Hi Maddie and Ray, If I have the right Ruth the elder when I started all this some years ago of wich I cannot find another match as yet, she all ways gave her place of birth as millend, herts, ray as you pointed out about the mill end there were probably quite a few of places with that handle that in herts that have been dropped now, I have christening record of her...
eng &wales christening records 1530-1906 (Ancestry)
name.......Ruth Mead
gender......female
birth date......abt 1819
christening date..23 May 1819
place.......Rickmansworth, herts
father........Charles Mead (name given on marr record x2)
mother......Charlotte
The 41c to 61c she only put millend herts but in the 71c she gave ricky, so I believe I have the right girl, now what happened to ruth jnr and or as Maddie pointed out that elizabeth vanished as well, as you say what went on, I read somewere that very young children who died were not allways recorded in the church records, prehaps she gavethe 2 children away/adopted because she could not afford to keep them, prehaps mathew did not want ruth jnr as not his(need to find that birth), but elizabeth ??, as far as ruth snr's parents are concerned all I have is charles and charlotte mead, found a charles and charlotte in stewkley in bucks, 51c stewkley and hogston as place of,
Maddie you found a charles 1809 were was that record from, have ann 1821, i'll leave of here let you both digest it all put fresh minds to it......mick
ps that stewkley family cannot be mine because of time difference with charles at 1809, better ditch that one.