When, in the course of your genealogy research, you uncover a wifes name, it is always a good idea to dig a bit further and try to determine whether she was the only wife of this husband.
While in todays society things such as death in childbirth or from some of the more common diseases, are quite rare occurrences that was not always the case.

Approximately 30% of men who lived pioneer or wandering lifestyles in those days would marry a second and sometimes a third time.
The degree of remarriage was largely due to death, not divorce, which was an uncommon thing in those days.
Death in childbirth was common. Typhoid fever and other accidents were common living a life on the plains or prairies, and the incidence of Indian attack was in those days plentiful. Your genealogy research may take a few twists and turns if you find that a second or third wife did exist.

In many cases, the wife that you discover may be the mother of one, or none of the children who are named and you will need to discover if she is the actual mother of your ancestor of if a second wife, or perhaps even a third may be the ancestor you are seeking. This does provide some interesting genealogy research.
In the times prior to census records this will be even more an issue. After the census family members are however recorded by name, so taking good look at the census to assure the the wife’s name remains the same is a good idea.

In point of fact, census records are great clues to whether or not additional marriages took place. A different wife’s name on the census will be apparent to you if you check more than one while in the process of your genealogy research.
Sometimes however, as in the case of my own grandparents, the woman is listed by a nickname rather than her real name on the census.

My grandmother was listed on one census as Indiana, and another as India Anna. Her correct name was Indiana,however my grandfather married only once. The two were the same woman, merely, the census taker made some errors in listing her.

There are several other clues to a new wife that you can watch for in the course of your ancestor research that may reveal that a second marriage took place.

Keep an eye out for a vast difference in the birth dates or approximate ages in the wife. While errors were made of course, in the ages and birth dates, it could also let you know of a new marriage.
Keep an eye out to for a gap in childrens ages of more than three or four years, particularly if they were spaced relatively evenly prior to that time.

Some census records, particularly those which are more recent, will tell the you date, or at least the year of marriage. This is another indicator of a second or third wife.
The census’ which were taken in 1900 as well as 1910 give the number of years that the man and woman have been married, which will also be an indicator of a second wife.

The latest census to be released, that of 1930 gives the age of each person at the time of their marriage which can sometimes tell you that the ages don’t match up with the date of marriage for that couple.

One that we quite often don’t remember, because it seems too modern, but don’t forget to scan for different last names for the children, which will be an indicator that the childrens parent, either mother or father, was somewhere involved in a previous marriage.

Bear in mind that in some cases, having the same name is not an indicator of having the same wife. Genealogy research is not always straight forward, unfortunately. The name Jane for instance was fairly common during pioneer times, as was Hannah. Having that name doesn’t necessarily tell you that the wife is the same one.

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