Mystery Game ... Sarah Ann WAKE, then Clark then Ridley

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi rupiezucki,

I have found the marriage entry which you have mentioned in post 1 that you do not have the full information - I am hoping this might be of some help in your research ..

St John, Birtley
Entry 261
Feb 1 1879
William Ridley & Sarah Ann Clark
His age 26
Her age 36
Bachelor
Spinster is crossed out and 'Widow' is written underneath.  Then underneath this is what looks like a lower case 'a' and either 'c' or 'b'.  I don't know what these two letters together might mean.
Residence for both: Brown's Buildings
William was a Coal Miner
Fathers:
Robert Ridley - Coal Miner
John Wake - GlassMaker
Witnesses: William Dickinson & (Possibly 'Henry'?) Charlton
Bride and witnesses signed.  Groom William signed with his mark.
By Banns

Age of Sarah would seem to indicate she was born around 1843.  Then again people sometimes adjusted their ages to suit in the old days.

[rupiezucki]

Thank you for this River Tyne Lass!

I'm not familiar with the format of the Parish entries.  Would it have indicated whether the fathers were deceased (as it does on the civil reg)?

Thanks!
Rupiezucki

[River Tyne Lass]

Glad to have been able to contribute.

The parish record did not indicate that the 'Fathers' were deceased.  I think the person who was recording would have only written what they were told.  So it might seem that a Father might still be alive even though he was deceased.  I have also come across cases where the Father has been written as deceased even though this was not the case in reality.

[rupiezucki]

If anyone is still following this, here is what I think, but cannot prove.  I would appreciate any thoughts you might have as to how I could prove this.  I guess the first step is for someone to remind me if there is any way to view the registers without actually buying certificates, just in case I am wrong.

Mar 1859 • Stockton, Durham
Stockton vol 10a p 91 Sarah WAKE to Joseph HALL

Sarah WAKE marries Joseph William HALL b. ca. 1835, Ferryhill, Durham. 

Joseph William HALL dies.  Died 15 Jun 1860, Ferryhill.  Buried 18 Jun 1860, Stockton on Tees


16 Dec 1860 • St. Margaret'S, Durham, Durham, England
Dec 1860 Durham vol 10a p 335 Sarah HALL to John CLARK

I can't find them on the 1861 census. 

Birth of son William Henry Clark (1861–1862) mmn: Wake
Dec 1861 • Chester-le Street, Durham, England

Death of son William Henry Clark (1861–1862) aad: 1
Dec 1862 • Easington, Co Durham.

This is where it gets interesting.  Without knowing more about John Clark, I can't find a suitable death reg for him by the time she takes up with Robert Ridley.  I suspect she was not free to marry him, because John Clark was still alive.  By the time she married William, he had died and she was free to marry, as Sarah Clark.

So, where do I go from here?

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far!
Shermy