Uh, yes, see my other post a day or two ago. Mail is crossing like crazy. Though to be sure my last answer was posted after you wrote this one, despite the fact that I had never opened this e-mail. Yahoo is screwing up like crazy, and I am getting mail days late and very out of order. Yes, it was common for one spouse to run off, and even remarry without benefit of divorce, as divorce was difficult to get and people didn't have the resources or want to be bothered. My great grandmother was consistently described as a widow, though her husband was living and remarried. She moved to another town and said she was a widow. It was in the city directories, and the census. By the time she died, she really was a widow. She died in a nuthouse. Now, she'd always insisted that her parents were ENGLISH, and the Northampton State Hospital staff reinvented her name as French-Canadian. ;) I don't think they believed a word she said about anything. Don't recall offhand if her death certificate said she was a widow, or not. My grandfather didn't actually know what had happened to his father, though they were in touch shortly before the man died. Neither of them said a word about this to the ex-wife. Yours, Dora Smith Austin, TX [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 3:13 PM Subject: [PaOldC] Definition of "widow" >I believe I read on these boards a while ago that the term "widow" was used > for other than a woman who's husband was dead. My reason for asking is my > great grandmother, Emma Cox Miller, appears in the 1888-89 Chester City > Directory > as "widow of E.P.", yet I know my great grandfather, Ellis Pusey Miller > was > alive in November of 1890. They were in the middle of a divorce in > 1888/89 > and I wondered if this was a term that a woman would use if she was > separated > or felt she was "deserted" by her husband. > > Any information would be really appreciated. Thanks Joan > **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 > easy > steps! > (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220439616x1201372437/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID > %3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message