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Thread: Bigamist Arthur Walter LEWIS
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10-04-2012, 10:11 AM #21mofowaxGuest
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10-04-2012, 10:37 AM #22mofowaxGuest
Yes, there seems to be hundreds of Arthur Lewis', you would think Arthur Walter Lewis would stand out like a sore thumb. I have the same problem with Ellen Heath! If only she had a middle name.
I think rather than trying to go at every angle, I'll do as Peter and yourself suggest and wait for Ivy's birth certificate, then go from there. ETA is the 16/4.
Fingers crossed.
I'm truly thankful for all your help and advice.
Daniel
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16-04-2012, 7:01 PM #23mofowaxGuest
Hi, the birth certificate has just arrived for Ivy!
It transcribes...
Registration district: West Ham
Sub-district of: Forest Gate
County of: West Ham
Born: 26 August 1895, 36 Elmhurst Road, Forest Gate, West Ham
Name: Matilda Ivy
Sex: Girl
Name & surname of father: Arthur Walter Lewis
Name & surname of mother: Ellen Lewis, formerly Heath
Occupation of father: Mechanical engineer
Informant: Ellen Lewis, mother, 36 Elmhurst Road, Forest Gate, West Ham
When registered: 28 October 1895
Signature of registrar: W.Davison
Thankfully this proves some truth to it all.
Where do I go from here though?
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16-04-2012, 7:56 PM #24
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- Lancashire
- Posts
- 3,651
I have rechecked the marriage registers on FMP and there is no record of a marriage of an Ellen Heath to a Mr Lewis between 1881-1895.
I also checked the marriage registers for marriages of Arthur Walter Lewis or Arthur W Lewis between 1881-1911. Strangely there are 2 in 1910 and 5 in 1911, and none before that.
There are possible explanations as to why there is no record of the marriage:
They were not married
The records in the local registery were not passed to the central GRO records - unlikely
They married outside of England and Wales
Are bigamous marriages struck out of the register? I don't know whether this happens or not.
So then I thought where was she in the 1891 census, because that might show that she was in service in a household with him or something akin to that. I cannot find her in the 1891 Census.
In the 1881 she is a domestic servant in Lewisham – refs Piece:733; Folio: 125; Page: 39. In the 1871 census she is with her parents William and Charlotte in West Ham – refs: Piece: 1623 Folio: 104 Page: 45
I think that it will be difficult to solve the mystery of bigamy or otherwise without finding a court record, or a newspaper report.
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19-04-2012, 7:11 PM #25mofowaxGuest
Thank you so much for looking Megan, I also rechecked and couldn't find anything in Ancestry's marriage registers or the census (nothing tangible so far anyway).
I'd be interested to know if bigamous marriages are struck out of the register.
The fact I can't find a solid record for Arthur is giving me a headache. Was it his real name? Was it just Arthur Lewis and not Arthur Walter Lewis? (Which means it could be any number of the Arthur Lewis' we've found so far). Or, is it the other way round i.e. Walter Lewis and no Arthur? Did he emigrate or change his name to avoid the law?
If I find out, I'll let you know, although I think I may have been beaten here.
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19-04-2012, 7:25 PM #26
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- Lancashire
- Posts
- 3,651
It might be worth ringing your local registrar and asking them what happens in the event of a bigamous marriage. If they are not struck out I think that I would be willing to guess that Ellen was never married and that this was just an elaborate ruse to cover it up.
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19-04-2012, 9:39 PM #27
- Join Date
- Oct 2004
- Location
- Kent
- Posts
- 16,792
Thankfully this proves some truth to it all
There are possible explanations as to why there is no record of the marriage:
They were not married
Are bigamous marriages struck out of the register? I don't know whether this happens or not.
Where do I go from here though?
I'm not claiming that's an easy task but it is sometimes productive to follow the money trail. In the first instance this means poor law records for any possible out-relief and petty session records for a possible affiliation order.
Helping you trace your British Family History & British Genealogy.
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