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Smith is a common surname in Co. Cavan!
I’m seeking connections to the family of Andrew Smith & Bridget Smith who married in July 1870 in the RC parish of Lavy, Co. Cavan. They were both widowed and in their mid-40s.
While their marriage record indicates that Bridget’s maiden surname must also have been Smith (it notes her father as Patt Smith, farmer), it isn’t clear if her late husband was also called Smith! It’s a real puzzle!
Here is a link to the record https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1870/11403/8187206.pdf
Curious indeed. Does the Church entry shed any additional light? It would be worthwhile looking to see if that priest had married other widows and used ‘formerly’ after their names. Also, were there children from her first marriage? I’d look for baptisms with the mother’s name Bridget nee Smith from that townland, 1845 – 68 (assuming her age and the usual two years of widowhood). That might throw up a possibility / narrow the search. At 44 she has less than a 2% chance of becoming pregnant and a less than 50% chance of carrying to term, so post-marriage date it’s unlikely that there was a birth.
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