Thomas and Harriet Simmill

[mckha489]

Thank you  so much, that is very generous of you.

The marriage was 1814. She would have been only just 16 at the time which of course is a perfectly respectable age for a marriage, especially if you are an orphan.
I am aware age was not tracked in the way we track it now but I do find it difficult to believe she thought she was already over 20?  Unless they were conspiring to elevate it as Thomas Simmill was so much older - 25 years!

However there is, as far as I have been able to discover, no other marriage or death that fits Harriet STANTON.
If Harriet SMITH didn't appear to have vanished it would be helpful too! 


Modified - if she moved to Gnosall when young, why did they marry at St Mary's Stafford?

[Zen rabbit]

Another thread that might be a piece of the puzzle is a marriage for Mary Stanton and William Bailey at St Mary's on 2nd Sept 1802 (two years after the death of William Stanton). There is a William Bailey born Gnosall 23 Mar 1781. If this was harriet's mother then Harriet would have been four at the time of the marriage.
This is just a supposition though.
St Mary's was the main church for the area and people did marry in different places, either for convience (they worked there), a local priest wasn't availible, to avoid talk, they had not been resident in their parish long enough.

[mckha489]

Just commenting. I’ve no idea what to make of it but,

The page (which seems to have missed indexing on FindMyPast) with the marriage of Mary Stanton to William Bailey also has the marriage of Mary Stanton to Solomon Chelton (as you have) the Jane Kenderdine witness for both does not seem to be a regular church witness.

Also, the entry following the Bailey marriage is for another Bailey.
Sarah to Richard Bott.

Thinking about Harriet again.  If Mary had the Foregate house, and wasn’t allowed to sell it, then it is unlikely, unless she was pushed out by a second husband, that Harriet would have left that house before she was say 10 , isn’t it?

[mckha489]

Mary Brough signed at marriage to Wm 1798
Mary Stanton marked marriage to William Bailey
Mary Stanton signed marriage to Solomon Chelton

There is a bit of similarity between the first and last I think.

[Zen rabbit]

That is a good point.
it is tricky when you only have a few scraps to work with

[mckha489]

it is tricky when you only have a few scraps to work with

Well I suppose it wouldn't be as much fun as it is if it was all straight forward. It is frustrating though!

[mckha489]

BTW did you decide the Wm Stanton Mary Brough Marriage was the same William because John Wright was the witness?

[Zen rabbit]

It was one of the factors.
This is where it gets complex. William Stanton 1762-1800 who married Mary Brough (I think it quite likely looking at the signature that she did re-marry Solomon) was not a freeman of Stafford (due to his moving to Castlechurch outside the borough) although his father George Stanton was, His son William (jr) became a freeman by dint of servitude in 1837. All other Williams are named son of John, William etc so I can trace them back.
However William Stanton (1762-1820) who married Mary Green (it is interesting that the parish record for her death in 1804 actually says Mary Stanton nee Green) had a daughter Harriot (b. 1802) who married a John Talbot. They also had a son John Stanton who married Sarah Wright (in 1809), the daughter of John Wright (sometimes transcribed White) of Hopton. My 3rd Great grandfather John Stanton (who became chief warder for Stafford gaol) stayed with the Wright family for a while in 1840.
Both William (who married Mary Green) and William (who married Mary Brough) shared the same grandfather. Who was, yes another William Stanton (1703-1786) and the first of the line to become a freeman of Stafford in 1752

[Zen rabbit]

I enclose the transcripts I made of all the Stafford Stanton Wills held at Stafford archives