KATHERINE COBB is an AGRA member. She shares her top tips on page 17
EMMA JOLLY is a genealogist based in Edinburgh and a member of AGRA
ANTONY MARR is a former deputy registrar and the chair of AGRA
CHRIS PATON is a genealogist and author, and blogs at scottishgenes.blogspot.com
JAYNE SHRIMPTON is a professional dress historian and portrait specialist
ALAN STEWART is a family history writer, and author of Grow Your Own Family Tree
PHIL TOMASELLI is a military family history expert, and wrote Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors
Why can’t I find Susan Jordan’s first marriage?
Q My great grandfather, Robert Long, who was a widower, married Susan Jordan, a widow, on 17 September 1882. The marriage took place at All Saints, Newington (Walworth). On their wedding certificate, it records Susan’s father as being called James Manley. I assume this means that Manley was her maiden name. However, I haven’t been able to trace a marriage record for Susan and her previous spouse.
Philip Long
It was possible that Susan at just 21 had been widowed twice
When trying to overcome a brick wall, all possibilities (however unlikely) should be explored. As it was possible, if improbable, that Susan at just 21 had been widowed twice, I searched the General Register Office (GRO) indexes () for Susan
