What am I doing wrong?

[Jomot]

Ooh I'm liking that theory Libby - Sydney John Searle's occupation also fits nicely as well.    Great finds. 

[TamlaDawn]

I'm not sure about the one who died in Brighton - he seems to have been in Hove in 1939 with another wife! The only way to check would be to get his marriage to Florence and see if he gives his father as Sydney. Or, perhaps better, send for his birth certificate as if his father was Sydney not only would it confirm it was the right one, but would give his mother's name.

Added: Why not go back to the lady who has the tree and ask if she has either certificate so you can eliminate him? That would save you money!

Groom - I can't find anything about a potential other wife in Hove in 1939? Can you give me any pointers?
The lady on Ancestry (who I have mailed again today) has a photo of "her" Bertram on her tree..very odd to see him! I saw my nan today and showed her the pic which was lovely to be able to do.  She said "yes I get the impression he was a bit of a rogue"!   I thought....you don't know the half of it nan lol! 

[groom]

The woman that Bertram is with in 1939 is described as married, but I can't find a marriage either, so perhaps they just lived together.

I'm getting a bit confused here - are you certain that the Eastbourne one is your Bertram? Why did the person with the tree say that he wasn't yours - if it is the tree I'm looking at, she doesn't have his parents, so why was she so sure?

[TamlaDawn]

No I can't be certain that Eastbourne Bertie is the right one..all I had to go on was his full name (if he gave it correctly ) and a rough DOB  from the marriage cert.
 
The lady with the tree said he couldn't be mine as her Bert had a different fathers name, not Sydney.  But now we know that this may have not been the case anyway.  She said he also had a daughter called Sheila. ..that still doesn't rule him out as mine though...

Are you able to help me with a name/tips where you found the info of the Hove lady?  Maybe I can see if she ever had a daughter called Sheila ?

[Jomot]

Have we ruled out that he wasn't the Bertram J Watson who married Elsie Bowyer in 1913? 

In 1933 Elsie Watson was granted probate in the estate of Mary Bowyer and was named as the wife of Bertram James Watson.   

It seems quite a coincidence that the full name is exactly the same.  Could he have married Edith Field bigamously?

[iolaus]

There;s a Sheila Watson born in Brighton 1931 - mothers maiden name Cinnamon

There's a Sheila Watson born in Eastbourne 1940 - mothers maiden name Page

Can't see a Watson marriage to either a Cinnamon or a Page

[iolaus]

The woman that Bertram is with in 1939 is described as married, but I can't find a marriage either, so perhaps they just lived together.

Just a thought - but it just says if they are married or not - not who to, so both married to other people wouldn't be a lie

[groom]

This is getting more and more complicated isn't it?

So could we be looking at:

Marriage to Elsie Bowyer in 1913   probably not the same man
Marriage to Edith Field in 1917
Poss marriage/living with an Annie pre war
Marriage to Florence Winnifred in 1956

Or are we looking at at least two different Bertrams?

[Jomot]

I would say the 1913 marriage is definitely worth looking into further as this & the 1917 marriage both have the same full name as Bertram James Watson.   

I can see children born to Watson/Bowyer in 1915, 1920, 1923 & 1930, and then the probate record naming Elsie as wife of Bertram James Watson in 1933 - not found anything after that so far.