11TH OCTOBER
1875 – my 2 x great-grandparents, William Elbert Dando & Sarah Louisa Oliver, married 136 years ago in St James’s Church, Piccadilly Westminster. Their marriage certificate confirms that Sarah called herself Sarah Louisa Barnes and she declared herself a widow. This was not actually true – Sarah had run off to Australia with John G.W. Barnes in 1865 and had had a daughter by him before returning in 1869 with no money or friends. She looked up her old flame (she and William had previously been engaged) and the couple lived together until Sarah became pregnant, at which time they married in the church which is just around the corner from Piccadilly Circus in London.
1884 – by some strange coincidence, William chose the very same day to wed again 9 years later when William Elbert Dando & Emma Sheriff tied the knot in Manhatten, New York. The main problem with this was that William hadn’t divorced Sarah and so this second union was a bigamous match! This is probably why the couple travelled to America for the ceremony.
