Genealogy Chat

When a widow remarries how will her surname be recorded in the marriage records, as her maiden name or her first married surname? Under what surname can I trace her in census records and death records? :-S I'm looking from 1858 onwards.

A widow usually marries for the second time using her first married name. However she can call herself whatever she likes as long as it is not for fraudulent purposes so she could use her maiden name.

On census and death records she should be under whatever name she is calling herself at the time.

Would you like some help looking for someone? If so then just add the details here on this thread or on the "Find Ancestors" board.

Kath. x

If you think that this widow re-married, look for the record on freebmd.......using her first married name.

Was 1858 the year her first husband died?

If there were children of the marriage who were young enough still to be living with their mother in 1861............try searching for them on the census

The actual certificate will often show both names -

i.e. "Mary , latterly Smith, formerly Brown" where Brown is her maiden name and Smith the name from her first marriage.

The index will normally show the name she is known as at the time of the marriage.

Nothing is cast in stone, however, and exceptions will always be found.

I have some marriage certificates where widows remarried.
Their named father is the clue to their maiden.

Many thanks for the advice, Its fun being detective can now try lots of possibilities, :-)