Find Ancestors

I have my grandparents wedding cert and it states my grandfather is a widower.
How can I find his 1st wife?
My grandfathers details are;
Born 28th feb 1897 Islington
Married my grandmother 11th August 1945 Croydon
Died 18th march 1966 croydon

Any advice would be great xx

Do you know if he had any children by his first marriage - if so, their birth cert. would give their mother's maiden name.
Liz

Sorry, his name was Harry Burt, my grandmothers name was Stella Burt (formally Lally) xx

Thank you Liz for your reply...... I know nothing of any children as only just realized he was a widower xx

2 previous marriages of Harry Burt in Croydon:

Marriages Sep 1922 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burt Harry Fitches Croydon 2a 833
FITCHES Norah A Burt Croydon 2a 833

Marriages Jun 1927 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burt Harry Sullivan Croydon 2a 909
SULLIVAN Kitty Burt Croydon 2a 909

3 Burt births in Croydon with mother's maiden name Fitches:

Births Mar 1923 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burt Harry J Fitches Croydon 2a 605

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1929 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burt Barbara N F Fitches Croydon 2a 588

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1933 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burt Kenneth Fitches Croydon 2a 608

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your posts, I also know Harry's parents names......George Burt and Mary Burt (formally Allen) would this help me ascertain which one is correct xx

If you buy the marriage certificates they should have his Father's name on them.

Who witnessed the 1945 marriage?

Death
Name: BURT, Nora Alice
Registration district: Bromley
County: Kent
Year of registration: 1988
Month of registration: January
Date of Birth:26 December 1899
Volume no: 11
Page no: 986
Reg no: 188

Thank you Reggie for your posts......your last one has freaked me out a bit as if it is the same Alice this would imply that she never actually died when my grandfather married my nan!!! I hear this was quite common back then?? I will order the wedding cert and work from there I guess xx

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about George Burt
Name: George Burt CARMAN**********************
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866
Age: 20
Spouse Name: Mary Ann Allen
Spouse Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 26 Sep 1886
Parish: Islington St John the Baptist
Borough: Islington
Father Name: George William Burt BAKER********
Spouse Father Name: Charles Allen CARMAN*********
Register Type: Parish Register

Addresses his 13 Halifax St and hers 34 Halifax St.

Witnesses Thomas Burt and Elizabeth Burt.

That was only one possible entry - for the wife from the 1922 marriage

There is also the 1927 marriage to consider.

You didn't answer the question about witnesses..........

I would hardly think that bigamy was 'common' in the 1940's..............that would possibly have been the case a century earlier, when divorce was unattainable for the majority of the population

You should try 'search all trees'

Norah is in one member's tree.

..................get in touch.............and find out what she knows

You must also consider that his first marriage could have taken place virtually anywhere................

Try looking for info yourself on freebmd.............

I now have the death cert for Harry Burt and Norah Fitches and it looks like this is not the marriage I was looking for :(
It may look like he never actually married in Croydon.......???
Any advice on how I can find his previous marriage before marrying my nan would be most grateful as I feel I am stuck now.
Info I have on him is....
Harry Burt born 28th Feb 1897 Islington London
Married my nan on 11th Aug 1945 (Stella Lally was my Nan's name)
And he died on 18th March 1966

So...... Somewhere between 1897 and 1945 he was married, have spoken with my uncle who says he knows Harry had a son with his first wife possible name "Pat"

Will be soooooo graceful for any advice xx

I also know that when he married my nan he was living at 29 Bensham Manor Road,Thornton Heath, Surrey

Cannot see a marriage to 'Pat' or to anyone with P as a middle initial.

Name of son?

Any more information from the uncle?

Sorry didn't explain it clearly....... He Had a child with his previous wife and the child's name was possibly Pat (not the wife) ....... Many thanks for your post, any further advice would be much appreciated x

I did wonder if it was the son who was Pat.

So, presumably Patrick?

Have you looked for births on free bmd?

As the second marriage was in 1947, but your uncle is aware of 'Pat', any idea of age - had he left home by 1947 so born prior to 1930 as an example?