Hello,
I've been rummaging through records for a while now for the death (to lead me ultimately to the birth and parents) of Mary Bailey, (née Clarke).
My first acquaintance with her was on 20th July 1835 when she appeared as the mother to the illegitimately born Caroline Clarke (my Gt Gt Gt Grandmother) at Wattisfield, Suffolk.
22nd October 1837 is the next date that i've found her on, when she's once again at Wattisfield's parish church at the baptism of her illegitimate son Edward Jarman Clarke.
On the 8th November 1838 she married widower William Bailey, and that's it.
By the time of the 1841 census, she's gone, leaving behind William Bailey, some children from his first marriage, with Mary's two illegitimate children - Caroline and Edward - and also an Ellis Bailey aged 2.
With such a narrow time frame to examine (8th Nov 1838-6th June 1841) i decided to look through the parish records for Wattisfield and Redgrave with Botesdale for a baptism of Ellis (i'm assuming he is a 'he') and also a burial for Mary Bailey... but there was nothing.
Unfortunately, the Suffolk Records Office at Bury St Edmunds, doesn't hold the original records, just fiche and I couldn't find an index for burials and baptisms... so I'm a bit puzzled.
I *did* find a potential death in the neighbouring district of Thingoe (courtesy of freeBMD):
Deaths Dec 1840
BAILEY Mary Thingoe 13 541
but I'm wondering whether I should bite the bullet and just order it?
Perhaps someone reading this has a note of Mary Bailey's death inbetween Nov 1838 and June 1841... or even Ellis' birth around 1839.
I've tried familysearch.org too... but nothing is catching my eye.
What do you reckon?