Confused - unable to find marriages!

[Essenchill]

Researching the Matson family tree, I am having some problems making sense of the following and wonder if anyone could provide any pointers?

On the 1871 census [RG10/4782/37/14] there is a Robert (born 1822) and Sarah Matson (born 1824) living together along with a George H Tennison (age 19), described as their son-in-law.   This would suggest that they have a daughter who has married George.

Forward ten years to 1881, [RG11/4758/75/2] we have Robert and Sarah this time with George R Tennison (age 4) visiting, who is their grandson.  This also adds up, in that their daughter and George have had a son.

Also in 1881, the daughter is recorded [RG11/4757/149/15] - Mary E Tennison (age 27) is living with George H Tennison (age 29) and George R Tennision (age 4) is also recorded with them.

The difficulty I have had is finding records of Robert and Sarah getting married, Robert and Sarah having any children and George and Mary getting married!  The only record I have for a Robert Matson and a Sarah getting married is in 1867, but this is a Sarah Tennison which is strange given the context, however it could be an error or it could be fact! 

I cannot find Robert and Sarah with children of their own on any of the census records I have managed to find. 

I also cannot find a Mary Matson marrying a George Tennison, my only tenuous  search here has found the possibility that this is Mary's second marriage.  I have found that Mary Watson is recorded as marrying John Harper (1868) and then Mary E Harper marrying George Tennison (1874) (from BMD records) and it's tenuous but Watson could be a transcription error.

To add to this complicated family, on the 1901 census, [RG13/4467/113/30] George R Tennison (now 25)is again with his grandmother Sarah (age 77 - still recorded as married) and this time is joined by his sister, Winifred (age 23) who is recorded as born in Dublin - all the other people mentioned here are recorded as born in Hull.  I suppose if George and Mary lived and married in Ireland perhaps this would explain why I can't find records on Ancestry?

If anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate them, and apologies if this should really be in the census forums as it's heavily census research based.  I think I'm too lost in this to make sense of it when it might all be very obvious really...  I've just typed this all out again as well as I lost the first version so apologies if I don't make sense anywhere!

[gortonboy]

for others rootschatters,,this is the marriage mentioned,,,i think it has to be the one??

Robert MATSON m Sarah TENNISON All Saints, Sculcoates Hull in 1867 (local register office ref HAS/16/60)

[gortonboy]

how about this one

George Hodgson TENNISON m Mary Ellen HAYWOOD All Saints, Sculcoates Hull in 1875 ( local register office ref HAS/20/102 )

[Gardener]

Looks good to me.
Here is the link if you want it in the future, Essenchill
http://www.yorkshirebmd.org.uk/index.php

Perhaps you need to search the 1861 for Sarah Tennison and her son? And see if you can find a husband who died?

[Mort29]

dont forget that 'son in law' could mean stepson - which looks like the case here?

[Valda]

Hi

'In the censuses the term 'in-law' meant 'related by marriage' as it does today, however the key difference is that in the 19th century it was applied to children which is not the case now. A son whose mother re-marries would today be called a 'step-son', however he may be recorded on the census as 'son-in-law'.'

http://www.census-helper.co.uk/census-confusions/


1861 census RG9 3582 folio 4
17 Caroline Street Sculcoates
Catherine Matson 72 Head Widow Beverley Yorkshire
Robert Matson 39 Son Unmarried Bricklayer Hull Yorkshire

Marriages Jun 1867  
MATSON  Robert     Sculcoates  9d 228    
TENNISON  Sarah     Sculcoates  9d 228

George might be Sarah's illegitimate son or her son by her first marriage. Her marriage will indicate whether Tennison was her maiden name.



Regards

Valda

[gortonboy]

Birth of George Hodgson Tennison registered Sculcoates RD Mar qtr 1852 9d 130
 

[Mort29]

Hodgson .... hmmm

1861 census of Sculcoates St Mary, Kingston upon Hull - RG9/Piece 3582 Folio 60 Page 5 @ 7, Cumberland Street
 
Rachel Hodgson 56 Head born Yorks, Welwick: a Grocer
Sarah Hodgson 36 dau ditto
William Hodgson 33 son ditto
George Hodgson 9 Grandson born Hull

Added: good find Gortonboy - Hodgson it is.

[Essenchill]

Thanks for all this, so much information... my head hurts!  I will take a break, digest and see what I make of all this with a bit of time to clear the muddle my head is in!  Thanks so much to everyone looking at this!