Search for my father's first marriage records

[Kiltaglassan]

Where would I find the 1939 register??

On FindmyPast and Ancestry
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/1939-register/

[Marianthompson47]

Thank you!!

[Andy J2022]

Marian,
In case you haven't found your father in 1939 he appears to be living with his widowed mother and sister at 447 Main Road, Glascote, Tamworth R.D., Warwickshire, England. His mother's entry is partly obscured by some discoloured sellotape and, in FindMyPast at least, her marital condition has erroneously been transcribed as Single.

[Andy J2022]

Based on his occupation (clay worker), or his address in the 1939 Register, the following press cuttings may be relevant to your father and grandfather. I haven't found any sign of his first marriage.

Added Comment. The Rats and Rabbits clipping may not be him. The age is wrong, and your father was probably still living in Gascote, not Nuneaton as shown in the court report.

[Marianthompson47]

AndyJ2022.

Thank you very much for this information, some of which I have in my family tree.

I think they were confused as my father was William Alma Godderidge and my grandfather was William Godderidge.

I presume from all your searches that my father never married before my mother. It's late to get married at nearly 40.

Thank you once again!! I wouldn't know where to start searching! 🤗

[Ruskie]

Without doing any digging, or checking dates or time lines, a couple of suggestions:
- in your search for an earlier marriage check for misspellings of the surname
- look for a quite early marriage before 1939
- does the 1939 register say he is single or married?
- he may not have married previously but may have still had children, and family stores may just say he was married for respectability
- did the first wife die? Have you looked for a death within the area they were living and prior to him remarrying.
- can you search for children born with that surname in that specific area within a reasonable time frame

[Marianthompson47]

Ruskie. Thank you for your suggestions.

There are many Godderidges in the area where he was born and lived but I am not sure if it would take me ages to do that digging.

Someone else helped me with the 1939 census as I was getting nowhere at all.

In fact, I answered them (very long) but when I posted my response, it simply disappeared. 😔😔

He may have had children but how do I find out?? A minefield...

His sister's daughters were emailing me about 20 years ago but that stopped. I am not sure why and have no address. They sent me photos of my father.

Thanks again!! 😔😓

[Andy J2022]

- does the 1939 register say he is single or married?

It says he was single.
His sister Brenda (born 20 Aug 1917) married Sidney Boulstridge on 16 December 1939 at Victoria Road Methodist Church, Tamworth. According to the Tamworth Herald they had a daughter born 21 May 1943, and the birth was registered in Lichfield. The daughter married in 1965 at Atherstone.
A second daugther was born in 1949 and a son in 1951; both births registered in Lichfield.
I have withheld the names (single and married) of the children as they may still be living, but I can send the details to Marian if necessary.
Brenda Boulstridge died on 1 January 1999 and the death was registered in Birmingham. She left a will.

The Methodist Church connection may be worth following up. Is it possible that the Godderidge family were Methodist?

[Marianthompson47]

Thank you so much Andy!!🤗

Strangely enough, Brenda's daughter, Jill, sent me a photograph of her mother's wedding with my father standing at the back, alone.
It's in black and white so I.didn't know the colours they were wearing.

But this article describes the colours!!

My father, I remember, sent us to Sunday school but I think it was a church of England school.

Strangely enough, in the village where we live, my husband and I have joined a Methodist church where we go for coffee on Thursdays and Saturdays.

My father was very religious and my mother gave me a Bible he was offered by the Padre at the Butlins camp in Scotland where he had made many handwritten notes.....

Thank you once more!!🤗