Alabaster & Franklyn in Romford

[ghostgirl]

Yep - baffling it is!!!  I think I had ruled out Richard's Clara though, can't remember why now but I think I had their marriage, and residence didn't fit either.  Mind you, lots of things don't fit with this family!!!  Thanks for trying so hard though, I really do appreciate it 

[louisa maud]

If only we knew where John was in 1881, wonder also where he was when poor Mary was in the workhouse 1880is so near to  the 1881, was he a soldier, was he somewhere else, did he go abroad?

I have tried just John born Horndon and just Essex with a 5 year span of his D of B

I am sure at sometime he will pop out of a page when you least expect it

I have an instance in my own family, a  single man  who lived alone then apparently out of the blue just before he died up came a daughter, married by then, I have scoured the records to no avail, I have no idea who her mother was, it was a very small village where it seems everyone knew everyone else, I missed an opportunity when visiting the village to find out that someone actually remembered the man and who he lodged with, I didn't ask where he lodged, an opportunity missed by me, how stupid ??

Happy Hunting
LM

[ghostgirl]

Yep - and 1871!!!  he could so easily have been married by then, to someone other than MAry Ann. I think he was a travelling hawker on one of the kids births, so maybe he was off somewhere else.  Which may be how he met Mary Ann, as she hadn't been away from Cambs until 1880.

How mysterious, your relative with a daughter you never knew of.  There are always missed opportunities in family history!!

All the best, and thanks for your help 

[louisa maud]

Joseph Dickerson
Looking at the 1871 workhouse records
Mary Freestone aged 27
Eliza Dau aged 5
right underneath is
Joseph Dickerson aged 60 Blacksmith by trade

Is this the same Joseph that Mary Ann married?, he was quite a bit older so I am assuming he died after 1881 where he is shown as aged 71 and a pauper, I can't make out whether it is showing married on unmarried on 1881

If this is him there is a death June qtr 1881 Caxton aged 71 ref 3b 266,

So assuming this Mary Ann would have been free to marry after 1881

Louisa Maud
I could of course be barking up the wrong tree

[ghostgirl]

Hi! I thought that was him too but on the marriage certificate he is 26 and a labourer.  And his father was David, so that rules that Joseph out! On the certificate, one witness was Caroline Mary ALPE. In 1881 there is a Caroline Mary ALPE living in Walton on Thames, Surrey. She was born in Meldreth, Cambs - I wonder if she took Mary Ann to Surrey? Who knows, that's just speculation...

[louisa maud]

I think you have done a great deal of research yourself, if John was a hawker/traveller he might have been on the  road when the census man cometh and  missed him but it is strange that he is missing on so many census.

You might well be right about Caroline and her family looking after Mary Ann bringing   her to Walton with her family, shame she also missed the 1881

LM