Help!
My ancestor, Mary Ellis, was born in Liverpool about 1860, according to the census records I have for her post-marriage. I have her marriage certificate to John Emmett in 1789, which includes the name of her father, and his occupation as a labourer. There is some disagreement among the family researchers as to whether it says Robert or Herbert for his name (or, if you listen to my husband, Bobest
)
(aside, I'm fairly certain this is the correct marriage certificate as John's address matches his family's home, but both he and his father are listed as carpenters when they were both shipwrights, and I'm not sure why).
I originally thought it said Herbert (based on them choosing the name for her son, and because there was a Herbert Ellis living nearby), and my cousin thinks it is Robert - which is definitely more common in the time period. SO there are several family trees out there which show completely different ancestors for the Mary Ellis that married John Emmett. All I know for cerftain is that they were both literate, and John came from a fairly well off family.
Thing is, I can't find Mary prior to her marriage - with either Herbert OR Robert as a dad. She does not list an occupation on her marriage certificate, although she is living in Goring Street in 1879. According to her marriage certificate, she was born in 1860, but her death certificate (she died after John) has her as born in 1856. On every census after her marriage she is listed as born in Liverpool, but I cannot find her birth certificate conclusively. I have one possibility, but it has her born in 1855. If her spouse really did think she was 19 at their marriage she must have had really good skin, is all I'm saying.
Oh and John lied about his age, too. HE was 19, not 21, so maybe their ages got mixed up? ARGH
Anyway, please help. I'm going around in circles with this lady, and I think I'm at that stage where I talk myself out of any of the records until I'm not convinced she ever existed