Marriage license information query

[mikebrunger]

I have an ancestor Thomas Ley (Lye) who married Martha Benger on Nov 23rd 1839 in Wiltshire. On the copy of the marriage certificate I have just received it shows his father's name was John Wells. Does this mean he was illegitimate? Could he have taken his mother's surname instead?

[philipsearching]

Greetings.

There are various possibilities:

John Wells died and his widow married Mr Ley.  Young Thomas took the Ley surname.

Mr Ley died and his widow married John Wells -who was noted as Thomas' father but was really his stepfather.

Thomas was illegitimate.

You need to look at parish records to find out when and where any Ley/Wells marriages may have occurred.  Also, if you find John on censuses from 1851 onwards it would give a clue as to when and where he was born.

If you let us know the place where Thomas and Martha married there are Rootschatters willing and eager to help in the search.

Philip

UPDATE - familysearch shows Thomas Ley and Martha Benger married on 23 Nov 1839 at Marden, Wiltshire.

[ciderdrinker]

Hi
Likely baptism at Chirton
Thomas Lye son of Elizabeth Lye 23.7.1815
Got sibling
Charles 31.10.1811

So does look illegitimate but not yet traced Elizabeth Lye
No it looks like Elizabeth married Thomas Box at Chirton 4.12.1820

Ciderdrinker

[mazi]

Not much help but eliz. (That's how it's spelled). Lye married Thos Box in chirton 4 Dec 1820.

From familysearch

[philipsearching]

Hi
Likely baptism at Chirton
Thomas Lye son of Elizabeth Lye 23.7.1815
Got sibling
Charles 31.10.1811

So does look illegitimate but not yet traced Elizabeth Lye
No it looks like Elizabeth married Thomas Box at Chirton 4.12.1820

Ciderdrinker

Cracking find!  So it could be worth posting on the Wiltshire board http://www.rootschat.com/forum/wiltshire-lookup-requests/ to see if anyone is passing the Wiltshire Family History Centre in Chippenham or has access to images of the register.  Maybe Thomas was illegitimate but a "reputed father" was named.

[mazi]

An Elizabeth born to Thos box in chirton, mother is now calling herself Betty

Mike

[LizzieL]

1851 census has Thomas Lye b Chirton Wilts abt 1815 with Martha his wife b Marden abt 1817 and several children. The family is in Chirton, so a good match for the baptism found.

[LizzieL]

Looking at the Wiltshire opc site for Chirton baptisms, there was a John Wells contemporary with Elizabeth Lye. John and his wife Phebe were baptising children from the early 1800s up to 1815 the same year as Thomas's birth. So who knows, there may have been an extramarital affair...

[LizzieL]

A reference here to John Wells.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol10/pp60-71