married twice?

[Jkd]

It looks like my grandfather was married twice but the marriage certificate for my grandparents state he was a bachelor is this a mistake or did he tell the registrar he was a bachelor?

My Grandfather was John Henry Dunn born Wark, Northumberland 1876 married Margaret Holland Apr 1909 Newcastle Upon Tyne on the 1911 census they had no children living 24 Kitchener Terrace Grangetown Sunderland. John later married Margaret Holland's sister Beatrice Holland on 5 Nov 1917 in Sunderland.

I cannot find a death record for Margaret, would be great if anyone could find this Margaret was born 1884 South Hetton, Co Durham, England - parents Daniel Holland and Ann McQuinn (Mc Quin). Beatrice was born 1900 South Hetton, Easington, Co Durham, England.

can anyone help please?

I hope I have posted this in the correct forum

 

[oznannie]

Hi Jkd the closest I could find in BMD's was Margaret E Dunn bn 1885c died Sep qtr 1917 Stockton Durham.
If correct he married young Beatrice in the next qtr.
Cheers
Oznannie and good luck

 

[Jkd]

It is possible I guess, I have been unable to find any other death for Margaret, the year is abt right Thanks for this.

If it is correct my grandfather did not let the grass grow before he married again to his wife's sister. Beatrice my grandmother was a lot younger than John. Margaret would have been my great aunt.

Thanks again

 

[pramclub]

This was a time when divorce was difficult, especially for the poor. It was socially unacceptable, and only the rich could afford it. Before 1858, an act of Parliament was needed. Until the early twentieth century, adultery was almost the only acceptable reason for divorce, and still only open to the well-off.

I have at least one bigamist in my husband's tree, where he describes himself as a batchelor although I have a previous marriage for him.

 

[DaveHam9]

Not only that, there is the question of marrying a deceased spouse's sister. I have two instances in my tree but only evicence for one to say that he called himself a bachelor the second time around.

 

[Jkd]

I have wondered if John Dunn was a bigamist and married 2 sisters, especially as the marriage cert states he was a bachelor. I remember my sister telling me when we were teenagers that my father had told her his father married 2 sisters and that he was laughing when he told her. My sister said she was not sure if it was a joke or true, I forgot about this for many years.

It has now come to light that John did marry 2 sisters, whether one sister was dead before he married the second or if he was a bigamist I don't know. I cannot find any trace of Margaret after 1911 census. What happened to her is puzzling, it is possible she died in 1917 in Stockton, I wonder if there is any way of finding out if John worked on the railway in Stockton between 1911 - 1917, he worked on the railways in Sunderland and South Shields but I don't know about Stockton.

Later John and Beatrice split up and Beatrice lived in sin with another man who she married after John died in 1952.

I have had some contact with a couple of living members of the family but they stop contact very quickly, it is as if there is something wrong, I feel like John was a black sheep of the family. But whatever John did it was a long time ago and I didn't do it.

My father told me in his youth my grandfather (John) was a drunk and a womaniser and that he nearly made the family business bankrupt at that time John was shunned by the family. During my research I have found that Matthew (John's father) was also put out of the family business between 1901 and 1911. John became a lampman on the railway and worked for the railway until he retired. John also made dolls houses in his spare time and sold them through local shops.

One family member told me on here he could answer all my queries but later told me he didn't know anything. I contacted a family in Wark via the local church who also told me they had a family tree but again they stopped contacting me. I must be doing something wrong or my grandfather did something terrible.

My father's family are quite difficult to trace. When we were children we regularly visited my grandmother (Beatrice) in South Shields and I lived in South Shields for a few months but I never met any of Beatrice's family, I did not even know they lived in Easington which is not far away. All very strange.

One of my great aunt's told me that she knew all the family her parents were Beatrice and Jack (Beatrice's second partner), so there must have been contact between the family.

All confusing and makes it hard to trace the family tree.

Thanks again for all the help

 

[Jkd]

I think at the time 1917 it was legal to marry a deceased's sister.

Not only that, there is the question of marrying a deceased spouse's sister.


I have two instances in my tree but only evicence for one to say that he called himself a bachelor the second time around.

Do you mean that John must have told the registrar he was a bachelor?

 

[Guy]

Yes, it had been legal for around 10 years by then.
http://tinyurl.com/qy5sns9

The term bachelor (batchelor) used to apply to both unmarried men and unmarried women of marriageable age.
The more modern meaning which is now applied to men who have never been married is simply an instance of how meanings of words in the English language develop over time.

Cheers
Guy

 

[Jkd]

I have read widow and widower on other marriage certificates on the second marriage. I guess nothing was done the same everywhere.

I thought bachelor meant a man had not been married as you say, but my grandfather had been married before so its confusing.

I am trying to find out if Margaret died or John was a bigamist or if they got divorced the latter is unlikely. If margaret did not die how will I find what happened to her?

Thanks

Yes, it had been legal for around 10 years by then.
http://tinyurl.com/qy5sns9

The term bachelor (batchelor) used to apply to both unmarried men and unmarried women of marriageable age.
The more modern meaning which is now applied to men who have never been married is simply an instance of how meanings of words in the English language develop over time.

Cheers
Guy