Hi Shane, don't know any more about Sarah or Phoebe, or their father Henry Maxwell Mathews, other than what I found on their marriage certificates. I did however get some English census info in reply to a message board post on Ancestry (or it may have been Genforum) some time ago, which gave me a Portarlington Ireland birth for Mary Jane Fleming and a Newatt Ireland birth for John Gibbons Mathews. Ronnie Mathews (no relation unfortunately) hasn't been able to turn up anything in Portarlington for me, and I'm a bit stumped with Newatt - thought it may be Newrath or Newry?? Could the Portarlington also be a corruption or incorrectly transcribed maybe??
Copy and paste of that info below.
THESE ARE OUR MATHEWS – BUT INCORRECTLY TRANSCRIBED as MASTERS. Sent to me by Charlotte EDWARDS IN VANCOUVER.
Dear Jeanne,
I was doing a search for my Henry Masters in 1861 index and found one
that was the correct age in the 1861 for Sheffield (county of Yorkshire) Piece 3496
folio 49F.Thinking it could be my Henry Masters, I listed all the ones on that folio:
John G Masters age 43 bn Ireland
Mary J " age 43 bn Ireland
Henry M D " age 14 born Hounslow, MDX
Mary G " age 12 bn Hounslow, MDX
John R " age 10 bn Manchester
Robert W " age 5 bn London, MDX
I haven't actually looked at that image, but I thought it was worth a
further look.
The birthplace wasn't right but since he lived in Middlesex by 1871,
I thought I would check him out in the 1871 on ancestry.
On Ancestry, the surname is transcribed as "MATHUE" for Richard
and MATHUES for all the rest but when one looks at the 1871 image
the surname is actually MATHEWS
RG 10 Piece 677, Folio 173 p. 39 Lambeth London
(address looks like 12 Bunily Pl)
Eccl. District St. Michael
Henry M Mathews (25, head, occ. accountant), My G-gfather
Jane (27, wife bn Sheffield),
Alice (2, daur bn London),
John J (Father, 53, no occ bn Newatt, Ireland), my John Gibbons Mathews
Mary J (Mother, 53, bn Portalington, Ireland), my Mary Jane FlemingRichard (brother, 21, railway clerk bn Manchester),
Robert (brother 15, no occ bn Bristol)
Julia Stacey, (servant, 17, domestic servant, bn Bristol)
Thats about the extent of what I have, after Sheffield I lost track of John Gibbons and Mary Jane, although I have the movements of most their children tracked.
Thanks,Jeanne