Genealogy Chat

can anyone advise me where I can go to search for bigamy records as my gt aunt could possibly married twice and we would like to get this confirmed..
any tips would be great
regards
kerry

Depends what year and if she got caught!

Do you have both marriage certificates? What are the details on them- is she listed as widowed?

She may have been divorced?

Newspapers, Criminal records?

If you can share details we may be able to help

x

If you haven't found a death for her first husband, it may be that he left her and his whereabouts were unknown and so after the relevant period of time she had him declared dead.

Depends on what era you are looking at.

In the 1800's and the first half of the 1900's divorce was almost impossible for normal working class people to get and so a couple often just split up and went on to either live with or "marry" other partners. If they were not found out then there would be no bigamy records.

If a bigamous marriage was found out then newspaper reports are probably your best bet.

Kath. x

I found one of mine on old bailey on line.

My Great Aunt Florence Minnie Davey (her real name) kept changing her name so this has made it hard to locoate many details on her. I have located her on the passenegers list due to searching for her daughter Heather Daphne Livesey born 1922/24 and Florence was either listed as Florence Livesey & also used the name Phyllis, this was due to Florence having a child to a married man Jack Livesey whose wife was in a home of some sort.. very confusing as even trying to find a death for her is hard (she was born in 1891/1892. Heathers father Jack always supported her financially until he rec'ed a letter from Florence new husband..i think i might get a copy of Jack Livesey will to see if he left any money to heather as she was his only child so we think..thank you all for you efforts it is very much appericated

Heather was born in 1921:-

First name(s) HEATHER D
Last name LIVESEY
Birth year 1921
Birth quarter 3
Registration month -
Mother's last name DAVEY
District RICHMOND (SURREY)
County Surrey
Country England
Volume 2A
Page 952

Kath. x

Did Florence and Heather stay in Australia?

Kath. x

Just because someone married twice, never divorced and both their spouses are alive doesn't necessarily mean they committed bigamy.

The only bigamy records you will find will be of prosecutions.
The person (Attorney-general, Director of public prosecutions, whatever) who decides whether a prosecution will be brought must consider several factors, including the public interest and the likelihood of conviction.

I don't know the situation in Oz, nor the UK - I suspect it's a federal law in Oz, but not the UK, although it will be a crime under difft laws in the UK (is my guess).
It's a federal law in Canada - I don't know where the onus of proof lies with some defences, but in Canada these include:

Matters of defence
(2) No person commits bigamy by going through a form of marriage if
(a) that person in good faith and on reasonable grounds believes that his spouse is dead;
(b) the spouse of that person has been continuously absent from him for seven years immediately preceding the time when he goes through the form of marriage, unless he knew that his spouse was alive at any time during those seven years;
(c) that person has been divorced from the bond of the first marriage; or
(d) the former marriage has been declared void by a court of competent jurisdiction.
[Excerpt from the current Criminal Code of Canada]
http://yourlaws.ca/criminal-code-canada/290-bigamy

Hi Kath, yes Florence and Heather went to Australia as Florence older brother William Edward Davey was living in Australia for a period of time, i have found Florence and Heather on the passenger lists and this is where Florence has used the name F M Livesey (she never married her daughters father as he was already married but he did support his daughter financially for a period of time)
She has also used Phylliss livesey/davey when travelling with heather too so florence Minnie is very hard to trace..

I am wanting to find a death for Florence Minnie Davey but i am unable to locate one that matches, her date of birth is 9th Sept 1891 baptized on 27th Sept 1891, she could of possibly married a George Sheppard i just can't seem to find a death for her as i think this is the only way i will be able to locate any information on her daughter heather D Livesey (unless i get heathers fathers probate - walter John Livesey) any help from would be appericated

The probate won't tell you anything ............. it only gives the names of the person(s) who have been granted probate or administration, and the total amount of the "Effects"

It does not show the names of any persons named in the will, not why they might be mentioned.

