John WALKER in Marston Moretaine

[johnP-bedford]

Just to clarify,  I saw the PR transcript of the 1808 St Paul marriage; I haven't seen the original marriage entry from the register. This can be seen on microfilm/fiche at the Beds Archives where the only other additional info would be the names of the 2 witnesses, which could be helpful if they were family members.

John     

[wdurham]

Thanks, John - one day I will get to Bedford myself and stop relying on you!

You're right, of course - the witnesses often give surprising information that is enormously helpful. I have 99% positively identified several of my antecedents by finding marriage witnesses (usually family members) that were the final piece in the jigsaw.

For instance, my 3xg grandmother on my mother's side evaded me for years. Married in Witham, Essex, to Thomas Abbott as Esther Monteith, widow, she defied finding. I was eventually reduced to trawling the records for any Esther born at the right time, and came up with Esther Emmens.  The witnesses at Esther Monteith's wedding were William Emmens and his wife Hepzibah, who were Thomas and Esther's neighbours in Mill Lane in 1841 and 1851. William turned out to be her brother. Later census searches showed Esther living with other Emmens relatives after she was widowed a second time, and put the tin hat on her origin.

[somersetangel]

Understood. Thanks everyone! Another mystery...