Single or married

[Helina]

In 1891 Thomas George Hedges born 1870 Bristol married Alice Kate Skinner, it looks like Alice died in 1937.  Now according to the 1939 registration Thomas is single, checked original and it states S.  Is there a reason for this?

helina

[Helina]

To make matters worse it looks like he married somebody else in 1833, could we be talking of bigamy here.

helina

[BillyF]

Do you mean 1933 ? !!

[Helina]

Sorry yes 1937

helina

[rosie99]

If Alice Kate had died in 1937 then perhaps he considered himself single. 

Are you sure that it was not Thomas G Hedges born in 1903 that married in 1933
Births Jun qtr 1903   
Thomas George Hedges       
Bristol    6a   108

[Helina]

Yes Rosie that could be.  So he was not a bigamist thankfully.

helina

[pharmaT]

To some being single just meant free to marry.  If he was a widower he wold then be free to marry.

[Helina]

Well he died in 1948 so he had a few years to remarry or just being free who knows.

helina

[Helina]

The same family, son Thomas George married Florence May Hancock in 1918, they had 8 children between 1915-1927.  Only the eldest Thomas E survived and married, the others all died as babies, one might of been stillborn.  Realise that these things happened and going back further this was quite common with children who died young. But I find it very upsetting it happened less than a hundred years ago and one baby after another.  How did the mother cope

helina