Building a Tree for Grandpa Harry Hughes Part IV

This post will continue the exploration into the life of Samuel Hughes, the elder, grandfather to Harry Hughes, also known as Joseph P. Hughes.

In the previous post, I describe two marriages for Samuel Hughes: the first to Sarah Windsor in 1819¹ and the second to Martha Lewis Large in 1840². It turns out that there was another marriage: Samuel Hughes married Mary Hughes in 1825³.


The first marriage to Sarah Windsor was 25 October 1819 at St Oswald in Chester, Cheshire, England. Sarah died in 1824⁴.

Marriage #1 - Samuel Hughes and Sarah Windsor 1819

The second marriage to Mary Hughes (possibly a cousin) was 27 November 1825 at St John the Baptist in Chester, Cheshire, England. Mary Hughes died in 1827⁵.

Marriage #2 - Samuel Hughes and Mary Hughes 1825

And the third marriage to Martha (Lewis) Large, a widow, was 28 September 1840 at St John the Baptist in Chester, Cheshire, England. Martha Hughes died in 1895⁶.

Marriage #3 - Samuel Hughes and Martha (Lewis) Large 1840

There were several other Samuel Hughes in the area at the same time. Samuel Hughes, the elder, appears to be the only one who was literate. And a comparison of the signatures in each of the certificates shows a strong similarity.

There were children from each marriage as well as from the first marriage of Martha Lewis to Robert Large. The next posts will talk about Samuel Hughes (the younger, Harry's father) and his siblings and many half-siblings.



1. Cheshire Diocese of Chester bishop's transcripts marriages 1576-1906; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 16 April 2020); entry for Samuel Hughes and Sarah Windsor 25 October 1819 by banns, at St. Oswald, Chester, Cheshire, England.
2. Cheshire Diocese of Chester parish marriages 1538-1910; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 8 April 2020); item 1:152; entry for Samuel Hughes and Martha Large by banns 28 September 1840, at St John the Baptist, Chester, Cheshire County, England.
3. Cheshire Diocese of Chester parish marriages 1538-1910; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 20 April 2020); item 2 p 155; entry for Samuel Hughes and Mary Hughes by banns 27 November 1825, St John the Baptists, Chester, Cheshire, England.
4. Cheshire Diocese of Chester bishop's transcripts burials 1576-1906; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 16 April 2020); burial entry for Sarah Hughes, 24 May 1824 of Harthill at Bunbury, Cheshire, England.
5. Cheshire Diocese of Chester parish burials 1538-1911; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 21 April 2020); item 10 p 26, burial entry for Mary Hughes, 33, 09 June 1827 at Tattenhall, Cheshire, England.
6. Cheshire Diocese of Chester bishop's transcripts burials 1576-1906; database, findmypast.com (www.findmypast.com: accessed 21 April 2020); burial entry for Martha Hughes, 09 November 1895 at Harthill, Cheshire, England.

Minnesota Marriages - A Great Resource

I just had the most wonderful weekend with my
family and friends watching my son marry his lovely fiance. The ceremony was beautiful with just the right number of mishaps to make everyone less nervous. The reception was unbelievable with terrific food, gorgeous decor and wonderful touches that truly added meaning. Then there was the weather: not a cloud in the sky, temperature in the low 70's, just a trace of a breeze and peak fall colors to boot. Since the wedding was in northern Minnesota, anyone who had to drive up from the Twin Cities had the most stunning drive this season.

I managed to squeeze in just a couple of hours of genealogy research even on this busy weekend. Our "up north" cabin is equipped with DSL Internet access and wireless. Both my husband and I need to be connected to escape so it is a must-have if we are to "get away from it all." I guess that makes it just "get away from some of it." Even if we are connected to work, we are also connected to the fun stuff. So even my frozen weekends up north can be very productive.

After the ceremony I started wondering when my son's wedding would be on the Minnesota Official Marriages System (MOMS) website. This website has become a God-send for me. One of the most difficult pieces of genealogy can be to find the maiden names of women that marry into the family. The MOMS website lists marriages as far back as 1845, depending upon the county. I also found marriages from as recently as last weekend. That also depends upon the county. Of course, these records are transcribed from county records and can contain errors.

Even so, I heartily recommend visiting MOMS if you have any Minnesota residents in your tree OR if you have residents of neighboring states that lived in the bordering counties. Those tricky ancestors of ours sometimes married just across the border of a neighboring state. Once you have found the correct record, the site connects you with the proper contact info to order the certificate if you need it. I rarely order certificates but I have used the information available there in my family tree database almost 700 times.

I will recommend, as always, that you try different spellings, or searching on just the wife or husband. While the site allows limiting your search to just one county, I suggest leaving it open unless you get too many results. I've also found that it searches well on a partial name, first or last. This can really help when you are relying on transcribed records.

One last note, there is a link near the top that lists the dates available for each county. It is helpful information but not 100% accurate. Le Sueur County indicates there are no records available. Yet, the two oldest records I found were from Le Sueur County.

Thanks to the Minnesota counties who put their marriage data online!