Looking for wife of William Smith b.1793-1796

[JAKnighton]

As expected I've run into some difficulty in researching my Smith ancestors...

My 4x great grandfather was a William Smith born about 1831 in Whittlesey. He married Jemima Willmott in 1855.

At first I thought William was the son of George and Sarah, but a copy of his marriage record to Jemima says that his father's name was William.

I quickly found him on the 1841 Census with his father William living at Horsegate, Whittlesey. He is with two sisters, Elizabeth born 1830 and Alice born 1834. No mother is recorded as living with them.

On the 1851 Census, William Sr. is said to be from Leckhampstead, Buckinghamshire, born in 1793. He is now living with a wife, Mary, born about 1807 and from Walsoken, Norfolk. They had a son John in 1849.

I'm assuming that Mary is a second wife, and that the first wife, William's mother, had died before the 1841 Census.

So the question is where should I start looking for the first marriage of William Smith Sr?

[bedfordshire boy]

The Baptism Index at https://www.cfhs.org.uk/searchsd.cfm shows a William Smith son of William and Mary baptised in Whittlesey in 1832.

I assume you don't have the second marriage either. Do you have a birth cert for John b 1849, which will give the mother's maiden name?

Too many assumptions. What if Mary was visiting her sick aged mother in 1841 in Walsoken, and had returned home to Whittlesey a week after the census? If you haven't found the burial of a first Mary in Whittlesey at some time between 1834 and 1849 nor of a second marriage to Mary in the same time frame I would question your assumptions. I would be looking for a marriage to Mary before 1830 in Whittlesey, Walsoken and Leckhampstead, but with the usual problems researching Smith, which if you have John's birth cert will be made easier.

You've also assumed that Elizabeth and Alice were his sisters and that William was his  father. As relationships weren't given in 1841 you can't rely on this being the case, although it looks likely.

David

[JAKnighton]

The Baptism Index at https://www.cfhs.org.uk/searchsd.cfm shows a William Smith son of William and Mary baptised in Whittlesey in 1832.

I assume you don't have the second marriage either. Do you have a birth cert for John b 1849, which will give the mother's maiden name?

Too many assumptions. What if Mary was visiting her sick aged mother in 1841 in Walsoken, and had returned home to Whittlesey a week after the census? If you haven't found the burial of a first Mary in Whittlesey at some time between 1834 and 1849 nor of a second marriage to Mary in the same time frame I would question your assumptions. I would be looking for a marriage to Mary before 1830 in Whittlesey, Walsoken and Leckhampstead, but with the usual problems researching Smith, which if you have John's birth cert will be made easier.

You've also assumed that Elizabeth and Alice were his sisters and that William was his  father. As relationships weren't given in 1841 you can't rely on this being the case, although it looks likely.

David

I must admit as I was typing the original post I started to realise that I was relying on a lot of assumptions. But seeing you lay them out as you did has made it clearer for me. I was also unaware of the Cambridgeshire Baptism Index you provided. Thank you.

Next step... order John Smith's birth certificate!

[jonw65]

Whittlesey St Mary
Baptism, 20 February 1832
William
Son of William + Mary Smith
abode Horsegate Whittlesea
father a Laborer

There is this burial at Whittlesey
1839
Mary Smith
abode Horsegate Whittlesey
buried 29th November
age 40 years

Death of Mary Smith registered Dec qtr 1839, Whittlesey, vol 14 page 87

[jonw65]

Also the death of another Smith, same reference
Dec 1839 Whittlesey vol 14 page 87
Smith, John

Baptism at Whittlesey
29 November 1839
John
Son of William + Mary Smith
abode Horesgate Whittlesey
father a Laborer

Burial at Whittlesey
1839
John Smith
abode Horesgate Whittlesey
buried 5 December
age 1 week

One would imagine that the birth of John and death of Mary are likely connected. Baptism and burial on the same day.

[jonw65]

Don't know whether this marriage might be a possibility
Parish Church, Whittlesey St Mary
14 June 1848
William Smith, of full age, Widower, Labourer, residence Whittlesey, father John Smith, Labourer
+
Mary Dale, of full age, Widow, residence Whittlesey, father Robert Baley, Labourer
after Banns, by J. C. Franks, Curate
William marked, Mary signed
witnesses Richard Cheshire, Susannah Cheshire (X)

Interestingly, there is a baptism at Walsoken, 11 November 1806, of a Mary Ann Bailey, parents Robert + Elizabeth.
Looking at the 1861 census, it appears that Mary Smith, mother of John in Whittlesey, remarried to a Thomas Bullamore (in 1855)

John

[jonw65]

Looks like that 1848 marriage could be the right one!
Because this is Mary's next one...
Parish Church, Whittlesey St Andrew
2 October 1855
Thomas Bullamore, 44, Widower, Labourer, residence Whittlesey, father John Bullamore, Labourer
+
Mary Smith, 47, Widow, residence Whittlesey, father Robert Bayley, Labourer
both marked
wit James Elderkin, Maria Elderkin

John

[jonw65]

If you are right about Mary, mother of William b 1832, having died before 1841, and it does look as though you may well be, the question then is - is there a birth certificate for that son John? Which would of course give you Mary's maiden name, and help find a marriage.
There could be -
Dec 1839 Whittlesey vol 14 page 134
Smith, John

You would expect that when registering John's death, William Smith (presumably) registered his birth at the same time, or, that may have already been done that when he visited the registrar to give the details of Mary's death.

[JAKnighton]

Thank you very much, jonw65! That is a lot of information. I definitely need to order those certificates soon, so I can verify the data and add it to my tree.