Daily AncestorLate wife
Late wife means a wife who has died; "my late wife" in a will refers to a deceased spouse, not one who arrived late.
Late used before a person means recently or formerly living, now dead. My late wife, the late Mr. Brown or his late father all refer to people who had died by the time of the record.
In a will, a reference to a late wife together with a current wife can show that the testator married more than once, which may explain children of different mothers.
As seen in a recordWill recorded in a county will book, 1800s
I give to the children of my late wife Mary the land on Mill Creek.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Late wife." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/late-wife. Last checked 2026-10-01.