Since you have Hannah's exact date of death, have you obtained the death certificate to see who was the informant and whether it says that she was the widow of William Hayden or something else? The informant might be a family member, in which case the relationship will be shown.
Does her address - if it is specific enough - on the death certificate match with her residence on 1861 census?
Also the date of death matches that in the probate registry for a will for Hannah Hayden,
spinster. The IoW BDM index only shows one Hannah Hayden dying in that year.
So are you satisfied that
- the Hannah Hayden shown on the 1841 census living in Sea View with Jemima Hayden (and presumably her children George, Walter, Deborah, Emily, Frederick ref HO107/406 Bk 2/23 p 11
- the Hannah Hayden, a widow, shown on 1851 census, living at the Old Fort, Sea View, St Helens, ref: HO107/1664/69 p 15
- and Hannah Hayden on 1861 census living with James Hayden at High Street, Brading, listed as unmarried ref: RG9/659/51/7
are the same person?
If so, then you have some contradictions to resolve. 1841 shows no relationships or marital status; 1851 has her as a widow; 1861 has her as single. The evidence found and posted on this thread and your previous thread strongly suggest that Hannah was never married and that James was illegitimate. Obtaining the will (£1.50 from:
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/ might help you. Whatever your relative might have thought or been told, the documentary evidence from parish register entries found so far, census and the probate calendar entry is pointing to something else.
There would be no point in anyone looking for a marriage if Hannah who died 4 Aug 1862 was really a spinster, because they would fail. Likewise, looking for William's death may well be fruitless if he never existed. While death certificates sometimes contain incorrect information, it is usually a matter of the age being incorrect. In 1861, her nephew (who was responsible for completing the census form or informing the enumerator of the details of his household) put Hannah down as unmarried.
May I suggest that you follow that up before looking for someone who might never have existed or married Hannah.
Jemima's children can be tracked through the census and the IoW BMD index (post 1837
https://www.isle-of-wight-fhs.co.uk/databases/bmd), but beware, Hayden is a common name.
Have you obtained James' will from TNA? Reference is PROB 11/2079/240, pr 28 Aug 1848. It can currently be downloaded free of charge if you have an account with TNA (register for an account if necessary).
Nell
