It’s mid October and Tucson finally has some glorious fall weather. Sleeping with the windows opened instead of having A/C on was wonderful and we have a high today of 73. 🙂 Of course, my hubby, who last week complained about the heat in the 90s is today complaining that he should have worn long jeans because it’s too cold outside to work in shorts.

It’s also Saturday, so time for Randy Seaver’s weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge.

1)   Which ancestor of yours married the most times?  [This may be interesting for some geneabloggers!]  

I’m glad Randy mentioned MyHeritage stats because, off the top of my head, I don’t know which ancestor married the most. While I’m waiting for the list to populate, I’ll share Dave’s most married ancestors.

It’s a family affair. His 2X great grandparents, Isaac Sturgell and Mary Bandy, went their separate ways (it was during the Civil War and I haven’t found any divorce papers) and each married 3 more times!

Isaac Sturgell, his granddaughter told me, wasn’t a kind man and records show that all four wives left him. He married (1) Mary Bandy, 27 June 1844, Lawrence County, Ohio (2) Susannah (Douthit) Alberty, 30 September 1867, newton County, Missouri [I have a copy of their divorce papers and it confirms Isaac’s granddaughter’s opinion of his personality.] (3) Nancy R. Fields, 27 April 1876, Boone County, Arkansas and (4) Nancy P. Hensley, 1 August 1877, Pope County, Arkansas

Mary Bandy was no slouch, either, when it came to marriage. She married four times. (1) Isaac Sturgell, 27 June 1844, Lawrence County, Ohio (2) William J. Wade, 12 January 1869, Tazewell County, Illinois (and not to be found anywhere with him in 1870) (3) Benjamin Cookman, 28 July 1877, Peoria County, Illinois (4) George Jacob Fouts, 7 March 1889, Peoria county, Illinois.

Benjamin Cookman died of lupus in the poorhouse on 16 June 1885, Peoria County, Illinois.

So, between them, Isaac and Mary have 8 marriages. The list doesn’t end there, though.

Their eldest son, Andrew Jackson Sturgell, born 1853, Texas married four times, too. (1) Mary Towler, 23 February 1871, Barry County, Missouri (2) Delania Ketchum, 1 January 1874, Barry County, Missouri (3) Sarah J. Davis, 24 February 1875, Benton County, Arkansas (4) Mary Catherine Turney, 2 June 1876, Boone County, Arkansas. He may have worn himself out getting married because he had died before 17 June 1880, so was only about 27 years old when he died!!!

Their youngest son, George W. Sturgell, born April 1860, married twice. (1) Caroline Holmes, 31 October 1878, Van Buren County, Arkansas and (2) Hannah Tinney, 5 January 1886 and isn’t found anywhere after his wedding day to Hannah.

When Isaac and Mary split up, the sons stayed with him and the daughters went to Illinois with their mother.

Margaret Sturgell was born 17 March 1857. She married 3 times. (1) George Alder, 10 June 1873, Peoria County, Illinois (2) David Nickerson, 24 January 1909, Peoria County, Illinois (3) Jacob Riddle, no marriage record found, but named as her husband on her death record in 1929.

The only two children of Isaac’s and Mary’s who had long, stable marriages were daughter Mary, who married George Kingsley in 1880 and had been married just under 40 years when she died on 15 April 1920 in Peoria, Illinois and Dave’s great grandparents, Abijah Houston Sturgell and Martha Susannah Alberty, who married 5 June 1876, Newton County, Missouri and remained married until Abijah died of burns from a fire on 2 June 1905 in Barry County, Missouri.

So, the total number of marriages for Isaac and Mary (Bandy) Sturgell and five of their children is: 19 marriages!!!

I’ve backtracked to see the MyHeritage stats, but only two people show up in my list and neither are my direct ancestors. Off the top of my head, I know a number of ancestors married twice. There might be someone in the family tree who married 3 times, but I couldn’t tell you who it is.

Thanks, Randy, for this week’s challenge.