BMD Marriage Index

[Mutley]

If I am looking in the index for a marriage I click the page to see others.
If there are two people then BINGO I've cracked it. They married each other.
If there are four I am halfway there. It's either or....
But what if there are 3 people or 5 people. I always thought that it was pairs that made up a marriage?

I hope that I have not just asked a really silly question.
Mutley

[Mythology]

"I always thought that it was pairs that made up a marriage?"

And so it is - but the GRO index reference is to a page, which may contain more than one marriage, and you're using an incomplete transcript (presumably FreeBMD or Ancesspit which is derived from FreeBMD?) so there may be an odd number if one or more surnames in that quarter hasn't yet been transcribed.

Which leads me to ...
"If there are two people then BINGO I've cracked it. They married each other."
Not necessarily - as with those where you have 3 or 5, there could be more than one marriage on that page, but only those two surnames have been transcribed.

Bear in mind that the transcribers are working from the alphabetical GRO index, not from actual marriage records, so having only one party listed in the transcript isn't as daft as it may seem at first sight.

[Pam Downes]

Hi Mutley,
1837-1851 there were up to four marriages per page, so the maximum number of names which should be listed for the same page number in FreeBMD is eight.
1852 onwards there were only two marriages per page, meaning a maximum of four names per page.
It therefore follows that if you have more than the maximum number of names per page that someone has made a transcription error. You need to look at the actual GRO pages to find the 'odd one out', and there is usually a 'specs' symbol to the right of the entry on FreeBMD which is a link to the page.
The odd number of 3, 5, or 7 names on a page could also be a result of a mistranscription, so it's always worth checking the GRO page in those instances too.
Pam

[Mutley]

Mythology - I'm beginning to see why you chose your user name and I chose mine....
Pam - Thank you, I've printed your post and stuck it on my cork board right in front of my nose. I will remember....

Thought I was getting my head around this larkie.

Regards, Mutley

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi Mutley,

May I suggest that you don't *assume* anything about the *pairing* of couples on FreeBMD?

I started researching a friend's family a few weeks ago, working backwards, as is the norm.

In all the Census returns from 1871-1891 inclusive, the man (John Lord EMMERSON) had a wife named Ann/Annie Elizabeth, with the eldest child aged 9 years in 1871. I found a marriage for him in 1860 which fitted the bill, but the ref for it was 5_5 Page number, so I thought that I would never find out the maiden name of Ann. I checked his ref on the GRO Indexes and I thought it looked like 555 (it is) but could be 535.

When I found John in 1861 ..... he was married to a Rose Hannah WATSON, as they are with her Parents. I shot into the GRO Indexes and found her ref matched his of Page 555, so an 'extra' wife from nowhere.

FreeBMD lists his second marriage in 1868 and this time, his ref is all there. In time, I shall be able to find out the maiden name of his second wife ...... thanks to the volunteer transcribers.

Providing there won't be two Ann/Annie Elizabeth's on the same page of course.

[Mutley]

Thanks Diane,
QUOTE: "I shot into the GRO Indexes and found her ref matched his of Page 555, so an 'extra' wife from nowhere." QUOTE

I think I have asked this question on another thread but please could you just confirm so I know I am in the correct place the link for where you shot to......

Regards, Mutley

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

The one I went to was with Ancestry:

Click Here and I used the section at the top of the page.

However, I must warn you, that all pages are not there, it's a case of 'pot luck'.

The site where they do have all the images, is this one:

Click Here

Good Luck!

[Mutley]

's
Thank you everybody
Mutley