Charles Gilbert Decker married Lydia Mayo, when he was about 34 years old. It has already been discovered, that Lydia had been previously married to Halloway Ames, but I hadn't considered the possibility of Charles also having been previously married. Then I realized it was possible, since most men were married in their early twenties.
I did a little searching through the Lackawanna County marriage records, since he was born in Carbondale, and sure enough, I found a very likely match. It was a marriage license dated November 17, 1888. The groom's name ("Charles G. Decker"), his age (26), and his birthplace (Carbondale, Pennsylvania), all match the information on his death certificate. At the courthouse in Scranton, Charles married Isabel Whitney, the 20-year old daughter of E. B. and Caroline Whitney, also of Carbondale.
The only piece of information which conflicts with Charles Gilbert Decker's 1909 death certificate, was that his father's name is given as "Charles Decker - Unknown". Perhaps when Charles died, his widow, Lydia did not know the name of his father and assumed his name may possibly have been Charles. However, on his marriage license to Isabel, his parents' names are given as "John I. Decker" and "Mary Decker". Being that Isabel was also from Carbondale, and both she and Charles were present for the marriage license application, there was no doubt who his parents were and they were clearly stated.
Based on these comparisons, I am 99% sure this Charles G. Decker is the same Charles Gilbert Decker who married Lydia Mayo. From this previous marriage, we could possibly gain a few valuable pieces of information about Charles - the names of his parents, that he was still living in Carbondale until 1888, and that he was working as a Brakeman on the railroad. Any input you may have is welcome below.
(Lackawanna County Marriage License #4767)
Stay tuned to learn the fate of this marriage between Charles and Isabel.
See the Decker page for more on this family!
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