Genealogy Chat

linking to question about bigamy was divorce common in the 30's? my great grandma had my grandma in 1936 but then he went on to have a son in 1942 with a different woman. She was 35 when she had her, which strikes me as an older mum for those times maybe? I thought it might be possible that she had died during or after child birth sue to complications, but yet to find a death certificate? I dont know. the second lady who gave him his son was only 27 and 14 years his junior. At least one thing doesnt seem to have changed much through the years, we all seem to like older men Hahaa!?!

I don't think it was common to the extent that divorce proceeding were often reported in the newspaper. The 2nd World War did add a lot of stress to marriages. We know of someone who was captured at Dunkirk and who returned in 1945 to a wife and 2 children under the age of 5! Despite this, he couldn't get a divorce and ended up living 'in sin' with my great aunt.

thank you John

My Great Uncle was never mentioned in our family and any questioning resulted in a tight-lipped silence. I smelled a family scandal but couldnt get to the bottom of it. Poor old Great Uncle was divorced in the 1930s - his wife was a bit of a goer and there was a very public and messy divorce (she saying he wasnt up to it, that's why she had to go elsewhere). It is difficult to imagine today the deep shame this caused, and the outrage in my family caused by the very public washing of dirty linen. Knowing my elder relatives they would have thought he should have stuck it out, death before dishonour and all that! Olde Crone

first - divorce was still quite difficult before about the 1960's, but not impossible. It was however quite expensive. I have a divorce in the mid 1920's, but then the guy was quite wealthy! It does say 'previous marriage dissolved' on his second marriage certificate. Its still possible of course that his first wife died, but you haven't managed to find the death - out of the expected area, or her name has been mistranscribed etc etc. I think its more likely that the couple chose to live together without legalising it, or sometimes married bigamously, if they thought they could get away with it. Second - lots of women had babies in their 40's. I've plenty of examples in my tree of women having children at regular intervals from their early twenties up until their early forties. It became more 'unusual' after about the 1920's when contraception was more freely available. But plenty of women had babies in their early 40's in the 1960s & 1970s, without the need for assisted conception. I think it would be fairly unusual for a FIRST baby at that age, but not impossible.

My GGM didnt marry until she was 39 and then had a child a year until she was 46! Olde Crone

I'd say that 35 isn't particularly old either then or now. Most of my female relatives had babies every 18 months to 2 years from the time they married until their mid-40s or until they died, whichever came first. nell

Well I have just discovered that my great grandfather got divorced sometime before 1919, when he remarried to my grandmother. His cert says previously married to such and such from whom he obtained a divorce. I will be at some point ordering the divorce details, as I was very surprised until I saw on here that these could be obtained. We have a nun in the family and I thought she would be horrified but found she was actually quite tickled by a bit of scandal!

we have the divorce papers for a distant cousin. He was divorced in 1930's for adultery and wasn't at all wealthy. Mind you , he was an actor, it seemed quite common for that profession.

My nan divorced my grandad in the 1940's. I have no other details. I would like to find more out but have no idea where to start. I never knew my grandad and my mum never saw her dad again from the age of 11. My nan remarried in 1948. I think there was a 7 year wait then too??

Doeas anyone know how to go about getting Divorce papers for the late 1920s-1930s thanks

There's a leaflet on the nat.archives webiste, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=53 which gives info on where/how to get your records. This thread from a few weeks ago is also useful - cant put the address in it won't let me, but search for a thread with this title : Help-How do I check for divorce.

Can I just say that I didnt mean to offend anybody about my relative being 35/36 when she had her baby. I just know that the health risks to both mum and baby increase after 35 years and although medical science has a helping hand these days, Im sure it wasn't as good back in the 1930's and there seems to be a fair few women around then who died of pre-eclampsia or birth/pregnancy related issues. Sorry again Cant help it, seem to be from a long line of women who like older me and have babies in their early twenties Sorry sorry sorry

You don't need to apologise - I wasn't offended, just concerned that you might be dismissing this person as right because of her age. You are correct, maternal and infant mortality was much higher then, but lots of women survived otherwise many of us (including me) wouldn't be here today! nell

thats true, if her/baby hadnt survived then I wouldnt have been here either :)

I think Ive learnt not to assume that people got married as I cant find any marriage certs for any of my lot Although I cant really talk as me and my other half are living over t'brush as they say round ere

bumping