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Maria Maeder married Arthur O'Keefe at St Paul's (Church of Ireland), Dublin on 13 August 1826. As Maria O'Keefe, she arrived in Tasmania, Australia, in November 1835, under the London Emigration Scheme. There she married James Rosier (as O'Keefe - her maiden name Maeder is on her children's birth certificates).

Her life in Tasmania is thoroughly detailed but her life in Ireland remains a mystery beyond her marriage to Arthur. She would have been born around 1812 in Ireland, if other evidence is to be believed.

Any and all help and/or guidance will be greatly appreciated.

My greatgrandmother, Mary Dinham ANDREWS, from Taunton, Somerset, appeared on the 1871 census with her family in Taunton, and about a year later she gave birth to a daughter, Annie. The next sighting of her is on 5th May 1877, when she gave birth to another daughter, Elizabeth Jane SMAILES, at 73 Bede St, Westoe, Durham. Details on Elizabeth's birth certificate are: father, George SMAILES, Army Pensioner, and mother, Mary SMAILES, formerly Andrews. Then by the 1881 census she's back home in Taunton, living with her parents and family, including her two daughters, and she's described as a widow.
I have been unable to find any marriage certificate (which may just indicate she didn't marry George), nor can I be sure about George's death, given that I have no age to go on. There are a couple of possibilities but they could be stabs in the dark. Was George from Somerset or Durham or neither? How old was he? How on earth did a woman from Somerset understand what was being said in Durham? [Joke.] If there's no marriage then perhaps there was no death and Mary just decided to head home to sunnier climes. Any advice would be appreciated. btw Smailes also crops up as Smales on census forms.

I'm trying to tie in some census strays with my family.

My ancestor Nathan Gibson, aged three, was living in Dearham Cumberland in 1841, according to the census, with his family:
Edward Gibson      M   30-34   Cumberland
Hannah Gibson      F   30-34   Cumberland
Jonathan Gibson      M   7   Cumberland
Mary Gibson      F   5   Cumberland
Nathen Gibson      M   3   Cumberland
Elizabeth Gibson      F   1   Cumberland
Thomas Martindale      M   30-34   Cumberland

His mother was a Wilson.

Nathan married Ellen (or Eleanor) Young in 1865 and died in 1874. Ellen then married a James Meredith, and in 1891 the Merediths have two young boarders living with them at 66 Sedley St Walton on the Hill
James Meredith    46  Bricklayer  Liverpool
Johnana??Meredith 52  Gosforth, Cumberland  (seems to be our Ellen)
Jane F G Meredith 21 Workington
James Meredith    15
William G Meredith 7/12
William Martindale 18 Boarder
John Martindale    16  Boarder

(The Merediths were transcribed as Murdish (!))

It seems like more than a coincidence yet I can't (so far) find any other Martindales who are family members. Nathan's parents were Edward Gibson and Hannah Wilson, and Ellen's parents were unknown but it's not likely to be her side of the family, given that Thomas Martindale crops up while Nathan is still a young child.

I've tried to find a connection but my brain isn't up to it. I do think that Thomas may have been the father of the two later boarders. Perhaps they were just family friends. It's interesting that the connection would continue with Nathan's widow.

All suggestions very welcome.

Sorry. How do I delete a post? Ignore this. Result of brainfade, I suspect.

While looking for my Baileys in the 1841 census (and finding John & Patience and three of their adult children in Halse), I noted that in the household next door there was a 3yo boy called Edward Bailey, all alone. Perhaps not surprisingly, he failed to give any details beyond his age.
(Piece: HO107/965/0 Place: Williton/Freemanners-Somerset Enumeration District: 8
Civil Parish: Halse Ecclesiastical Parish: Halse
Folio: 11 Page: 15)

I assume he is the Edward Bailey b. 4.10.1837 and christened at St James, Halse, base born son of the unmarried Jane PARSONS (according to the Halse Transcripts online).* Jane, in turn, may be the "15yo" housemaid working in Old Cleeve. I can't find Edward on the following census.

What's the likelihood he's the illegitimate son of one of my Bailey? (Quite high.) Would they have been taking care of him while his mother worked? (Also a reasonable supposition.) Why would he be listed as all by himself? (Who knows?) What happened to him and his mother? (More work to be done.) Where should I look next?

And is a 3yo child home by himself particularly unusual?

* But wait! There's more! I just found the same christening on familysearch.org with his name given as Edward Parsons Bailey and his mother as Jane Bailey. Which should I believe?