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« on: Tuesday 02 November 10 14:06 GMT (UK) »
Hi there, I've been researching my great grandmother Mary SMITH for a while now, and though in the beginning she was a bit of a mystery, I think I may have figured it out now. However, the two halves of her life don't really integrate well, and I feel like I haven't properly proven what I think I know. What I would like is feedback on the information I'm currently working with, and hopefully suggestions for how I can really pull this together. This post will be a little long, so thanks in advance for taking the time.
Mary SMITH appears on the 1881, 1891 and 1901 census as the wife of John living on the High Street of Ashby. Their children are: Sarah Elizabeth born 1880, Frank born 1881, Frances Eleanor born 1883, Claude Francis born 1886, and George Wilfred born 1887. Apart from Frank who died as an infant, my father recognizes all these children as his father, uncle and aunts. I'm certain this is my family, and I'm happy with the identity of their father John. However, Mary is more complicated: she variously lists her age as 34, 46, 51, and at her death in early 1911 she's reported as being 62; her place of birth is given twice as Ashby and once as Flixborough, though given that she's living in Ashby, the latter is more likely to be her real birthplace. I also know from my grandfather's birth certificate that she was "formerly JOHNSON", and I'm working on the assumption this is her maiden name. Thus I'm probably looking for somebody born Mary JOHNSON, sometime between 1844 and 1849, in Flixborough, Lincolnshire.
Mary JOHNSON is born on 21 July 1844 in Flixborough, Lincolnshire, to John and Sarah (born CORNEY), he was from Beckingham, Nottinghamshire, and she was from Broughton, Lincolnshire. They had five boys and three girls from 1832 to 1852, but Mary does not appear with them on the 1851 census, and by 1861 I can't find the family at all just a few scattered children. Mary does however appear in 1851 as a visitor in the Ancholme Tavern in Brigg, given as a niece of the owner Hannah BURTON. Hannah was born in Winteringham with the surname CORNER, but I'm pretty sure she is the sister of Sarah CORNEY, as Hannah's parents have the same first names, and her marriage to David BURTON in Elsham is witnessed by Mathias WHITEHEAD, who later married another sister, Eleanor CORNEY.
By 1861, Mary is a dairy maid in the household of Henry FOSTER at Neap House in Crosby. Her aunt Hannah is still in Brigg, and has now been joined by Mary's younger sister Ellen Eliza. By 1871 though, everything starts to go a little wrong. I can't find Mary anywhere, and her sister Ellen is still living with aunt Hannah, but has an illegitimate baby Mary Hannah JOHNSON. I know Hannah dies in late 1871, and Ellen marries Thomas BINNS in Brigg in 1873, with whom she eventually moves to Peterborough and has a large family and a long life.
So how sure can I be that both my Marys are the same person? They seem to have the same name, both roughly the correct time in the right place, that much is good. But how can I make this more secure? The names of Mary's daughters seem to be similar to her mother and sister, but that's not much. Also, in 1881 there is a servant with her called Mary BINNS who I have considered might be a thinly disguised Mary Hannah JOHNSON that she took in for her sister to start anew, but that's hard to know for sure. I suppose my questions are:
1) Where was Mary JOHNSON in 1871?
2) Is there a marriage certificate for her and John SMITH?
3) Does all of this make sense or is there a huge flaw I can't see?
4) What else can I use to help with this problem?
Thank you so much for reading this, I hope you have some advice I can use.
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