Normally if a man was a widower then the subsequent marriage certificate should state that he was a Widower not a bachelor. As far as I am aware if the father of one of the parties to a marraige was deceased then that should be shown along with the fathers name, in the father's name column not occupation column. But it doesn't always do so because sometimes, it would seem, the incumbent didn't ask whether both father's were living or not, so it would not necessarily be written on the certificate. The father's occupation should appear in it's proper column whether the father was alive or deceased. You say the bride's father never appears in any of the census after her birth, perhaps he was a mariner and was at sea for each census. From 1861 men at sea or in British or foreign ports were included in the census and the online version of the 1861 at Ancestry includes the ships at sea returns. With the 1871, 81, 91 and 1901 census it sometimes helps, if you are looking for a mariner at sea, if you put in the persons details but leave the abode boxes blank and add a Keyword of just the word Vessels, you can sometimes turn up a man on board a ship in this way. But if the bride's father was not a mariner then I can't explain why he was not in the census, unless he is there with his name mis-transcribed or something. Could he have been at work down a coal mine instead of at home in bed at midnight on census night? Perhaps you are putting a place name for where you think he should have been in the census, try leaving out that place name and only perhaps put in the county name and see what happens. It could also be that you have the wrong certificate altogether for the pair you are intersted in. You don't give any names so it is difficult to know if you are speaking about common names or not. Regards Jenny DeAngelis. Spain. I have 2 questions concerning an 1874 marriage certificate I just received and I hope someone may be able to help me. First, the groom is listed as a bachelor and I am almost certain that he was married in 1869 to someone else, had a child and then the wife died. Would it be unusual to be listed as a bachelor if he was a widower? Secondly, if the father of the bride were deceased, would it say "deceased" under father's profession, or would it list his occupation when he was living? I am almost positve her father died soon after she was born as he did not appear in any subsequent censuses. Would different parishes/ministers do things differently or were there strict guide lines? Any insight to these questions would be greatly appreciated. Kelly in Canada