Apologies if this message is received by you twice but I have had messages bouncing from the DUR-NBL list address over the past few days, even the Rootsweb help desk address bounced back at me. I am re-sending one or two messages to the list just in case they are of interest to anyone. Below is the text of one of these messages. Jenny DeAngelis. HI Sherry, I had a similar situation to Alison has in that one of my Gt. Grandmother married 3 times . She was born HETHERINGTON in Allendale Northumberland, married a CLEMENTSON and had 2 children by him, he died probably from lead poisoning as he was a lead miner. She then married another lead miner called STOBBS and had a further two children. Stobbs died and she married for the 3rd time to my Gt. Grandfather HIRST and they had just one child who was my grandmother. I have copies of all 3 marraige entries for my Gt. Grandmother each of which confirms it is the same person in each marriage. The birth certificate for my grandmother only shows her mother with the surname Hirst and not her former names, neither her married names nor maiden name. I only found out about her earlier marriages because I found her in the 1881 census with all 5 of her children, 2 Clementsons, 2 Stobbs as well as my grandma Hirst,living at West Hartlepool. I discovered this muddled family when I first began researching my family hisotry and being new to this hobby and not knowing anything about my family's past, I wondered what on earth was going on. So I traced those 4 earlier children back to their baptisms in Allendale and found the parents marriages and fathers deaths. Women left widowed with children would often re-marry fairly quickly, the need for someone to support her and her children often the most important reason for the re-marriage. If I were you I would try to find the mother in the census with her former husbands and also look to see if she has any children from that earlier marriage, as Alison says, she could have been married a further time so keep an eye open for children with yet another surname. Get copies of the marraige cert. for the marriage of Isabella Musgrove to Mr. Harrison, then the cert. for the marraige of Isabella Harrison to Mr. Perry. You don't give any sort of time frame for the birth certificate you have showing Isabella and her surnames, which makes it very difficult for the rest of us to be of much help. If you post a few dates and details of where you have Isabella born or living at any time it will help the rest of us to maybe pin her down if you need us to help in that way. Regards Jenny DeAngelis. Spain. Sherry wrote:- >> I ordered a birth certificate and for the mother this is stated for her >> name >> Isabella Perry >> late Harrison >> formerly Musgrove > Alison wrote in reply:- > This means that Isabella was born Isabella Musgrove then married Mr > Harrison and then married Mr Perry. > It could be that Mr Harrison died or they were divorced. > I have a birth certificate that states the mother was Mary Nicholson > formerly Elliott. However, I know for sure that she married a Mr Wright > before she married Mr Nicholson and she may also have married a Mr Jackson > before that! So beware that sometimes some of a woman's married names can > be missed off the certificate.