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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: blue2 on Monday 22 December 14 17:00 GMT (UK)
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Looking for my grandmother Janet Cunningham Connell(maiden name)divorced by my grandfather Robert Hume Gray in 1925. I have tried finding what happened to her as my mum was told she'd deserted her - not true apparently. Scotlandspeople don't seem to have anything that matches in deaths though I found her in 1901, 1911 censuses. Would divorcees usually keep married name? Possible she could have emigrated or remarried I suppose.
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Hi and welcome to rootschat ;D
Divorces in Scotland prior to 1984 of a couple who had married in Scotland were recorded in the Register of Corrected Entries (later the Register of Corrections, Etc). A cross-reference to the RCE was added to their entry in the Statutory Register of Marriages. The Statutory Register of Divorces was introduced in 1984.
This information is here http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/Help/index.aspx?r=554&632#RCE%27s
Would women usually keep their married name? It was their legal name, so they could or may not much the same as now, so you may need to research using both names in case she remarried in which case there would be a new surname. All the remarriages in my research 99% have remarried in their old married name, which leads me to 'believe' for my research it was normal to retain their old married name but that may not be usual for all people
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Hi blue2
Welcome from me too :)
Divorce was still very expensive and rare in those times. There may not have been a legal separation and both Janet Connell and Robert Gray may have gone on to have further relationships without being divorced.
A number of divorces show up here http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/welcome.aspx It is case sensistive re spellings etc. However, couldn't easily see anything listed there connected to either of them (does not exclude a divorce though).
What happened in the life of your grandfather Robert Hume Gray? Did he go on to have another marriage/relationship? Maybe records for that, if there are any, would help here.
Monica
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Picking up on iluleah's helpful notes, was there any ref to an RCE added to the original marriage register entry for Janet and Robert? This would help to confirm that divorce proceedings had been concluded, rather than just a separation.
What was the birth year of Janet? Trying to just have her age on record, in case anyone can find anything further for you.
Monica
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Are these Robert's details here:
Robert Hume GRAY #20295, b. 1895, d. 18 January 1958
Last Edited=5 Aug 2013
Robert Hume GRAY was born in 1895.
Robert married Agnes HALSTEAD, daughter of David Henry HALSTEAD and Elizabeth ROBERTS, in 1938 in the Glasgow registration district.
Robert died on 18 January 1958 at 1301 Goven Road, Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
www.halstedresearch.org.uk/p203.htm
Monica
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I am amazed that there are replies already and very grateful for the help. She was born in 1894, youngest of 11, 9 living, to William Connel and Margaret formerly Forsyth and lived 7, Helen St Govan. I knew my grandfather remarried but thanks for the extra information.He took my mum and Uncle Angus and they were told she deserted them. My mum died aged 38 and never knew the truth. I found the marriage of my gran in 1921 and her sister Josephina McMaster Connell was a witness. Her married name was Steele and died in 1971. I think my grandmother had a child in 1924/25 which as my grandfather was in America with the rest of his siblings, was the reason he divorced her. Scotlands People show a marriage in 1942 with a Janet Gray and Charles Taylor but that seems late. I found aJanet Cunningham Gray who I wondered might be her daughter but wasn't. She seems to have disappeared after her divorce, but thanks again, and I'll try your advice.
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"Scotlands People show a marriage in 1942 with a Janet Gray and Charles Taylor but that seems late."
Don't be too quick to disregard this marriage.
I knew my paternal grandmothers rough year of birth and she died when my father was 4 yrs old so I had to research her from scratch, I thought she was born in one country, found she was born elsewhere in another country found her on the census and in 1911 her parents stated they were married 20 yrs, I searched everywhere for their marriage right across the county and gave up in the end only to be looking for my grandmother and her siblings marriages and happened on her parents marriage in 1912, so although they claimed they were married and had their children they weren't simply as he was married before ( which I didn't know) and they waited until his 1st wife died so he could get married. So the same might be true for yours as MonicaL says divorce was expensive MOST people didn't divorce as it was too expensive
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blue2, have you seen the marriage cert for your grandfather Robert in 1938? Just wondered what it said regarding his marital status. He may have waited to marry until 1938 and just before the start of WW2 because your grandmother was still alive. His service papers for WW2, if they could be traced, might also contain a lot of personal info not available elsewhere normally.
Monica :)
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Thanks ileuah and Monica. Have got case number for divorce from the Scottish Records Office today so it definitely happened. I'll probably send for the marriage cerificate that could be hers then, but I sent for records that turned out wrong before. Just have to try as it's less expensive than travelling to Scotland. If she had a child, could it be registered as surname Gray, as that would be hers by marriage, or would she have to use the real father's name?
I am very grateful for your help-it clarifies my thoughts about which direction to go as it gets frustrating when there's a dead end.
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That is really good news that you have confirmation now of the divorce. Something at least that you can now work from. With the reference numbers etc you have been given, I would think you should be able to perhaps order a copy of the paperwork from Edinburgh. Did you check on this at all? If the divorce reference show on the the National Records of Scotland (from the site linked earlier), you can simply send in an email in to NRS to request a quote for copies of the file. In this case, I couldn't easily see a ref to it just working from the surnames we have, but maybe you can make enquiries for this.
I would imagine that the divorce papers may hold more details regarding the adultery (name of other party?) and perhaps details of the child's birth. Hard to say always with all of these documents until you view them really.
Also, hard to say what surname the baby would have been registered under too. It could have been under Gray, Connel(l) or the reputed father's surname. For the child to have been registered under the reputed father's surname, he would have had to have attended the Registrar's office to confirm he was happy for his name to show on the child's birth certificate. If he was not there, mother could not have added his details.
In Scotland, married women (even today) never loose the legal right to use their maiden surname. This is the reason that maiden surnames are so prominent in Scotland. You can search for the death of a married woman on Scotlands People, for example, searching with both surnames. Many documents will show a woman with both surnames, eg. Janet Connell or Gray would be the norm.
Not helping necessarily here though in your searches :-\ All too recent due to privacy and data protection to be able to search in detail online.
Monica
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...In this case, I couldn't easily see a ref to it just working from the surnames we have, but maybe you can make enquiries for this...
:P Here it is:
Robert H. Gray v Janet C. Connell or Gray: Divorce
Year of calling 1925: Reference No. of Transmission 50: Office C (Adams)
Reference CS255/2970
To get a quote for the documents, you can reach them on enquiries[replace with 'at' symbol]nas.gov.uk
Monica
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Thanks Monica. Will check the records and hopefully move forward. Getting somewhere at last. All the best to you .