Divorced or Widowed??

[Langara]

I am trying to discover if an Edith Lizzie Jones who married a Michael Alfred Barnes on12 June 1902 in Bristol was divorced or widowed in 1908. I have searched various sites but can find no refernce to a M A Barnes death in or around 1908 so have to presume that they were divorced. Can anyone please tell me where I can find records of divorces at this time.

[Pam Downes]

Is this of any help?
http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc/research/divorcemain.htm
Pam

[Peter Goodey]

...was divorced or widowed in 1908
What happened in 1908 that lead you to that conclusion?

[Langara]

It was something recorded in pencil in a family bible, but the word against the 1908 date had been erased - presumably by another family member at a later date.

[Langara]

Thank you Pam...........I will check this out.

[Peter Goodey]

It was something recorded in pencil in a family bible, but the word against the 1908 date had been erased - presumably by another family member at a later date.
A bit tenuous then :D

[Langara]

I agree Peter, but the lisitngs were such - births, marriages, deaths, against which names and dates were shown, but the only word which had been erased was that particular one.

[Peter Goodey]

Bearig in mind how rare divorce was among ordinary folk in 1908, I wonder why you assume that the mssing word was "divorced". Why not "imprisoned" or "deserted family" or even "nothing in particular happened that year"? After all, the usual reason for erasing something is because it was wrong!

Personally, I think the chances are that it's a waste of time but if you want to pursue it you can contact the Principal Registry of the Family Division as indicated in the link that Pam gave you. Then you'll be able to gloat about me being wrong ;)

[SueL]

Hi Langara,
Divorce Records are held at the PRO (aka TNA) and the index for that time period is quite simple to check. I am going there tomorrow - would you like me to have a look for you?

Regards,
SueL

[Langara]

Hello Sue

Please. That would be terrific. The only information I can provide is the marriage was between Edith Lizzie Jones and Michael Alfred Barnes 12 June 1902 in Gloucester.

[SueL]

...so any divorce will be after that, then? ;)

Will catch up with you tomorrow evening...
suex

[SueL]

Hi Langara,

Apologies for not replying earlier - have been unable to get on the site...

As promised, I searched on Saturday at Kew in the divorce records but I'm afraid there was no sign of your Couple.

The name index is divided into years and I looked on two rolls of film, one covering 1902 to 1906/7 and the other covering 1906/7 to 1910. There were in fact only half a dozen BARNES divorces but no husband and /or wife matching yours appeared.

Sorry...

Can you think of any other suggestion as to what might have happened?
sueL

[Langara]

Hi again Sue............First of all - many, many thanks for looking into this for me. Hmm! Now I am in a quandry. I do not know quite what to think now. Possibly they simply separated and never divorced. Perhaps Michael Alfred did die, but the surname was mis-spelt. I do not think he could have been imprisoned as I feel sure the family gossip line would have kept that story going!

[Peter Goodey]

How complete are the National Archives records for this period? The catalogue states that "almost all survive". This suggests to me that the definitive answer can only be obtained from the Principal Registry of the Family Division.

Although I haven't changed my view about the probability of success, I would have thought that if the first avenue was worth exploring then so would the second.

[Geoffers]

I am trying to discover if an Edith Lizzie Jones who married a Michael Alfred Barnes on12 June 1902 in Bristol was divorced or widowed in 1908. I have searched various sites but can find no refernce to a M A Barnes death in or around 1908
What aout deaths of those just recorded as Michael BARNES or Alfred BARNES? - He may have preferred to just use one name and the second is not recorded in the GRO index (it happens).

Have you tried the index to wills in case he didn't die in England/Wales?

Maybe he just went over the side and did a flit?


I do not think he could have been imprisoned as I feel sure the family gossip line would have kept that story going!
I would not be surprised if someone being imprisoned had been kept a secret amongst family. It's dangerous to discard an possibility just because no family memory exists.

Geoffers

[Langara]

I am going to be pursuing all the suggested avenues in order to trace the elusive Michael Alfred Barnes, so please watch this space........

[Mythology]

"He may have preferred to just use one name and the second is not recorded in the GRO index (it happens)."

And it's not always obvious. Let's take two of mine who I recently pinned down. It's not too difficult to figure out that, if you can't find anything else for a lady who is Sarah Ann on every other record, the "Annie" in the GRO deaths index is worth a shot.
Less obvious, especially if you were working backwards from what you found on the census, rather than forwards as I am, is the lady who is Kate on every census from 1851 to 1901, and on her marriage record, and signs "K Goodson", no middle initial or any other clues, at her sister's wedding.
In the GRO deaths in 1908, she is Deborah.

(continues - split due to duplicating text problem)

[Mythology]

Why? Well, because that's what she was baptised as, and her son, who registered the death, evidently knew what mum's "real" name was even though she hadn't used it for over fifty years!

Now, if I hadn't started at the other end of the time scale, so I didn't have that baptism record and didn't already *know* that Deborah was a possibility, would I have spotted her death?

[SueL]

Hi Langara,
What Peter said about not all Divorce files having survived is correct. After the early 1930's they were "weeded" by the PRO - lovely word, eh? But it does describe what they did, just keeping the more high-profile and sensational ones...

However, what I checked were a couple of films taken of the hand-written index at the time; a large ledger, divided into AtoZ but by no means alphabetical within each letter! But, at the start of each new year, the date has been written at the top and all the years are in date order.

So yes, I am reasonably confident that the INDEX is complete, at least up until say, 1930.

sueL

[Geoffers]

I am reasonably confident that the INDEX is complete, at least up until say, 1930.
1928 - see TNA's research guide
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=53

Geoffers