Genealogy

[19Sandy]

I've mentioned before that genealogy is my hobby.

I have a 3 time great grandfather who remarried in his forties to a 19 year old and she had two daughters. The two parents must have died because they disappear from records. One of these daughters is living as a boarder (probably fostered) in an older woman's home and she marries a neighbor at about age 20. However, the other daughter is only on marriage records and so far one census record. So far I have her up to six marriages. She made herself older to get married the first time and I think she has one son but it looks like this husband divorced her. In addition, the son is divorced on the last census record. She keeps getting married over and over. Naturally, she gets younger in the later marriages. Each of the guys she marries has multiple marriages and each of those wives has multiple marriages. Most of these marriages didn't last but six months to a year. I am still researching her because the trail runs dry in 1930. She might have out of state marriages that I haven't found yet.

I don't know why we are told that divorce is a new thing because look at this research.

I am descended from a daughter from the previous marriage and she had 4 kids but only 2 had kids. And she died before age 50.

I am going to keep researching at the library because if some of these people moved out of state then Ancestry will have more info.

[Zoe Girl]

That sounds interesting. I think that people got married quick because you couldn't get intimate or live together otherwise. No matter what that is a lot of marriages!

I am looking to do some research myself, mostly I want to do the blood test for fun. My mom got a book for a present from a friend that had my parents' 50 year history of being married in photos. In the back she put a simple family tree that went back to my great-grandparents. It was cool to see the one set of great-grandparents that came from Denmark. The rest of them were from the mid-west. I tried a little internet searching but didn't get very far, and my trial with ancestry was the UK version? I didn't want to put in my debit card and then forget to cancel. I did find all my grandfathers siblings (he was one of 12) and his mother, but his dad was previously married and she died I think and I couldn't find her name. I think someone in the family has more family tree information already, so I will start there.

Can you get more information at the library compared to internet searches? I get so much junk when I do basic searches that I am not sure how to get better results.

[creaker]

One of my brothers recently shared an SS application he had dug up on our grandfather - it gave me enough information I was able to trace back paternal side to 1825 (his great grandfather) in Scottish record archives. I now know that side was several generations in a fishing village south of Aberdeen. It was interesting to try to piece together.

Speaking of marriage, it was interesting pulling up the sheet with his father's birth record (1855) - there were 5 newborns listed on that page, 2 with no father listed, and one with a illegitimate father. His parents were married, but apparently his grandparents on his father's side were engaged but not yet married when his father was born.

[19Sandy]

A lot of people never "officially" married, they had common law marriages. Many people lived in the back woods and the marriages were never registered in a county or city either.

In fact, if someone wanted to get a divorce, then living together or getting pregnant or having a girlfriend who was pregnant was a just cause when standing before a judge. It kept a child from being illegitimate (I hate that word!) or proved adultery.

Bigamy was not illegal in the USA until 1861 when President Abraham Lincoln made it illegal. Many people were worried about the influence of the Latter Day Saints and encouraged Lincoln to sign the law. Not all of the people who were bigamists were Mormons. However, many men continued the practice it because they felt responsible for the wives and children. Eventually, these men were forced to divorce one or more wives or they had to go to jail.

Some states did have strict rules against divorce but if they moved, then they could get one somewhere else. Sometimes people just went their separate ways and changed their names.

Most libraries have Ancestry on some computers (but not all).

If you do a DNA test, the ones to help you find ancestors are expensive. The one advertised on TV is only for ethnic background.