How do I find which is the right John?

[Girl Guide]

Hhmm well I found the 1841 census but I am a tad puzzled.  The transcription suggests that they were all born in Somerset and yet the census record is given as Gloucestershire.  The original shows a Y for whether born in county or not., i.e. Yes.  Thereby implying that the family were born in Gloucestershire.

So where were they born - Somerset or Gloucestershire?

[Girl Guide]

Could this be the parent's marriage?

Married on 1st December 1817 Ann Mitchell to John Brown at Bristol

[LizzieL]

There's a John Brown to Ann Lear in Jan 1827 temple, Bristol

[LizzieL]

Has anyone founds John's death to get a better idea  of year of birth and to narrow down mrriage date range?
Possible in Q4 1850 age 44 Bristol reg district

[LizzieL]

There's a merchant seaman record for Charles Brown born Bristol 9 Sep 1827 issued 1846. Not much more detail, height 5ft 5 ins and went to sea as a boy

[Margaretindevon]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.
I was having a look today and, working on these assumptions:-

that John being 35 in the 1841 census was born between1800 and 1811

that Charles son of John & Ann who was 26 in the 1851 census was born between 1820 and 1825,

and that Mary Ann who was 17 in the  1851 census was born between 1830 and 1834

and that Ann the wife of John who was 44 in the 1851 census was born between 1805 and 1811

and that the marriage of John to Ann took place between 1820 and 1825, ( he would have been under 20 before 1820, and Charles was born no later than 1825)

I have found the following on findmypast.co .uk

Mary Ann Brown baptised 18 May 1834 dau. of John & Ann in Bristol Gloucestershire, no parish shown.

Then I checked on the 1881 census for Mary Ann Clements, as she became, and there she says she was born in St Michaels Parish, Bristol. I have trawled through several times but cannot find a baptism for Charles.

Does anyone know if the records for St Michaels have been transcribed and added to Ancestry? Or anywhere else on line?

Marriages

John Brown to Ann James 13 December 1824 @ St Nicholas, Bristol

John Brown to Ann Lippiatt  19 October 1823 no Parish Given, just Bristol.
Which somewhat ties in with the no named Parish re the baptism of Mary Ann.

I tried checking the batch number of the 1823 marriage, but it gives no more information.

I am totally at a stand with this line, which is probably why I abandoned it years ago!

[LizzieL]

Hhmm well I found the 1841 census but I am a tad puzzled.  The transcription suggests that they were all born in Somerset and yet the census record is given as Gloucestershire.  The original shows a Y for whether born in county or not., i.e. Yes.  Thereby implying that the family were born in Gloucestershire.

So where were they born - Somerset or Gloucestershire?

The born in Somerset just seems to be a strange thing I've found a few times with FindMyPast transcriptions. Bristol is in Glos and there is a Y in bic column for all of the family, so born in Glos. 1851 shows Ann and the children born in Bristol. John maybe, but all we know definitely he was born in Gloucestershire

[Old Bristolian]

Bristol is always a problem regarding counties (as has been mention on several theads before). Bristol was originally in Gloucestershire, but in 1377 became a County in its own right (The City and County of Bristol). For normal purposes in records it is treated as Glos. However, at an early date it incorporated several parishes in Somerset, Recliffe, Temple and Bedminster the most notable so it is sometimes regarded as being in both, whereas in fact it is in neither.

[LizzieL]

that John being 35 in the 1841 census was born between1800 and 1811

that Charles son of John & Ann who was 26 in the 1851 census was born between 1820 and 1825,

and that Mary Ann who was 17 in the  1851 census was born between 1830 and 1834

and that Ann the wife of John who was 44 in the 1851 census was born between 1805 and 1811

and that the marriage of John to Ann took place between 1820 and 1825, ( he would have been under 20 before 1820, and Charles was born no later than 1825)

I have found the following on findmypast.co .uk

Mary Ann Brown baptised 18 May 1834 dau. of John & Ann in Bristol Gloucestershire, no parish shown.

Then I checked on the 1881 census for Mary Ann Clements, as she became, and there she says she was born in St Michaels Parish, Bristol. I have trawled through several times but cannot find a baptism for Charles.

Does anyone know if the records for St Michaels have been transcribed and added to Ancestry? Or anywhere else on line?

Marriages

John Brown to Ann James 13 December 1824 @ St Nicholas, Bristol

John Brown to Ann Lippiatt  19 October 1823 no Parish Given, just Bristol.

Rounding (down to nearest age ending with 0 or 5) was only done in 1841, later census show age as stated by head of household.
So John shown as 35 in 1841 could be 35 to 39 so born last half 1801 to first half 1806.Census taken on 1 Jun 1841.
Ann would be born abt 1807, Charles 1826 and Mary Ann 1834, based on their ages in 1851. Censuses from 1851 onward were taken early April or sometimes very end of March, so approx three quarters of people would not have had their birthday yet for that year so would appear to be a year younger than they actually were.
Ancestry has the 1834 baptism of Mary Ann at St P & J.
Mary Ann's pob is a bit variable on censuses. Unlikely she filled the form in herself, probably her mother in 1851 and her husband from 1861 onwards.
In 1871 her pob is given as Bristol St Nicholas, in 1881 it is Hotwells, Clifton, but the whole family has the same pob.