Hi Mary, >From memory (not always reliable, in my case !), a death could not be registered if there was no body. So a mariner lost at sea would not appear on the death registers. The "widow" was entitled to re-marry if there was no sign of her spouse after a period of 7 years. At least, I believe that was the position in English law. Hope this helps, Mike Gould Leicestershire England -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mary Newbery Sent: 15 September 2008 19:40 To: [email protected] Subject: [TSL] missing presumed dead Dear Listers, Can anyone help me with a query regarding a missing mariner. A great uncle James Percival Henderson a 1st engineer, seems to have disappeared between 1873 and 1878, when his "widow" remarried. All searches as to what became of him have drawn a complete blank. How was the widow able to remarry? Would she have needed proof of his demise? As missing seamen, assets of seamen etc. have produced no results is there anywhere where there may be a record of a dispensation to allow the widow to assume death and remarry? Any suggestions gratefully received! Mary ------------------------------- visit TheShipsList Website http://www.theshipslist.com/ ------------------------------- 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