A little mystery from the Census

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

Out of curiosity, I searched my grandmothers name, not really expecting to find her as I thought she would be too young. But she was born 1920. Fortunately an unusual surname in a small town!
I also managed to find my grandfather, more of surprise as a common surname and first name.

Decided to see what else there was...

According to my father, his parents married after WW2. But there is a marriage record for them both in 1942.

But the bigger mystery... the 1939 register. There is no record of her under her birth name. But there is a woman listed as her married name, with her birth surname in brackets.

My guess is they actually married a lot earlier than my dad and uncle believe. Maybe they had a 'wedding' post war.

But the 1939 register... if this is my grandmother, what would you presume? Living with my grandfather unmarried? (They would have been 19 and 26 then, so would need permission to marry i believe?)

They perhaps lied. Or maybe she said that she was Jane Jones, also known as Jane Smith.

Have you looked for their marriage on the Free BMD site?

1939 register has subsequent names added

Looks like they definitely legally married in December 1942. Why they are believed by family to have married post war will have to remain a mystery I suppose. Mining family, so not an emergency wedding before he left.

Good to know about subsequent names added to 1939 register @LIZS.

If names in the census are self reported perhaps they lived together, unmarried.

Yes the register was updated with women's married names for a surprisingly long time after 1939. The index is done on the most recent surname and previous names are in brackets.

Yup, no idea why they added married names to the 1939 register but it's REALLY useful!!

Could it be that they had a quiet marriage during the war and then a party after - and everyone remembers the party?

They used it as part of the NHS Records I think which is why they updated it

The sad thing is there's no one to ask. As far as my father knew, his parents married after the war. He was born in 1949. He has numerous cousins (he had about 20 aunts and uncles apparently, including ones from his grandfathers other family...) but hasn't seen them in years.

Rationing went on until the mid 1950's I have presumed the married names being added might be something to do with issuing ration books. My parents married 1953 when rationing was still on and Mum's married name has been added to the 1939 record.

Do you think our descendants will be pondering stuff about us in 100 years time? I'm not on the 2011 Census, nor is DH. (Although DDs birth certificate will solve that mystery!)

@MarshmallowFondant

Yup, no idea why they added married names to the 1939 register but it's REALLY useful!!

Could it be that they had a quiet marriage during the war and then a party after - and everyone remembers the party?

The 1939 register was used by the NHS from 1948 onwards, hence updating women’s surnames when they got married.

The 1931 census was destroyed in a fire during WW2 and there was no 1941 census.

A friend of mine got married in a registry office just before he went to Afghanistan. They then had a 'wedding' the following year.

The reason for doing it this way was because it made her next of kin so gave her legal protection if anything happened to him. Mainly to do with pension and other financial arrangements and to be the first informed etc etc.

Lots of people married their sweethearts in the midst of the war just before they left for years to fight. Whilst they were apart many met other people so you get a bunch of divorces straight after the war from that or from couples who find that its just not the same post war (helped by new easier ways to divorce and a wider acceptance of divorce)

So i dont think theres any real great mystery here. They probably married the day before he left for war in a rush but didn't start married life and living together until he was released from the army. Which would be why it would be believed that they were only married post war.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Do you think our descendants will be pondering stuff about us in 100 years time? I'm not on the 2011 Census, nor is DH. (Although DDs birth certificate will solve that mystery!)

How come neither of you are on the 2011 census and how will your DD's birth cert solve the mystery? Sorry for being nosy, I'm intrigued!

@IsDaveThere living abroad, but as DH was a government employee DD has a British birth certificate. Rather boring really.

@RedToothBrush my grandfather was a miner and continued working at the local pit throughout the war. I suppose he could have been trying to join up to see something beyond the village... He would have been 29 by then.