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My father, Albert Henry James Turner married a number of times and I've been able to trace most of them but have come to a full stop on his second marriage. His second wife was Mary Elizabeth Wiggins born around 1918. I have his marriage certificate but cant find what happened to her. They were married in Croydon on 23rd July 1949. Does anyone know anything about her or have any suggestion how I can find out more please?

Who does she give for her dad on the marriage cert ?

Do you know when they divorced as there are several possibly births for their surname combination

She could be any of these, most likely the Kingston one:

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page

Births Mar 1916
Wiggins Mary E Trew Hackney 1b 684

Births Mar 1918
Wiggins Mary E Selwood Kingston 2a 607

Births Sep 1920
Wiggins Mary E Molden Abingdon 2c 616

Her exact date of birth could be useful for tracing a death.

Thank you all for your prompt replies! Mary Wiggins' mother I think was Mary Ann Wiggins (signature on the marriage certificate) and her father was Walter William Wiggins reported as deceased. She definitely wasn't a Selwood - have checked that one out. She could have been a Trew but her marriage certificate says she was 31 in July 1949 which makes 1918 more likely. But of course there could be an error in the records. I cant find a death at all though I do know he married again in 1973. At that marriage he said previous marriage dissolved but on his marriage to Mary Wiggins he said he was a widower even though I know he was divorced! Why my father had to lead such a complicated life I have no idea - except that judging by the number of times he was in and out of the armed forces he probably was institutionalised from his time in an orphanage so I don't criticise him for it.

There was a marriage record for a Walter William Wiggins which included a Mary Ann Trew

England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915

Name: Walter William Wiggins
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1898
Registration district: Hackney
Inferred County: London
Volume Number: 1b
Page Number: 1010

Records on Page:
Name
Sarah Louisa Gerrard
Charles Watson Lock
Mary Ann Trew
Walter William Wiggins

ADDED:

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921

Name: Walter William Wiggins, a carman of 92 Graham Road, Dalston
Estimated birth year: abt 1872
Age: 26
Spouse Name: Mary Ann Trew, of 56 Halidow Street
Spouse Age: 25
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 30 Jul 1898
Parish: Hackney St John
Borough: Hackney
Father Name: George Wiggins - labourer
Spouse Father: John Francis Trew - cabinet maker
Register Type: Parish Register

Neither previously married.

Witnesses: Arthur E Gillard & Alice Trew.

It seems to fit:

England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name: Walter William Wiggins
Gender: Male
Baptism Date: 6 Sep 1873
Baptism Place: Bredon,Worcester,England
Father: George Wiggins
Mother: Fanny Matilda
FHL Film Number: 352012, 352013

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Walter W Wiggins
Birth Date: abt 1872
Date of Registration: Jun 1931
Age at Death: 59
Registration district: Hackney
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1b
Page: 364

Lesley, who were the witnesses on the 1949 marriage?

Gosh - you've done so much work for me - thank you so much. You obviously find your way about a lot better than me! The witnesses were Mary Ann Wiggins & Alexander Tait. Mary Wiggins was living at 44 Cedar Road, East Croydon.

Right, got something to work back from!

Her mother's probate:

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
Name: Mary Ann Wiggins
Probate Date: 16 Mar 1953
Death Date: 22 Feb 1953
Death Place: Surrey, England
Registry: London, England

She was a widow, of 44 Cedar Road East Croydon. Administration granted to Walter William Wiggins, book keeper. Effects £626 14s 1d

So that must be a son named after his father and therefore a brother of Mary E.

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Mary A Wiggins
Birth Date: abt 1873
Date of Registration: Mar 1953
Age at Death: 80
Registration district: Croydon
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 5g
Page: 131

This 1911 seems to tie them all together:

1911 England Census

Name: William Walter Wiggins
Age in 1911: 38
Estimated birth year: abt 1873
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Bredon, Worcestershire
Civil Parish: East Ham
County/Island: Essex
Country: England
Street address: 17 Wordsworth Avenue, Manor Park, E

Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Fish Porter Billings Gate

Registration district: West Ham
Registration District Number: 188
Sub-registration district: North East Ham
ED, institution, or vessel: 17
Household schedule number: 326
Piece: 9573

Household Members:
Name Age
William Walter Wiggins 38
Mary Ann Wiggins 38
William Walter Wiggins 10 - the son on the probate?
Lilian Matilda Wiggins 5
Grace Alice Wiggins 3
Nellie Catherine Wiggins 1
Mrs Trew 58 - mother in law

The 1916 birth seems to be the correct one. Ages on marriage certificates aren't 100% reliable. For whatever reason, she wouldn't be the first lady to knock a couple of years off her age.

Ordering her birth certificate would give her actual date of birth to try a search of deaths by that and her first names in case she remarried or took someone else's name.

Goodness me - it will take me some time to get my head around all that - thank you so much. I will definitely send for a birth certificate tomorrow!