What is the name of your state? GA
I was divorced from 1st husband in 1978, and immediatley entered into a common law marriage with him (in GA) We lived together until late 1982, as common law husband and wife, and we parted and he went back to WI where he
was from. He was to have divorced me in WI, as we knew we had to have a divorce. He contacted me maybe Feb. 1982 and told me we were divorced. He said he would send papers. We did not part enemies, and he kept in contact with me throughout the years, and even tho he never sent papers, I was sure he did divorce me because he assured me it was so, and he married 3 more times in WI, and I married again (divorced for 13 yrs now).
Last year, I found his parents number on the internet and called them and found that he had passed away in 7-81. It was in June 2004 that I started searching for proof of divorce from our common law marriage after he returned to WI. There is no record of it. He did not divorce me. I would assume that this made his remarriages and my remarriage void, as we were not free to marry. Am I right?
What do I do, as I am his legal surviving spouse? How do I have this marriage recognized? What should I do? He was a disabled vetran with PTSD, and his mother tells me that I should be getting the survivors benefits, as we were never divorced. This is a dilemma and I realize now that I should have never taken his word for being divorced, but its too late now.
I was divorced from 1st husband in 1978, and immediatley entered into a common law marriage with him (in GA) We lived together until late 1982, as common law husband and wife, and we parted and he went back to WI where he
was from. He was to have divorced me in WI, as we knew we had to have a divorce. He contacted me maybe Feb. 1982 and told me we were divorced. He said he would send papers. We did not part enemies, and he kept in contact with me throughout the years, and even tho he never sent papers, I was sure he did divorce me because he assured me it was so, and he married 3 more times in WI, and I married again (divorced for 13 yrs now).
Last year, I found his parents number on the internet and called them and found that he had passed away in 7-81. It was in June 2004 that I started searching for proof of divorce from our common law marriage after he returned to WI. There is no record of it. He did not divorce me. I would assume that this made his remarriages and my remarriage void, as we were not free to marry. Am I right?
What do I do, as I am his legal surviving spouse? How do I have this marriage recognized? What should I do? He was a disabled vetran with PTSD, and his mother tells me that I should be getting the survivors benefits, as we were never divorced. This is a dilemma and I realize now that I should have never taken his word for being divorced, but its too late now.