John Harper - Claverley - ?2 Blacksmiths or 2 Marriages

[fayl]

My GGG Grandfather - John Harper (born ?1784) was a Blacksmith in Claverley - he married Elizabeth (unsure re date of marriage)  and they had 3 children - all born Claverley.

George born 1828
Henry born 1830
Elizabeth born 1836

I have just come across the following births (all born Claverley) for parents John Harper occupation Blacksmith - married to Ann.

James born 1815
William born 1818
John born 1821

What are the chances of there being 2 Blacksmiths - both called John Harper living in Claverley, or could John have been married twice?

I did find a death for Ann Harper in Claverley in 1822.

Fay

[CaroleW]

or could John have been married twice?

A far more likely explanation.  Have you looked at the 1841 entry?  John is 50 and wife Elizabeth is 40

[fayl]

Ages on the 1841 census are both incorrect - John Harper died in 1850 aged  66 - putting his birth around 1784 - and Elizabeth died in 1878 aged 85 which puts her birth around 1793 - so ages on the 1841 census should be around 57 and 48 respectively.

I'm thinking along the lines he married twice - with his wife Ann dying in 1822.

I don't know anything about Blacksmiths or  Claverley but to have 2 Blacksmiths called John Harper in the same village seems somewhat strange.

Fay

[CaroleW]

Ages in 1841 were rounded down to the nearest 5yrs so somebody aged between 51 -54 would be shown as 50

Have you viewed the 1841 entry

[fayl]

Yes I've viewed the 1841 census - I have a copy in my tree - they are with the 2 youngest children Henry and Elizabeth.

Fay

[fayl]

To be honest i'm not sure why CaroleW mentioned the 1841 census (or John and Elizabeths ages) - is that significant to my question - am i missing something on there.

Fay

[CaroleW]

As I said in my first reply - a remarriage is the likeliest explanation.  The 1841 wasn't mentioned in your post hence looking for the family to see what ages the parents were.

You just need to find a remarriage to prove it

You shouldn't put too much reliance on the ages given in census entries as they can vary widely - as long as you are sure you have the right family members.  The 1851 shows Elizabeth's birthyear as 1795.  In 1861 it's 1801 and in 1871 it's 1794

Unfortunately there were no children born after 1837 when a birth cert may have given Elizabeth's maiden name

[fayl]

Hi CaroleW

No I didn't mention the 1841 census (or any other census) as it seemed irrelevant to the questions I asked in my post.

As regards ages on census - no I don't put much reliance/relevance on them to be honest as this can often be misleading.

The information I gave in my original post with regards John Harper and wife Elizabeth and their 3 children is correct - and yes you are correct in that no children were born to them after Henry.

Fay

[CaroleW]

So the only option is to find a marriage between 1822-1828 - possibly in the same church in which the baptisms took place