Mary Ann Downing birth act Nov 1870 Liverpool

[rolnora]

Could this be it transcribed as Dooling on Cheshire BMD
John Dooling and Elizabeth Foster 1870 in a Birkenhead Civil Marriage or Register Attended

http://cheshirebmd.org.uk/marriagesearch.php

[RodEast]

I think you could very well be right.

[RodEast]

Thanks for everything.  I have tried all the permutations I can think of but cannot find any trace of this family either before or after the birth of Mary Ann until after her marriage to Maurice Savage.  It looks like I might have to give in now.

[rolnora]

I've had a look round and I can't see them either.

Searching the Gro index there are two more births for Dowling with mmn Foster.
Daniel Dowling  Sept Qtr 1871, someone mentioned him in an earlier post about this family, and an Elizabeth Dowling March Qtr 1876, there is also a death for an Elizabeth the same year aged 9 but that could be 9mnths rather than years. So did John Dowling die between the birth of Elizabeth in 1876 and Mary Ann's marriage in 1891? I can't see any suitable death record on the Cheshire or Lancashire bmds

I have found on the 1871 census a John and Elizabeth Dooling both born Ireland and residing in Birkenhead.
John is a labourer aged 28 and Elizabeth is 24. Looking at the image it could possibly be Dowling 
RG10 Piece 3746 Folio 134 Page 27
 

[rolnora]

I don't want to add anymore confusion to this but I think I'm going to anyway 

One of the witnesses at Mary Ann Dowling's marriage was Elizabeth Grey.
Is it just coincidence then that on the 1891 census Elizabeth born Ireland aged 43 has a son Daniel b1872 and a daughter Mary Ann b1873 in Birkenhead.
The ages are out by a couple of years on all of them but as Mary Ann didn't marry until Nov 1891 could it possibly be the same family?
I can't see a birth reg on the GRO for either a Daniel or Mary Ann Grey/Gray born Birkenhead.

[RodEast]

Do you think she may have re-married to a Grey/Gray after John's death? However, I have had no luck finding John Dowling's death prior to Mary Ann's marriage.

[rolnora]

I think anything is possible with this one
I'm not sure that I'm correct with any of the records I've posted, they just seem to connect.
Both the !891 and 1901 census look suspect to me with the Ansborough brothers being step son on one and foster sons on the other one and then 1901 shows a daughter Caroline but I don't think she is Elizabeth's daughter
It's possible that John may not have died but for some reason left the family home in which case Elizabeth couldn't have remarried and I can't see any other marriage for her.
Perhaps you could try tracing Daniel after 1891 see if you can find more about him.
If the 1880 marriage for Dooling is correct then the marriage cert might throw some light on it.