Hi Chuck! Boy, you were the one to ask about this. :-) I have read in a couple places online that common-law marriages were not unusual in that time and place, but I can't find published source for the info. Any recommendations? I only have a birthdate of one of the children in the family I'm researching. He was born in 1888, but I don't know if he was eldest of the three, youngest, or in the middle. Darn. I'm glad there was not likely a great stigma attached to this situation, but the lack of records makes a wall for me. These children were the half-siblings of my grandmother, and it's as if this half of the family is now lost to me. I have only the name of my great-grandmother and the LIKELY identities of her parents, but I can't find records to confirm them. While my own great-grandfather's identity and marriage is well-documented via census records and other records, I cannot place the father of my grandmother's first three children. The children took their mother's last name, and while I'm fairly sure the children were born in what became LeFlore Co., neither their names nor their mother's appear in the 1885 Skulleyville census. Thanks for the insight, Chuck, and some helpful info. :-) Anyone have anything further that might help me understand the situation?