Sarah Ann Caldicott - Was she a bigamist?

[leamingtonian]

Hi Everyone- The person in question is Sarah Ann Caldicott (1847 - 1894) who married my Ancestor, Thomas Gough (1847 – 1922), on 08/07/1866. Sarah was the daughter of a farmer who owned a large farm in Oxfordshire and employed four workers whilst Thomas was the son of a Chimney Sweep and lived with his family in Saltisford, Warwick. Thomas’s occupation in 1861 is not shown on the Census but it is reasonably presumed that he was a labourer on the Caldicott farm where he met Sarah. He formed a relationship/liaison with her and this eventually caused Sarah to ‘marry beneath her’ in order to legitimise the birth of their first child who was born two months after their marriage. The marriage went on to produce five further children the last of which, Sarah Elizabeth Gough was born on 4th April 1877.
The next known recording of Sarah Ann is 12 Nov 1879 which is the birth of her first child, Hattie Ellen Roberts; the father is George Roberts. I have been unable to find any record of her departure to the USA, her marriage to George Roberts, if indeed she did marry, or any divorce from Thomas. It’s interesting to note that on the Census records for Thomas in 1881 & 1891 there is no mention of Sarah however the 1901 & 1911 Census records him as being a widower. Sarah died in 1894 in New Jersey USA so did he find out that Sarah had died which is why he changed is marital status?
So it would be helpful if anyone is able to say when she went to the USA & did she in fact marry George, if so where & when, or was she in fact a bigamist.

Thanks

Eric Gough

[Genealiza]

According to the 1900 census, George immigrated in 1879, so there's a good chance Sarah came with him at that time.

1880 U S Census:  Passaic, NJ
Roberts, George
             Sarah
             Harriette E, b. Nov 1879, NJ

1885 Census Passaic, NJ
George Roberts, foreign born, age 20-60
Sarah A Roberts, foreign born, age 20-60
Harriett E Roberts, age 5-10
George G Roberts, age 0-5
James A Roberts, age 0-5

1900 U S Census:  Passaic, NJ
Roberts, George, b. Apr 1847, age 53, married 5 yrs, b. ENG, ENG, ENG, immigrated 1879, Nat.
             Mary, b. May 1868, 32, married 5 yrs, mother of 3 children, 2 children living, b. IRE, IRE,
                          IRE
             George, b. Apr 1881
             James, b. Aug 1884
             Alice, b. May 1887
             Sarah, b. Mar 1896
Cooper, Veronica, step dau, b. Mar 1889

1905 Passaic, NY census
George is a widow living with the the 4 children, excludes George Jr.

[amondg]

Do you have her death certificate she died 19 April 1893, they usual have the names of parents listed?. 

[leamingtonian]

Her actual date of birth was 1894; her parents were Underhill Caldicott b 1818 & Sarah Garfield b 1824

[philipsearching]

This might be a silly question (I might have missed something obvious) but: how do you know that Sarah Ann Caldicott who married Thomas Gough is the same person as the Sarah Ann who turns up in the USA with George Roberts?

[rosie17]

This might be a silly question (I might have missed something obvious) but: how do you know that Sarah Ann Caldicott who married Thomas Gough is the same person as the Sarah Ann who turns up in the USA with George Roberts?

A few trees have a copy of her death certificate with parents as
Underhill Caldicott and Sarah Caldicott

Rosie

[rosie17]

Not seeing a marriage for them 

Rosie

[leamingtonian]

Sarah Ann flleing to America has been passed down through the family but there is nothing in writing to back this up. Would Sarah Ann have been able to marry George Roberts in the USA without any paperwork to support who she was; would there have been a marriage certificate or can it be assumed that she just used the Roberts surname without any questions being asked by the authorities in the USA?

[philipsearching]

This might be a silly question (I might have missed something obvious) but: how do you know that Sarah Ann Caldicott who married Thomas Gough is the same person as the Sarah Ann who turns up in the USA with George Roberts?

A few trees have a copy of her death certificate with parents as
Underhill Caldicott and Sarah Caldicott

Rosie

Thank you.  Sometimes the obvious questions don't get asked, so I thought it best to make sure.

Philip