Susan, Things are not always what they seem. It is possible that your Alfred Thielke may have had an earlier marriage. On June 5, 1917 an Alfred THIELKE registered for the WWI draft, as required by the law, in Lake Co. OH He apparently was living in the Grand River area, right up on the lake. He gave his marital status as married; his full name as Alfred Augusta Thielke and birth date and place as Sept. 2, 1891 in Hartford WI. (recall his cemetery burial card gave Hartford CT as his birthplace?) In 1917, he was employed as a brakeman for a railroad company. He requested to be excused from the draft as he was the sole support of his wife. (BTW, Augusta was his father's given name) Many experienced genealogists can attest to the fact there were times in that period that some men led double lives. Especially if they had a job that transported them from place to place such as the RR or the lakes. (it happened in my husband's family & my own grandfather). There just too many similarities here, not to check it out. Nancy M. Meyers, Lorain OH OGS Life Member http://www.ogs.org/ Genealogy Volunteer http://www.centurytel.net/lorgen