 07 15:22 BST (UK)
Certainly.......

William Martin (my g.g. grandfather, b. abt 1811) married to Mary

Thomas Martin (b. abt 1805), married to Amy

Sorry, I don't know the exact birth dates.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: sueky71 on Sunday 17 June 07 22:25 BST (UK)
is this common?
it's happened (that i know of) once on my father's side and twice on my mother's side. also numerous marriages of cousins.
i don't think my ancestors got out much :D
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: BassinghamTerrier on Sunday 17 June 07 22:49 BST (UK)
I have a similar occurrence.

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I know that the girls were sisters as they are in my family, and the men(nells!) were brothers too as they are in someone else's tree!
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: kerryb on Sunday 17 June 07 22:52 BST (UK)
I have a family with 4 daughters called the Simmons.

2 married 2 Pilbeam brothers, 1 married their first cousin and the other one married a second cousin.

I put it down the fact they all came from farming families in the same area, possible were all dissenters and socialised with each other.  This was in Sussex in the 1850s.

Kerry
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: sueky71 on Sunday 17 June 07 22:55 BST (UK)
mmmm, looking at the dates involved (mine also were in mid 1800's) i think it says alot about family life at the time.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: BassinghamTerrier on Sunday 17 June 07 23:00 BST (UK)
"... they all came from farming families in the same area, possible were all dissenters and socialised with each other."

And I bet they all wore denim boilersuits, needed a good dentist and played the banjo! :D

(No offence intended)
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Dave Francis on Sunday 17 June 07 23:01 BST (UK)
I have three brothers (Kearsey) marrying three sisters (Tookey) in the 1870s in Thundersley, Essex. Census returns show the two families living cheek-by-jowl for quite some time. The brothers decamped to Cliffe in Kent with their wives around ten years later. The Kearsey/Tookey connection makes it quite easy for me to spot distant cousins. :)
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Nick29 on Sunday 17 June 07 23:03 BST (UK)
My two brothers were bricklayers/labourers, so I guess they may have been working in the same area, and met the sisters there ?
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: sueky71 on Sunday 17 June 07 23:07 BST (UK)

"... they all came from farming families in the same area, possible were all dissenters and socialised with each other."

And I bet they all wore denim boilersuits, needed a good dentist and played the banjo! :D

(No offence intended)

lol. one of my couples had a son called william robert - a true billy-bob ;D
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: kerryb on Sunday 17 June 07 23:10 BST (UK)
"... they all came from farming families in the same area, possible were all dissenters and socialised with each other."

And I bet they all wore denim boilersuits, needed a good dentist and played the banjo! :D

(No offence intended)

LOL  ;D ;D ;D  I don't think it would have been the banjo in Sussex, either a squeeze box or organ in chapel!!!!!  ::)

Kerry
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Taffy Lee on Monday 18 June 07 14:46 BST (UK)
My G. Grandfather and G. Grandmother were in this situation (i.e. his sister was married to her brother).

Therefore, my Grandmother and her cousin are actually 'double cousins'.  I suppose this is the closest relation you can be to someone without being a sibling (?)

Lee
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: acceber on Monday 18 June 07 20:03 BST (UK)
I also have an occurence of this in my family where my 2 half great-aunts (Sellick) married 2 local brothers (Symes) in the same village.

acceber
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: aghadowey on Monday 18 June 07 20:16 BST (UK)
My husband's grandmother and her sister married identical twin brothers and had 7 children between them. They lived next to each other and most people didn't know which children belonged to which set of parents as they all went to school together and ran around together.
My great-grandmother's brother married her husband's sister. Each family had 6 girls and 1 boy. For a while they lived in a 4 story house with grandparents on ground floor, the two families on the next two floors and another brother and family on the top floor. I have a fantastic photograph of the grandparent's 50th anniversary with the family together and I'm still not sure who everyone in it is because the children all looked so much alike.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Sooziecats on Monday 18 June 07 20:18 BST (UK)
is this common?
it's happened (that i know of) once on my father's side and twice on my mother's side. also numerous marriages of cousins.
i don't think my ancestors got out much :D

We have three Bayliss brothers married three Creese sisters - at first I thought my Gramps had loads of half siblings till I worked it out!

Sooziecats
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: lizdb on Monday 18 June 07 20:42 BST (UK)
see also
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,237098.msg1279803.html#msg1279803
Title: Complicated 'Sister Marriages
Post by: hiraeth on Tuesday 19 June 07 09:40 BST (UK)
In my tree I have three sisters who married a father and son - very confusing - it took me a while to figure it out since the men shared the same name!     

In 1864 the eldest sister aged 38 married a widower aged 41 with a son age 15.
In 1875 the middle sister aged 38 married the son - by then aged 26.
In 1877 the middle sister died at 40 - the son moved back home.
In 1889 the eldest sister was widowed.
In 1897 the youngest sister (by then age 57) married the son who was by then age 48 - something tells me he preferred older women!

So all three sisters married late and none of them had children.  Given the potential for confusion, it was probably just as well ;D
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: kerryb on Tuesday 19 June 07 10:35 BST (UK)
Crikey talk about keeping it in the family!!!!

Kerry  ;D
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: sharonf73 on Tuesday 19 June 07 11:13 BST (UK)
Hi

I also have this in my family, quite recent too.  My gran's brother married my grandad's sister, so my dad's cousin is his cousin from both his mother and father's side.  I have my head round it now but it gets confusing when trying to explain it to others (and even now I'm starting to doubt myself again because I'm thinking about it but I'm sure that's right!).

