Ohio marriage mystery - Esther Hilger and three husbands

[gazania]

I am new to researching US records and have been asked by a friend for help.   Here is a Timeline for our problem:

 6 Mar 1901    George Sayre marries  Esther F Hilger  Quaker City, Guernsey, Ohio
30 Dec 1901   George Sayre marries  Nancy J Gilligher      as above

18 Aug 1902  Mrs Esther Sayre(s) marries John Tomkinson  Madison, Ohio
1910 census Chicago:  Esther Thompkinson is divorced, 3 kids named Thompkinson, mother living with her. 

(Sooner after Esther T marries again, which is not relevant to the problem as she says she is divorced on census)

The information comes from copies of original Ohio Court marriage records found on Familysearch.  The information on the records, despite some minor spelling differences, identifies the same people in each case.

Our confusion is how the same George Sayre can marry twice in one year and Esther marries as Mrs Sayre 8 months later.  The records in each case does not make clear what their previous marital state was.

Are we missing something or is it one of those things that just happen. Thank you, Gazania

[gazania]

Wait there's more. There is a possibly 4 marriages:

22 Jan 1908 Esther marries Mr B in Cuyahoga Co, Ohio, both saying previous spouse had died.  This is before the 1910 census, Chicago, listed above where she is calling herself & 3 kids by Thompkinson, husband #2 .

1915  Chicago death records: Esther Clark (Esther Hilger) dies aged 32.

I have not given the full but unusual name for Mr B in case children by this marriage are still alive.

[Billyblue]

A couple of suggestions...

1) If Esther was only 32 when she died in 1915, she would have been only 18 in 1901 and may have married without parent consent etc (presuming in the US at that time, one needed parental consent under 21).   The marriage could have on those grounds been annulled.  Yes I know she called herself Mrs Sayre(s) on second marriage, but that may have been to 'save face' etc.

2) Esther and George Sayre may have very quickly discovered they were not compatible and got divorced.  Not sure how long it took in those days.  Or, given that George married someone else almost 10 months after he married Esther, the divorce could have been on grounds of adultery which I understand got a quicker divorce than 'irreconcilable differences'

In either case (if either happened, or similar), there would be no bar to George marrying a second wife almost 10 months after his first marriage.

These are just general suggestions as I'm not sure of marriage legalities in USA in early 1900s.

Be interesting to know what Esther died from at such an early age.

Dawn M

[Erato]

I'm getting confused.  Where did Esther pick up the Clark surname?

[Billyblue]

Maybe there was a 5th marriage?          

Dawn M

[gazania]

Thanks for the thoughts.  We are still working on finding the marriage to Mr Clark.  Name on death records has Esther Clark with Esther Hilger in brackets.  No details of cause of death yet found.

Dawn:
         As my mother said about Elizabeth Taylor: at least she married them.

[Billyblue]

Thanks for the thoughts.  We are still working on finding the marriage to Mr Clark.  Name on death records has Esther Clark with Esther Hilger in brackets.  No details of cause of death yet found.
Dawn:
         As my mother said about Elizabeth Taylor: at least she married them.

Well she sure was busy to have managed all that by age 32!       
Dawn M

[shellyesq]

I found a newspaper article in the Coshocton Tribune from 16 Sep. 1926 about an Elizabeth Jane Sayre filing for divorce from George W. Sayre.  It says they married 30 Dec. 1901 in Quaker City and had 4 children.  Elizabeth alleged gross neglect and extreme cruelty.

[gazania]

Thank you for the information about the divorce, shellyesq.  We are gradually gathering more pieces of information from available records.  Esther was a minor at her first marriage and the marriage was probably dissolved before both moved onto their second.  Our problem has been accepting such a short time period without the knowing any divorce details. Husband#2 was an older man, widowed with children and died not long after marriage to Esther.  Perhaps Esther was just unlucky in love.

Thanks again, Gazania