World’s most married hopes to be 24th time lucky

IT IS difficult keeping up with Mrs Wolfe.

Throughout her life she has gone through many names — she has been known as Mrs Scott, Mrs Street and Mrs Smith.

She was also Mrs Moyer, Mrs Massie and Mrs McMillan.

But the former Mrs Berisford, Mrs Chandler and Mrs Essex was born Linda Lou Taylor.

The US grandmother with 23 ex-husbands has now been recognised as the most married woman in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.

Wolfe, 68, who first wed at 16, admits being “addicted to the romance” of getting hitched. But she now feels lonely and is on the lookout for husband number 24.

She grew up in Alexandria, Indianapolis, a place that lays claim to the largest ball of dried paint in the world. More than a decade ago, she found her own way to bring Indiana another Guinness world record: She got hitched for the 23rd time.

It’s a long time since she first got married in 1957. Now known as Mrs Linda Wolfe, she is the most married woman in history.

Wolfe can’t list her husbands in order. But she remembers little things, such as the nicest one was George Scott, from her first and longest marriage, which lasted seven years.

And certainly the best lover was Jack Gourley, who liked skinny dipping and impromptu trysts on long country drives. She walked down the aisle with him three times. So much for third time lucky.

Her marriage to Fred Chadwick was the shortest, lasting a mere 36 hours. She says the love just wasn’t there.

The oddest exchange of vows took place at the Indiana Reformatory at Pendleton to a one-eyed inmate named Tom Stutzman, the son of wealthy Mormons, who she said was wrongly convicted of rape.

So what else does she remember? Well, two of her husbands were gay, two homeless. A few had affairs but she always remained loyal. One choked her. Another put a padlock on the fridge.

One day Wolfe decided enough was enough. She was done with men and was going to take control of her life. She squashed all her wedding and engagement rings into her daughter’s dirty diapers and threw them into a bin. She watched the kerb as the bin collector took away a lifetime of memories. “I stood right there and watched, and they were beautiful rings. Good riddance.”

“It’s easy to sum up,” she said. “When I was younger I was just a snot-nosed kid, but the neighbourhood boys were all in love with me. They all wanted to marry me.”

Wolfe has seven children, from her first three husbands.

Her final man was a Baptist preacher, Glynn (Scotty) Wolfe, and by the time he reached his 80s, he was also the most married man in the world. Linda was his 29th bride.

Now single for 12 years, Wolfe might be looking to extend her record. “Because, you know, it gets lonely,” she said.