Hello again,
my comment about triplets was tongue in cheek as in the 1841 census, ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years. Some enumerators didn't do this and some went above and beyond and rounded everything. I have a case of this in my family in Chepstow where it looked like 3 sets of twins at 15,10 and 5. It becomes obvious from later census entries that these ages weren't correct. Anyway, I can't imagine what the odds must be against having 3 sets of twins exactly 5 years apart!
Onto the Smiths. I couldn't find a parish in Dorset to match the place of birth for Elizabeth from the 1901 and then realised it was Porton, not Norton(and should be spelt Poorton). This led me to
1881 Lower Town, Montacute, Somerset RG11/2391 folio 137 pg 2
Abel Smith head mar 35 shepherd b. Dorset, Poorton
Ann wife 34
Lot son 9 scholar
Elisabeth dau 8 scholar
Robert son 4 scholar
Louisa dau 2
Abel son 11 months b. Montacute
(just realised, I didn't note all the places of birth, but I think they were all Poorton) Montacute explains Fred's place of birth as given in 1901.
1891 Ballcoombe, Thurluxton, Somerset RG12/1881 folio 97a pg 12
Abel Smith head mar 45 shepherd b. Frome Vauchurch
Ann Jane wife 44 b. South Poorton
Lot son 19 labourer b. South Poorton
Robert son 14 labourer b. Longlands(?)
Luesa dau 12 scholar b. Longlands
Fred son 7 scholar b. Longlands
William son 4 scholar b. W. Monkton
18 Crescent, Taunton RG12/1875 folio 18 pg 30
Elizabeth J Smith s 18 general servant b. Dorset, Poorton
in household of John Pridham, Professor of Music
1871 North Poorton, Dorset RG10/2026 folio 96 pg 1
John Gale head mar 78 pauper b. N. Poorton
Jane wife mar 83 pauper b. Mapperton
Abel Smith grandson mar 25 ag lab b. Downfrome(?)
Ann granddaughter mar 24 b. Poorton
Mary A great granddaughter 1 b. Poorton
(first time I've seen ggranddaughter on a census!)
there is this marriage Beaminster 3Q 1869 vol 5a pg 693 Abel Smith and Ann Jane Gale on same page
1861 Pond Ground, Wynford Eagle, Dorset RG9/1356 folio 52 pg 1
Robert Smith head mar 65 b. Wynford Eagle
Mary Ann wife 43 outdoor servant b. Beaminster
Abel son 15 shepherd b. Frome Vauchurch
1851 Wynford Eagle, Dorset HO107/1858 folio 527 pg 7
Robert Smith head mar 55 farm labourer b. Wynford Eagle
Mary Ann wife 33 b. Beaminster
Abel son 5 scholar b. Froom Vauchurch
Jane Dun visitor 13 scholar
The only real problem in all of this is Robert Smith in 1881 and 1891 becoming Albert in 1901. This could be his birth Robert George Smith Beaminster 2Q 1876 vol 5a pg 395 which accounts for his middle initial in 1901. Perhaps he didn't like Robert (after Grandad) and changed it or perhaps the enumerator couldn't read his own writing and Robert became Albert. That's not beyond the bounds of possibility. It looks like the brothers moved in the newly weds because their parents moved back to Dorset
1901 Pitmans Leaze, Thornford, Dorset RG13/2006 folio 3 pg 36
Abel Smith head mar 54 shepherd b. Frome Vauchurch
Ann J wife 58 b. North Poorton
Louisa A dau 22 b. Longbredy
William son 14 b. Som, W. Monkton
Arthur C son 8 b. Som, W. Monkton
possiblity for Elizabeth's birth Beaminster 1Q 1873 Elizabeth Jane Smith vol 5a pg 399.
Thank goodness for Mr Smith being called Abel or this would have been very much harder. This is, of course, dependent on the marriage certificate confirming fathers' names and occupations for Mr Smith and Mr Stevens, but places of birth look ok for the Smiths. There was another George Stevens born in Andover at the right time, but I went with the one who was a house painter aged 14 and became a sign-writer as this seemed a more logical progression than the other one who had moved to Basingstoke.
Hope this helps
