John L McDermott- bigamy?

[izzyg]

Evening all, a bit rusty on protocol on here, so apologies if i get it wrong!
Have just found out that my Grandfather John L McDermott may have been a bigamist. He married my grandmother Vivien Hall in Westminster in 1944, then appears to have married a Hazel Hamlin in 1949, having changed his name to Crowder. However, the 2nd marriage shows up in the records under BOTH surnames! There is possible a 3rd marriage in 1953 to a Hetty Scholnick too. The only child i can find for definate is my mother (deceased), although there may be aunties and uncles out there somewhere. Its a shame as he was a decorated war hero, but other than this info, i know nothing about him, not even where or when he was born - any ideas people? Thankyou

[dawnsh]

Hi izzyg

Before you go any further I think you should invest in the 3 marriage certificates (£9.25 each from the General Register Office at Southport) to make sure, as much as you can, that they are the same man. The certicates will also show his declared marital status at the time of each marriage. Of course, if it is the same man the status may not be accurate.

You should also check for the deaths of the Mrs's McDermotts.

Dawn

[Daisypetal]

Hi,

Welcome to RootsChat


I wonder if John and Hazel got divorced becauses it looks like Hazel also remarried. I have sent you a PM with the info because some of the details are quite recent, around 1950-2003.


Unfortunately very few divorce records for this time, see this help page for further info,

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/divorce-after-1858.htm



It's also possible that he was divorced from Viven HALL, but I'm having trouble finding any definite info about her after the 1944 marriage. Do you have any further info about her, did she remarry?



I have a case in my family tree where a lady's marriage is registered in two names as she was born illegitimately but then used her stepfather's name, her marriage is registered in both her birth and stepfather's surname.


Regards,
Daisy

[dawnsh]

May I remind people about the 'no living people' policy here on Rootschat. We also suggest not posting about people who have recently died as well.

These events on this topic are considered recent and could cause hurt and distress if found by other surfing the internet.

Further information about this topic should be exchanged on the personal message system.

Dawn

[Daisypetal]

Hi,

I'm sorry about putting the death dates, I know the rule about no details for living people, that's actually why I showed that Hazel and John had died.

I've seen other 20th century marriages, and deaths up to 2005 mentioned in other posts but would appreciate your input as to how recent you think marriages and deaths can be shown.

I will amend my post and send a PM to izzyg with the info as the last thing I would want to do is upset or cause distress to anyone.

Regards,
Daisy

[dawnsh]

Hi Daisy

I think each post has to be reviewed in it's own context.

Where recent events can be found on freebmd which is available to all, a link should be posted to the freebmd search page.

(Not everyone has a subscription to other sites which have information not yet available for free)

My concern was in izzyg's 2nd sentence and the marital situation of her grandfather.

I try to put myself in someone else's shoes. If her assumption is incorrect and living members of this family come across this topic using a search engine, they could be hurt, angry or upset.

Likewise with a recent death. Looking at an index does not show the circumstances of the death. We all hope that the final moments would have been peaceful & painfree, but the anguish of seeing a loved one die and then to be reminded of it in a post by someone unrelated, again can cause hurt & upset and could be seen as an invasion of the privacy of the bereaved.

In this case it is helpful to send the information by pm but let everyone else know in a post that it has been sent to save duplication of effort.

The posts here on Rootschat are picked up by google within about 3 minutes of you hitting the send button. Once out there, it is almost impossible to retract them.

There is more guidance here

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,142443.0.html

Dawn

[izzyg]

Hi, apologies if i broke the rules, but i was not aware that any of them, apart from my grandmother, were still alive - as far as i am aware they are all deceased, and that includes both of my natural parents. Izzy