Leigh Robert Bellis 1917/18 Widnes cheshire

[kathb]

Hi, Girl Guide, you are correct, it does look like the same lady married earlier. I have suggested to Debzkitkat that she needs to get the death certificate of her grandfather and the marriage certificate for 1975 marriage.  Documentary evidence is the best way forward. I am being cautious here that we don't step onto reference to living persons.
Regards
KathB

[Debzkitkat]

Thank you for that advice Kath. That's my next step x

[chris_49]

This fascinates me. Good to know that Deb is sending for that marriage certificate. Bellis is such a rare name that the odds against two people of that name marrying must be huge - unless the parties concerned knew each other as cousins, for instance.

But brief investigation finds this is unlikely. Leigh Robert Bellis I was born in Prescot district and his father Robert L Bellis was almost certainly Robert Leigh born 1889 Chester (if not Robert Llewelyn b 1885 Wrexham) . However the lady he seems to have married was born Dewsbury district and her father Cornelius was born Islington, (his father a Henry Bellis, there are plenty of those) and she also married in the London area. I also fail to see why a woman who had married 1965 would marry again in 1975 without at least giving her married name as an alternative.

My guess is that the lady in the 1975 marriage is giving her surname as Bellis because she has been using that name for many years as a common law wife (I have a couple of examples of this in my tree). If the marriage certificate shows that both parties were of the same address that's a big clue, but hopefully it should also show who her father was, which would be the most useful data.

Chris

[Debzkitkat]

Hi Chris and thank you. You are correct that my great grandfather was Robert leigh Bellis, my grandad Leigh robert, my Dad was meant to be Robert leigh, but my gram Emily Branwood morris didn't like it. My eldest brother is also Leigh Robert and his son was meant to be the same,but my sister broke the chain and called her son Leigh David, much to my brothers and dad's annoyance.
My dad and I met Marie at my grandad funeral ( that was awkward) and apparently she was the one my grandad left my gran for. I think it's likely she used Bellis before they married. I can't wait to see the marriage certificate. Deb x

[chris_49]

Interesting that you met this lady, Deb. The one who we can't name because she may be alive, who married in 1965 in London, would be 27 years younger than your granddad. If the lady you met didn't fit that description (about 47 in 1992) then she must have been someone else.

[Debzkitkat]

The lady was in her late 60's at least so, it's not the same lady. They were living in Crewe at the time of my grandad passing. He worked on the railways for many years too.