Which marriage?

[mezentia]

I've an ancestor, George Anderson,  that I know was married twice as he's down as a widower on his marriage certificate to his second wife, Alice Foster, who he married in Ripon in Dec 1880. According to the 1871 census, he's living in Manchester, unmarried, as an apprentice currier to his uncle Frederick Hullah. He would have been 21 in 1876. Now there's bucketloads of George Anderson marriages for the period 1871 to 1880, including two in Manchester, plus several for the surrounding area. If I want to get a certificate for his first marriage, how can I be sure which is the right marriage to ask for? Are there any techniques for eliminating the "wrong" Georges? What does the GRO reference checking actually do, and how does one go about using it? The only other information I can add is George's father's name and occupation: Henry Anderson, Pipe Maker (Tobacco pipes).

TIA

David

[Necromancer]

You can indeed make it conditional on Fathers name - not sure about occupation tho ....

try some practice on the GRO site - click 'Reference Checking' and read the notes ..... you can always abort before the end ...