still married after 35 years no contact?

[ccliffgale]

What is the name of your state? Maryland My father dissappeared in 1963 and never contacted our family again until 1994, and never contacted my mother again. She died still carrying his last name. It is known that he lived in California many years, was married again, and had one other child. No legal papers ever passed between them.Was he ever legally married in California? Were my parents ever legally divorced in some "common law" sense, such as the law in some states that those who cohabit for 7 years or more are legally considered married?

[rmet4nzkx]

How can we answer that? First of all there is no such thing as common law divorce. Sorting out the rest is too involved to do on a forum. Perhaps you might contact him and ask him or check in your mother's papers or with county records.....

"...Were my parents ever legally divorced in some "common law" sense, such as the law in some states that those who cohabit for 7 years or more are legally considered married?..."

As the good doctor said, there is no such thing as common law divorce. There is also no such thing a cohabitation for 7 years being married. That is an urban legend that refuses to die.

In any event, unless your father was legally divorced from your mother, they were still married till the day she died.

He could've gotten divorced -- literally -- anywhere in the world so to prove that he got divorced is almost impossible.