A relative was married twice in the 1856-1880 time frame in the US Midwest. Her first husband’s last name was Williamson and the second husband’s last name was Willingham. The relative was probably divorced from the Williamson and the Willingham husband died a few years into their marriage. There were clearly two distinct husbands. The relative subsequently married a man whose last name was Graves.
I keep getting the Williamson husband and the Willingham husbands confused because the names start with the same five letters. While working on the relative had her family, I had a post-it note on my computer with the first two husband’s names written down with a “1” next to Williamson and a “2” next to Willingham. Apparently others got confused as well. Various records created after her marriage to Graves apparently had informants who confused the Williamson and Willingham husbands.
It is easy to see how it could happen. Williamson left the marriage after their marriage ended and Willingham died. People who knew this relative after both marriages could very reasonably not have seen or known either husband. That makes it easier to confuse them when giving information about her life before they knew her.
Multiple spouses, short-term marriages, and similar names can result in informants giving conflicting information. Keep that in mind when reviewing details in obituaries, death certificates, and the like.
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