Hallaluya!

[lennon2011]

I've finally worked out the Thomas connection for definate.

Evan Thomas was a bigamist and thats why he and Mary Chapman never got married!

In the 1870 census Evan has moved to Stockton-on-tees with 3 of his children, Evan James, William & Tudor and it was the Tudor connection that gave me the information. I found a 1860 Wales census for an Evan Thomas, Mariah & 3 children. Evan James, William & Eliza Ann. Living with them was a Tudor Morgan so I followed that Tudor Morgan and in 1881 the younger Tudor Thomas is living with the older at age 15 and listed as nephew.

The next census is 1901 and the older Tudor has died but the younger is still living with the older's wife Rachel and the child that was in the other census is still with them listed as Niece- different surname.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...26pgplz0q3dpid 1861



http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...26pgplz0q3dpid 1871

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...=try&h=5472137 1881

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...&rhSource=8059 1901

[Janet in Yorkshire]

"Evan Thomas was a bigamist and thats why he and Mary Chapman never got married!" ...................... .. ............. I'm a bit lost! Was he a bigamist (someone who marries a third party whilst already having a living spouse and so breaks the law) or was he a philanderer (living with someone as man and wife) which may have been regarded as morally wrong, but wasn't illegal?

[lennon2011]

Err I never knew that there was a difference lol. In every census with Mary Chapman it states that they are married but there's no record of a marraige at all. I'm starting to think that the first wife may have died with the Daughter.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

No cause to think the first wife had died,Lennon - if she had, there was nothing to stop him marrying Mary as it would been legal for them to do so. The fact that they didn't marry supports the theory that he already had a wife, who was still living. Setting up house together as man and wife wasn't against the law - but neither did it make you a bigamist. A bigamist had to be married to more than one person at the same time. I wasn't sure whether your man had married twice, if not, he wasn't a bigamist.

[lennon2011]

As I said we havent found any record of a marraige but all the children barring Alfred are listed as Thomas and I do know that she is buried under Thomas in grave U63V, Oxbridge Lane Cemetery.