Many thanks for your reply . You have out lined the many ways we thought when we first started looking for Catherine Sharp ( its well over twenty years ago)
What we know to be 100% accurate
marriage certificate:
District / No. Berwick No. 188
Marriage at the High Meeting House
in the County of Berwick & Northumberland
When 12th October 1856
Name Henry McMULLIN Catherine SHARP.
Age 31 22
Condition Bachelor Spinster
Rank Sergeant 91st Foot Domestic Servant
Residence Barracks, Berwick upon Tweed Woolmarket, Berwick upon Tweed
Father James McMULLIN
Profession Shoemaker
Married in the High Meeting House
according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of Scotland James A Miller Minst
George Turner Registrar
in the presence of George WILSON
(Witnesses) Jane WILSON
This indicates her birth was in 1834
1871 census RG10/ 859 fo48 p16 she was 34 born Berwick upon Tweed suggesting a birth year of 1837
1881 census RG11/ 832 fo 33 p 18 she was 44 born Berwick on Tweed again giving a birth year
1837
1891 RG12/1361 fo44 p23 she was 53 ie born 1838
1901 RG13/1637 fo 83 p47 she was 62 ie born1839
1911 RG14/9772 sch144 (RG14PN9772 RG78PN515 RD189 SD1 ED9 SN144) now 74
1931 Qtr 1 death McMullen Catherine 92 Epping 4a 538
She is always from Berwick Upon or On Tweed so I don't think she was born in Ireland or Scotland
So I don't think it wrong to assume she had increased her age on marrying and really was born around 1838 in Berwick upon Tweed. We went to the register office and spent time with the registrar who concluded the only possible Catherine registered in Berwick was Catherine LOGAN
We have not found any other evidence of the Sharps having a daughter or indeed any children so Catherine was not a grand daughter. The Sharps returned to Sunderland leaving Catherine in Berwick would they have done that if she was truly a relation and why put her as a servant?
1841 HO107/ 844/5 fo51 p 1
1851 HO107/2421 fo345 p 2
It appears that Catherine was married at 17 or 18 to a man of 33 she hid her age to save having the problem of being a minor and not having family to give concent She was probably known to have been the Sharps girl so she conveniently used their name.
No further information has been found about Jess or Jessie Edmeston
There is a James LOGAN born in Berwick on Tweed in 1813 who was living in Norham with a wife Isabella on censuses 1841 and they are on later censuses in various Nothumberland villages. He is an agricultural worker Catherine LOGAN's father was a farmer on her baptism and a husbandsman on her birth certificate He is a possible for Catherine's father though no marriage for James Logan and Isabella has been found to determine his marital status on marriage If he was Catherine's father it would be reasonable to think Jess was about the same age
If catherine was the daughter of a fellow soldier she would know her father's name so I discount that idea
She is on two censuses as LOGAn so i doscount the idea of her name being Logan-sharp I can see it on one but not two censuses.
I feel sure our Catherine really is the Catherine LOGAN living with the Sharps Hence the hunt for Jess /Jane /Janet/Jean Edmeston born about 1813.However I am keeping an open mind and ready to be PROVEN mistaken We just want to get to the truth of her birth its bad enough Henry being from Ireland and so far elluding us. We know he was from Bellaghy, Co. Londonderry, N Ireland and his father was james a shoe maker from Henry's military papers but so far we can't find any more about his birth or parents.
I look forward to anyones thoughts on what is a very tricky problem
Trees