Hello
I hope someone will be able to help me make sense of my Mary Kelly puzzle. (Sorry it's a bit long)
Mary Kelly is my maternal great grandmother.
There are some facts about Mary Kelly that I have been told by my grandmother (now deceased) and so I believe to be true, from her I was told her father was Andrew, and she had 3 sisters, Christina, Kathleen and Elizabeth (you will see the relevance of this when I mention the census)
My grandmother had a copy of her parents marriage certificate and it is the same as a copy I have found online, there is a civil record of the marriage for 18th October 1903 which states that Mary Kelly is a minor, that her Father is James Kelly and that they are at 23 Stoney Batter.
There is also a church record of the marriage which lists Mary's parents as James Kelly and Mary Clarke, the address again is 23 Stoney Batter.
This is where the puzzle begins.
In the 1901 census I've found James Kelly and his wife Mary living in Stoney Batter with their children, including Mary who is listed as being 20 years old. So birth would have been around 1881.
Everything adds up to this being my Mary Kelly apart from the age. If she is 20 in 1901 then in 1903 (the year of her marriage) she would have been 22 and therefore not a minor as listed. Also in the 1911 census I believe I've found the correct Mary (now married and Mary Fegan) but the age stated is 26 so birth would have been around 1885.
I'm 100% sure the Mary Fegan in the 1911 is the correct one, she is married to Andrew and she has 3 children, Christina, Elizabeth and Kathleen - this I know to be true from my grandmother. Also the age of 26 would have made her 18 in the year of her marriage and therefore possibly a minor.
So I guess my question is - do you think the Mary Kelly in the 1901 census isn't my Mary Kelly? Everything else apart from the age seems to add up.
I've viewed the actual census documents and they look like they have been transcribed correctly.
In addition I'm unable to find a birth record for Mary with parent of James Kelly and Mary Clarke. I've found a few Mary's with James and another mother but none with James and Mary Clarke. I suppose if I could find that it might answer the question about when she was actually born!
Like I say - a bit of a puzzle. Any ideas, input or suggestions would be gratefully received.