Advice please!

[jacdee]

I've just found my "missing" family on the 1891 census.
I have Annie, the mother, and 5 children living in Willesden. There is no husband Samuel there, and Annie is listed as wife and married.
So i did a seperate search for the Samuel, as i knew that there was a possibility he wasn't at home at the time of the census. Well I've found him, but he's living in Marylebone with a different wife, Georgina!
It's definately the same bloke as place of birth and job and age match that of previous censuses.
What i want to know is, would Annie still count herself as married if they had been divorced? Or do you think that theres a chance that Samuel was a bigamist? Was this something that happened in the 1890's? I'm finding it difficult to get my head around at the moment, as on the census Annie has a child aged 2 mths, and in 1895 she has another daughter with the Hawthorn surname!
Any help would be great, as i think i'm going mad!

Jacdee

[Welsh Jen]

You are right to think that you are going around the bend! 
But no worries! It could be that your ancestor was a Bigamist, but this was more common that people care to think. Divorce was not possible for the lower classes years ago & such goings on was commonplace.

On face value it seems as though the both of them seperated and made new relationships. Not knowing all the facts though makes this a guess!

So no you are not going mad! Bigamy was in existence but much of this behaviour was due to the fact that every day folk could not divorce even if they wanted too, it was simply too costly.

Regards Jen 

Some useful links:
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/V/victorians/3_divorce.html

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/census/living/crime/bigamy.htm

[jacdee]

Thank you!
I had a feeling he was probably a bigamist! But i'm guessing that neither of his wife's knew about each other. Samuel was a boots salesman, so he had the perfect excuse of travelling back and forth between homes ( my Hawthorn ancestors were based in Willesden and Marylebone doing boot and shoe making ).
But I can't find a record of Samuels marriage to Georgina. Do you think that she would of been listed as Wife, even if they weren't actually married?
By 1901 Annie has listed herself as a widow (maybe she found out about the second wife?!), and Samuel and Georgina are in Portsmouth running a pub! Bit of a change from selling boots!!

I love it when ancestors turn out to have an interesting story!!

[Welsh Jen]

  It does sound as though poor Annie found out by 1901 about the 'other woman!'

You are right in thinking that Georgina and Samuel were not married. They may well have been living with each other. Also if they moved later on and started a 'new life together' no one in Portsmouth would be aware of the previous marriage.

Many who decided to seperate and could not afford to divorce simply detached themselves from each other & never contacted each other again.

You say in your previous post that the 1st wife Annie had a 2month old. Do you think that this baby was Samuel's or was there someone else on the scene?

I wish that there was some juicy storylines like this with my family history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes it much more fun & exciting!

 

Regards Jen 

[jacdee]

Interesting that you ask about the baby! I'm assuming that she was Samuel's daughter, as she is Nellie Hawthorn, but more interseting than that is the fact that Annie then has another child, four years later in 1895 called Rose Hawthorn! Talk about caonfusing! However, in 1901 Annie has a lodger named William, and i'm starting to think that maybe Rose is actually his daughter!
Or maybe the two daughters were concieved when Samuel popped back home and Annie didn't found out about the second wife until after Rose was born?!
I just don't know!!
What would be on the birth certificate for Rose? Would Annie automatically declare Samuel as the father even if he wasn't? Simply because she was a married woman?

[Welsh Jen]

Well with regards to the surname's as Annie was married to Samuel the baby would automatically take the surname ~ even though in true reality the baby may not actually be his!  This would explain the latter child having his surname when he was with Georgina ~ As there is a man 'William' living with Annie keep this in mind incase you find more clues that tie him in with the family.

With Rose's Birth certificate Samuel may have a mention and this may clarify if indeed he was 'on the scene' at the time of her birth, but if the father's name is left blank this would indicate the father being absent and the child was infact illegitimate (even though the baby has taken her mother's married name)

Hope I haven't confused you! 

Regards Jen

[jacdee]

No you haven't confused me! You've been a great help, thankyou, I think you've saved my brain from being completely frazzled!!
I wonder if Samuel went on to have more children with his second wife?! Its like a bottomless pit - you just think you have one part of your family tree all sorted, then along comes a spanner in the works! Still, its great fun!!