I’m researching whether my great-grandmother, Bessie Greenwell, was married before her 1916 marriage to my great-grandfather, Bryant Edward Hays. A prior marriage is not indicated in family or civil records made after Bessie’s marriage to Bryant. The marriage record for the couple indicates that the 1916 marriage is her first.
However, Bessie P Greenwell (1889-1965) may be the same Bessie Greenwell who married Oak McCracken in 1910 in Tennessee and divorced him in 1916.
Unfortunately, the marriage and divorce records that I have found do not include the names of bride’s parents.
I’m curious whether Tennessee civil, church, or newspaper records for the 1910 marriage or the 1916 divorce would list Bessie McCracken nee Greenwell’s parents.
DeWitt County, Illinois, Chancery Court Box # 182, File # 3905, Besse Greenwell McCracken vs. Oak McCracken Divorce, Sep 1915, “Bill for Divorce,” 12 Aug 1915, “Decree for Divorce,” 2 Mar 1916; Scanned images of paper copies of the original file, kept privately, Naperville, Illinois, 2023. (PDF)
For additional details/sources and to collaborate go to WikiTree Page: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Greenwell_McCracken