Hi Sarah and Andrew Just to clarify - the certificate would not say 'nee'. If she was a widow of a Mr Thomas, it would say 'LATE Thomas, FORMERLY (whatever her maiden name was)'. Spinster on a certificate definitely should mean she had not been previously married (although it's possible that she could have lied about that - I've had men claiming to be bachelors when they were widowers!). Joss > >Hi Andrew, >Giving her the benefit of the doubt, her first husband could have been a >Mr. >Thomas, since it say 'formerly' rather than 'nee.' Okay it says 'spinster' > >on her marriage certificate rather than 'widow' or 'relict' but back then > >spinster was an 'unmarried woman of gentle family' in my Websters. It would > >clarify her position, especially if Papa Bayliss was a gentleman. > >Regards, >Sarah Reveley in sunny mild Texas >seeking Croughtons in Birmingham > >Reveleys in Cumberland UK and America >http://www.tribalpages.com/tribes/rvly > ___________________________________________________________ Tiscali Broadband only 9.99 a month for your first 3 months! http://www.tiscali.co.uk/products/broadband/