Is it WILLIAMS or WILSON ? **COMPLETED**

[karenlee]

Hi

I have a bit of a brickwall that I am chipping away at and would love some help to loosen a few bricks.

One of the NZ families that I am researching has the following problem :-

 Jane MILLER, a spinster aged 21,  married 6th June 1864, Primitive Methodist Church, Auckland, to John Wilson WILLIAMS, a widowed bootmaker aged 31. No witnesses shared a surname with either party.

On 8th July 1865 they had a son Robert William WILSON, and they lived in Chancery St, Auckland.

How do I find out if John was really a widow and if his name was WILSON or WILLIAMS in order to go back another generation?  Or is this a lost cause and should I just give up now??

Karenlee

In

[Mk2_Zephyr]

Locate his death, get certificate.

Why do you believe he wasn't a widower.

[karenlee]

Hi

Well, I did try that approach, but after having ordered about five death certificates for John WILLIAMS/John WILSON, none of which were the right ones, I wondered if there was an easier way.  Since I have no idea where the family ended up after about 1879, it does make it rather difficult.  I have 7 foolscap pages of possible John's from 1879 to 1900 alone.

Karen

[Mk2_Zephyr]

I would run with WILSON as a surname from Robert onwards.

Tho it might be williams on earlier stuff or the 1st marriage.

and why 1879 ?

Do you believe they moved overseas ?