possible death possible divroce

[PaulaB]

I have been trying to find some information on my late father's mother (he died last september) he wouldn't talk about her and the only information my mother had was that she committed suicide in 1939. Now I have found a Minnie Bannister (that was her full maiden name) born 1906 in Alcester and a Minnie Bannister who married a Burton in birmingham in 1924. BUT I can't find a death for Minnie Burton in Leicester for 1939 (the only Minnie Burton to die in Leicestershrie died at age 90 in Loughborough!!!!!!) is there any way to check for divorces in that age, I believe it was common to tell children of parents who left that they had died. Her husband had to be free to remarry by 1942 because when my father (born 1932) was about 10 he remarried.

[Geoffers]

I have been trying to find some information on my late father's mother (he died last september) he wouldn't talk about her and the only information my mother had was that she committed suicide in 1939. Now I have found a Minnie Bannister (that was her full maiden name) born 1906 in Alcester and a Minnie Bannister who married a Burton in birmingham in 1924. BUT I can't find a death for Minnie Burton in Leicester for 1939 (the only Minnie Burton to die in Leicestershrie died at age 90 in Loughborough!!!!!!) is there any way to check for divorces in that age, I believe it was common to tell children of parents who left that they had died. Her husband had to be free to remarry by 1942 because when my father (born 1932) was about 10 he remarried.
Divorce records can be found at The National Archives (TNA) at Kew in J77/J78. TNA have a website http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ with a lot of research guides. From teh home page, move your cursor over 'Getting started' in the red bar near the top of the screen. From the menu, select 'Index to research guides' and then click on the letter 'D'. You'll see a link to a guide for Divorce records after 1858.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[ChristineR]

Hi PaulaB,

whilst it might have been common for divorced parents to say the other partner had died, I think it unlikely that they would say someone committed suicide to a child to stop questions.

She may have reverted to her maiden name without a divorce taking place. There may even have been a divorce, a re-marriage and then she decided to give up - could be another surname to look under.

ChristineR
Vic Australia

[Pam Downes]

BUT I can't find a death for Minnie Burton in Leicester for 1939 (the only Minnie Burton to die in Leicestershrie died at age 90 in Loughborough!!!!!!)

Hi Paula,
I presume you've been looking on the full GRO Index for the death, not just FreeBMD which is the incomplete version of the Index.
Also when you say Leicester, do you mean purely Leicester registration district or have you been looking at other registration districts which cover Leicestershire towns?
The GRO have a service called Traceline which may be able to help. It used to cost £25.00. I don't know how far back it can go, but I know it helped my cousin who was looking for her mother who's last known address was in 1950.
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/research/traceline/index.asp#0

Pam Downes

[PaulaB]

Minnie Bannister died 1940 in Leicester.