You have to buy the will to discover what it says.


Here is the Probate from ancestry ..........


England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966

Name: Walter John Livesey
Probate Date: 9 Jan 1947
Death Date: 8 Oct 1946
Death Place: Surrey, England
Registry: London, England


from image:-

Walter John Livesey of 336 Fir Tree Road, Epsom Downs, Surrey, died 8 October 1946 at Kingslea Nursing Home, Mulgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey. Probate granted London 9 January 1947 to Kathleen Livesey, Widow . Effects £5440 9s 10d

a Public Family Tree on ancestry has the following for Walter John Livesey (no information on him)


unless this is YOUR tree????



PAGET-DANIEL-WILLIS-MOON
Owner: happyone121


Spouse and children

Florence Minnie Davey
1891 – 1974

Heather Daphne Livesey
1925 – 2001



Florence Minnie Davey
Birth 9 Sep 1891 in Walthamstow, Essex, Greater London, England
Death Jun 1974 in Bradford, Yorkshire West Riding, West Yorkshire, England


Birth
1891 9 Sep
Walthamstow, Essex, Greater London, England

Baptism
1891 27 Sep
Hoxton St Saviour, England

Residence
1891
Chiswick, Middlesex, England

Residence
1901 5 Nov — Age: 10
London, England

Residence
1901 — Age: 10
Walthamstow, Essex, England

Residence
1911 2 Apr — Age: 19
Shere, Surrey, England
Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Boarder


Marriage to George Glenmore Sheppard
1913 3 Aug — Age: 21
South Croydon, St Augustine, Surrey, England

Residence
1914 — Age: 23
Relation to Head of House: Spouse

Death
1974 Jun — Age: 82
Bradford, Yorkshire West Riding, West Yorkshire, England


There is a photograph of her



Heather Daphne Livesey
Birth 11 Aug 1925 in Richmond S., Surrey, Kent
Death 2001 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England


Birth
1925 11 Aug
Richmond S., Surrey, Kent

Departure
1927 16 Jul — Age: 1
Liverpool, England

Death
2001 — Age: 76
Swindon, Wiltshire, England

???????

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007

Name: Florence Minnie Davey
Birth Date: 30 Apr 1892
Date of Registration: Jun 1974
Age at Death: 82
Registration district: Bradford
Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding, West Yorkshire
Volume: 4
Page: 0573



??????

British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920

Name: Florence Minnie Dosley
Gender: Female
Marriage Date: 3 Aug 1913
Document Year: 1914
Relationship to Soldier: Spouse
Form Title: Military History Sheet
Other Records:
Family Members:
Name Relation to Soldier
George Glenmore Sheppard Self (Head)
Florence Minnie Dosley Spouse


from image:-

4 addresses given for Florence (she obviously moved a lot :-) ) .... the last one is
17 Fairfax Rod, Hampton Wick

The name of the image is NOT Dosley (mis-transcribed) ............. it looks like Davey

Date of marriage given is 3-8-(obliterated)

He was discharged in 1919, with the rank of Sergeant


Hi records are in very poor shape, and this is about all that I was able to see. .....


....... I'm sure you know that only about 30% of WW1 records survived WW2, and most of that did survive are in very poor shape.

no children shown


Her name is also written as Minnie Florence Sheppard


George was 24 years 6 months old on attestation on 6 September 1914

Occupation Grocer

additional note added to the tree ................


Daphne Heather LoveseyBirth Date: 11 Aug 1925
Death Registration Month/Year: Jul 2001
Age at death (estimated): 75
Registration district: Swindon
Inferred County: Wiltshire
Register number: A61B
District and Subdistrict: 7961AEntry number: 239
hillbria

hillbria originally shared this to Lowen Family Tree
15 May 2011 story
happyone121

happyone121 added this to PAGET-DANIEL-WILLIS-MOON
06 Oct 2014