20 YEARS YOUNGER

[treebuster]

On four occasions on both sides of my tree the men of the family have taken wives that have been 20 year younger than them selves after their first wife has died.
I was just wondering if this was common occurrence  IN THE 19C and if any one else seems to have this occurring in their family trees?

[LizzieW]

Not in my family.  My g.grandmother was 16+ years older than my g.grandfather and was widowed with 5 children when they met!

Liz

[wini]

I have two like that.
One in Sutherland and one in Skye.
Were yours in rural areas? One of the ladies was 32  and husband was 56,   they went on to have 6 children to add to another 6 by his first wife. His first wife  died 6 years after they married, she was probably worn out.
The other one was 18 and the husband was 47 with 4 children. I wonder if they just looked for someone to look after the children.

wini

[eilidh]

Hi,

I have an ancestor who had a 20 year affair two doors down ( and I mean two doors down). He had a couple of sprogs with the lady, and married her when his first wife died. He was then 69 years and she 47 years. 

If he was looking to have her look after him in his old age he was sadly mistaken, wife number two died nine years later and he ended up in the workhouse. 

Ah and who says family history is boring 

Helen   

[wini]

Helen,

He should just have moved her into the same house it would have been cheaper and it is hard to imagine that his wife didn't know about the Mistress.
Do you think the neighbours gossiped about him?

wini

[eilidh]

Hi Wini,

Oh yes wife number one must have known what was going on, as she turfed him out of the family home. His mistress was living with her family two houses down, so he couldnt move in there.

By 1881 wife number one was still living in the family home with two of their children, where she lists herself as head, married, William on the other hand is in lodgings, listing himself as single. 

When wife number one dies in 1889, William moves back into the family home, and his eldest daughter (of the first marriage) moves out prefering to live with married eldest brother.  The following year the couple marry and on 1891 census they are still living in the family home with their sprogs. William now listing them as his children.

When I obtained details of the burial plot I had a wee chuckle.  Old William was buried in the same plot as his first wife, in fact he was between her and the eldest daughter.

I bet they gave him curry 

Helen 

[treebuster]

I thought the reasons for mine was because their were still young children in the family though that proved me wrong!
I am trying to figure out if my great grandfather married three times instead of two.
On one occasion one of the childrens mother maiden name ended with a sean and the other with a lee although the children were born within two years of each other and both mothers elizabeth.
Each census he took ten years off himself....
One of my gt-grandmothers uncles married his first wife and then after she died he married a widow,think she had a bit of cash and then she died and he married a widow with out children and think she had a spare money although he didn'nt get to spend any of it he died soon after.
 

[wini]

Helen

I couldn't stop laughing.
What a complete schemozzle!!
I wonder what he had that was so alluring??
After his death and internment you have got to laugh instead of feeling sad for him
wini

[LizzieW]

My g.gran who already had 5 living children when she met g.grandad, then went on to have another 3 with g.grandad.  On the census she reduced her age so she was only about 9 years older than him and, very cleverly, she had a baby at the age of 52, when according to the census she was only 42!

When she died, however, g.grandad gave her correct age on her death certificate, so he must have known all along what her true age was! 

Liz

ps.  They lived in a City.