Is Mary and Martha the same person?

[flower fairy]

  My 4x great grandmother, Mary Baker, was baptised in North Petherton, Somerset on 22nd June 1810, daughter of John and Mary.  She then married my 4x great grandfathe, Charles Dyer, 22 April 1828 In North Petherton by license. She was a minor and her father was dead, witnesses Betsy Baker and Robert Trott. I think I have her fathers burial 6th August 1814 age 36 in North Petherton.
   I then have a Martha Baker, widow, who married a Robert Trott in July 1820. Is this Marys mum?? Mary and Charles 1st daughter was named Martha.
   Was Mary another name for Martha and vice versa or am I barking up the wrong tree.

Thanks for any help.

[lizdb]

Martha and Mary are two distinctive different names.

But that doesnt mean in isolated cases you might get a Mary known as Martha or vice versa, you see all sorts of pet names with no obvious explanation.

However, if you have  a widow called Martha Baker, I would be looking for an earlier marriage of a Martha someone to a Mr Baker. Whether the Mr Baker is related to your ancestor, Mary Baker, will take more research.

I wouldnt bark up any trees yet, just plod on with systematic research to piece all the people together.

[LizzieL]

Have you seen the actual baptism record for Mary or just a transcript? There may have been confusion between mother and baby's name. There is a baptism in NP of a Martha on 27 Sep 1812 parents John and Martha. This could be same couple and the name was incorrect on Mary's baptism, or a different couple and the John you found the burial for could be this Martha's husband.

[flower fairy]

Yes I have seen the actual baptism in the registers, parents John and Mary,  and Mary Baker was the name on the marriage record to Charles Dyer.

[flower fairy]

Saying that, my notes are 20 years old so I wonder if the mum could have said Martha?

[LizzieL]

The mistake could be in the mother's name on baptism record, not the baby Mary.
A John Baker married Martha Heal in NP on  4 July 1808. I haven't found a marriage for a John and a Mary. I am leaning towards the clerk making a mistake on the baptism record and getting mother's name wrong. Many records were filled in some time after the event.
 

[LizzieL]

A Robert Trott was baptised in NP on 12 Oct 1821 s/o Robert and Martha

[LizzieL]

Another snippet which may or may not be connected
1851 census for NP has M Trott widow - pauper farmer's wife age 72 b Bridgwater and M Baker unmarried age 35dressmaker born MP, both lodging with james Barnard and family. It only gives initials and both are just lodgers no relationship to each other given. But they could possibly be the Widowed Martha Trott/ formerly Baker maybe nee Heal and her daughter Martha bapt 1812. Ages might be a bit suspect if they were being filled in by a non family member

[LizzieL]

In 1841 Robert Trott 45 Ag Lab, Martha Trott 50 and Robert Trott 15 are living together at West Monkton. Close to NP.