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« on: Thursday 08 February 18 12:21 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm wondering if anyone can help unravel this puzzle with me please. My 2nd Great Grandmother is Sarah Ann Rathbone. She was born about 1856 (ish) and it appears she might not have married my 2nd Great Grandfather William Taylor - any proof to the contrary gratefully accepted. She had their first child James Joseph Taylor in Jan 1873, and the baby died pretty soon afterwards buried in Philips Park cemetery on 8th Mar 1873 - her name is spelt RATHBURN, and she had him in Manchester. She had my Great Grandmother Emily Taylor on 1st Apr 1874 in Salford (I'm assuming she went home to mum, older sibling or aunt for the birth) - and her name is spelt Rothbourne. She had William in 1876, he died and was buried 14/11/1877 again in Philips Park cemetery, her name is spelt RATHBURN and in the same year she had Walter, her name spelt RATHBORNE in Apr and he died and was buried 5th Apr 1877 in Philips Park (I should add all pauper graves). She then had Thomas Edward in 1879, her name spelt RATHBURN - then John in 1881, and finally Ethel in 1884 her name spelt the same. Sarah Ann appears in 1881 on the census as Sarah AnnTaylor age 24 years with husband William, 7 year old Emily and 2 year old Thomas Edward. Unfortunately Sarah Ann died 17th November 1888 so she doesn't appear on the 1891 census, but William registered her death as the widower of Sarah Ann Taylor, her age 31 years.
Now for the puzzle. I, along with help from Roots chatters and my lovely 2nd cousin managed to find only 3 likely candidates for Sarah Ann Rathbone - born 1854, 1855, and 1856.
The first of these has parents Joseph and Sarah Clarke, the second has parents Joseph and Sarah Morris and the third has parents Joseph and Ann Hunt.
The daughter of Sarah Morris married a man named William Holt, who died and she remarried James Ingram I found Ms Morris as a widow residing with the family on the 1881 census.
Now one of the other girls married Charles Kitchen. Having traced the girls through each census, it seemed as if this girl was the daughter of Ms Clarke. And that my Sarah Ann, was the daughter of Ms Hunt, whose husband died in 1858 when Sarah Ann was only 2.
However, a friendly genealogist has suggested that my Sarah Ann is the daughter of Ms Clarke and that they are from Cheshire. It has now become a tangle with no ends it seems, and I'm at a loss as to which way to go with this. It seems to me, that my Sarah Ann had Emily in Salford for a reason, and Rathbone/Clark family do not seem to fit. UNLESS, and I've been told I'm wrong, that Joseph Rathbone's parents are John Rathbone and Sarah Davis who married in Manchester and lived at least for a time in Salford....
Any ideas are most welcome - and thank you for reading.