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Author: snowyborn
Surnames:
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties...
Message Board Post:
In 1910, Alfred, Edith and Mary are with the Hammonds.
In 1920, I see Edith and daughter Mary with the Hammonds. Edith is listed as widowed.
Alfred is not there.
In 1920, the only Alfred Mecklenburg I see in Indianapolis, Marion County, IN is the one
with Norma.
So, if you take things at face value, Alfred was alive at the time of the WW1 card (looks
like Sept 1918) yet died by the 10th January 1920 (enumeration date) when Edith is listed
as a widow.
But, mysteriously, an Alfred C. Mecklenburg shows up in 1920 married to Norma and his
birth date and birth place matches yours. Both the WW1 and the WW2 draft registration
cards give a birth date of October 14, 1883. He is listed as 59 on the WW2 one. (If he
were 74 in 1938, he would have been born in 1864.)
The only difference I see between these 2 Alfreds is that WW1 card says his middle name is
Christopher and WW2 card says it's Christian.
If you really want to find out, you should be able to get the marriage applications for
the two marriages. I think by the times of these marriages, an application would have been
required. You'll find his parents names plus on the second marriage (if it's him)
it should say if he was married before and say when he divorced.
Alfred could have died in the 1950s or 60s and those dates are not usually in the SSDI.
I also want to point out that is was not unusual for a divorced woman to say she was
widowed. I even have one whose death certificate listed her as the widow of the ex-husband
even though they had been divorced for over 30 years. You sure wouldn't have known
from the death certificate that they had ever been divorced.
Good luck on your search.
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