portuguese ancestor -any ideas?

[pda5178]

Mary Jones.

I'm trying to find out more about my ggg-grandmother. Born around 1812 in Portugal. Her married name was Mary Healey (or Haley). Married to Robert Healey/Haley and lived in Bradford, Manchester.  On the birth cert of my gg-grandfather (reuben healey), her maiden name is given as JONES.

I've found her in the 1861-1881 censuses and her place of birth is given as:
1861 -Portagin?
1871 -Portugal (NBS)
1881- Portugal (BS)

Am I right to assume NBS and BS are naturalised british subject and british subject? It's confusing that she is listed as one in 1871, and something else in 1881!!

Mary Jones seems a fairly standard English name, but it was common for immigrants to anglicise their names, right?

I'd love to find out if she was actually a BS or an NBS, and where in Portugal she might have come from...
Any suggestions of where to go/look next? and is anyone able to do a lookup for the 1851 census for lancashire?

Paul.

[Valda]

I would try to track down her marriage in the hope it was post 1837. 1812 is the height of the Peninsular War. If she married post June 1837, her marriage certificate would tell you her father's name and whether he was in the army. The overseas birth index for army records at the Family Records Centre goes back for some births into the second half of the C18th.

Regards
Valda