Sharon
Title: Complicated Marriages
Post by: hiraeth on Tuesday 19 June 07 11:30 BST (UK)
I started genealogy after my parents had died.  I knew they were somehow related to each other but it was a "long way back" -  don't think they knew themselves really.   After doing a fair bit of research I found out that they were second cousins once removed, so my great great grandparents on my mother's side are my great great great grandparents on my dad's side ::)   At first I felt a little cheated - fewer rellies to look up - but I cheered up when I realized I had fewer certificates to buy  ;D 
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: duckweed on Tuesday 19 June 07 11:46 BST (UK)
A few years ago I heard of identical twins marrying identical twins and they had children born on the same day.  Bet that family is confusing.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: kerryb on Tuesday 19 June 07 13:09 BST (UK)
I still think it has a lot to do with the way people would have socialised in the 19th century.  Without cars they could not travel so far and in Sussex, it is well known that in winter the clay conditions and the poor roads didn't allow people to travel very far.  So they would turn to the neighbours, people they met in church etc.

Kerry
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: halfasheep on Tuesday 19 June 07 14:28 BST (UK)
Very similar to my lot - Mary Ann White married a Buckley, and Mary Anne Buckley married a White!

It gets very, very confusing when talking to relatives about it as some refer to them by their maiden names, and otehrs by their married names!
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Jean Price on Wednesday 20 June 07 05:56 BST (UK)
I have, well, rather my husband has, a brother and sister marrying a sister and brother. These are his parents, and of course, an aunt and uncle. This is 1939 - 1941, New Zealand. Thus his cousins from the other marriage have exactly the same ancestors as he has. One of my husband's brothers really looks as though he should be in the other family - he looks more like his cousins than his own brothers and sisters.

Jean
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Wyn Rawson on Wednesday 20 June 07 06:23 BST (UK)
how do you like this one.
My sister and I married brothers, our other sister her daughter and our daughter married brothers, when the children talk about their aunt she is their second cousin. I think
Wyn
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: cando on Wednesday 20 June 07 06:32 BST (UK)
Wyn - I think I will have to think about that relationship ;D

My OH has in family in 1850 in Suffolk, two sisters marrying twin brothers.  They all emigrated to Australia. 

One sister died from shall we say marriage no.1 and a brother died from marriage no. 2 so the widower married the widow ie. he married his sister in law.  Talk about keep it in the family. ;D  And to top it off, when she died he married a much younger woman.

Cheers
cando
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Nick29 on Friday 22 June 07 13:50 BST (UK)
Certainly.......

William Martin (my g.g. grandfather, b. abt 1811) married to Mary

Thomas Martin (b. abt 1805), married to Amy

Sorry, I don't know the exact birth dates.


Well, just to update, I got the birth certificate for George Martin (William's youngest son), and the mother's maiden name was WOOD.  Hasn't got me much further, yet, though, but I will keep trying !

Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Roecoyle on Friday 22 June 07 23:27 BST (UK)
I have 2 sisters marrying 2 brothers, my granny Maggie McKay
married Thomas Milne in Glasgow 1913 and her sister Catherine
McKay married Alexander Milne in Aberdeen 1894.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: nora T on Wednesday 27 June 07 17:57 BST (UK)
hi, Now this topic has come  up again on Rootschat, it gives me the chance to tell again of my FOUR Timmis brothers, who married FOUR Bull sisters,from 1845 to 1854, William M. Mary, George M. Fanny, Samuel M. Elizabeth,and Henry M. Sarah. the kids must have been very confused about uncles and aunties. They came from Market Drayton.Nora T
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: coppernob on Wednesday 27 June 07 19:08 BST (UK)
My G Aunt Olive M George. George's sister Beatrice was widowed as was Olive's brother Ezekiel.  You've guessed it Beatrice & Ezekiel got married.

So a brother M a sister & a sister M a brother,????

Ezekiel was my Grandfather b 1884


Coppernob
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Vasquez109 on Monday 02 July 07 21:30 BST (UK)
My grandfather and his brother married two sisters. (Not from the same family!). It wasnt a joint wedding, I think there were a few years between them.

Makes the family tree a bit more difficult to draw out!
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: Nick29 on Saturday 07 July 07 08:11 BST (UK)
Just thought I'd update you all on my "brothers and sisters".....

With some help from RootsChat members (particularly DebbieG) I have now located the sisters, and they came from Chipping in Hertfordshire.  Debbie figured out which parish to look in, and there they were.  Now all I have to do is track down where the two brothers were originally from !

I'm so glad I found RootsChat.  Without it, I think I would probably have given up my searching.  Thanks all  :)
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: kooky on Saturday 07 July 07 08:19 BST (UK)
My 2xgt grandfather's brother James Clulo married Ellen Beetlestone 1859 in Birmingham. His brother John had married Catherine Roddy in 1849. After Catherine died he married Charlotte Beetlestone in 1867 - Ellen's sister.
Title: Re: Two brothers marrying two sisters ?
Post by: little meg on Monday 09 July 07 02:49 BST (UK)
I have two brothers marrying two sisters.
A daughter from one couple married a son from the other couple.  :o  :o

Just for the record I am not a direct descendant of this line, but it would explain a lot  ;D
Margaret