1700s Brick Wall County Durham, England

[Torstin]

I'm at a brick wall in the 1700s England and I am trying to find parents for a Male ancestor (John Garthwaite). All we have is his Marriage(1788) and birth/christening of his kids. Looking at his average birth date range, his name (John Garthwaite) is too common in the area with multiple men showing up; and possibly none of those are even him. Either way we are trying to research these records/documents to find him or his parents; How do you 100% prove it's this or that person? The ancestors name (John Garthwaite) is popular enough in the area that I could make up several scenarios and still could be wrong or accidently forming false "stories". Ive formed many different scenario stories in my head while reasearching couldnt PROVE any of them, so I know nothing of him prior to his marriage. So many family members have different scenarios attached to their trees thinking these people or those people are his parents and NONE of it has been PROVED. "Proof" is key to me and my family history research.

tldr; Im looking for the parents (WITH PROOF) of John Garthwaite (native to Wolsingham) who married Dorothy English (native to West Harle, Northumberland) on Jan. 1st, 1788 in Houghton-le-spring, England.


Garthwaite Family History in England:
⦁   John Garthwaite marries Dorothy English on Janurary 1st, 1788 in Houghton Le Spring, England by banns
⦁   John and Dorothy Garthwaite have their first and only daughter Barbara Garthwaite, she had her christening on November 30th, 1788 in Houghton Le Spring, England
⦁   John and Dorothy Garthwaite have their first son George Garthwaite, he had his christening on October 20th, 1793 in Houghton Le Spring, England. Most Likely born in 1791 though based on ages.
⦁   John and Dorothy Garthwait have their second son Thomas Garthwaite, he had his christening  on October 25th, 1798 in Houghton Le Spring, England
⦁   Thomas Garthwaite son of John and Dorothy Garthwaite dies May 21st, 1799 and is buried May 23rd, 1799 in Houghton Le Spring, England
**On Thomas' parish records John Garthwaite is written as Native to Wolsingham and Dorothy as Native to West Harle, Northumberland**
⦁   George Garthwaite, son of John and Dorothy Garthwaite, gets married to Mary Laws/Lawes on September 16th, 1812 in Wolviston-Billingham, England
⦁   George Garthwaite, son of John and Dorothy Garthwaite, is a butcher for his occupation on sons marraige record
⦁   George and Mary Garthwaite have their first son John Martin Garthwaite on November 23rd, 1812 in Trimdon, England of this Parish, he was baptised December 2nd, 1812 in Trimdon, England
⦁   George and Mary Garthwaite have their second son George Garthwaite, he was baptised on March 26th, 1815 in Trimdon , England as abode.
⦁   George and Mary Garthwaite have their first and only daughter Elizabeth Garthwaite, she was baptised on August 10th, 1817 in Trimdon, England as abode.
⦁   George and Mary Garthwaite have their third son Benjamin Garthwaite, he was baptised on August 14th, 1818 in Trimdon, England as abode.
⦁   George and Mary Garthwaite have their fourth son Edward Garthwaite, he was baptised on August 15th 1821 in Trimdon, England as abode.
⦁   George Garthwaite is buried on April 4th, 1822 in Trimdon, England as abode. Rumor has it George Garthwaite died from injuries recieved from falling off a horse while riding
⦁   Mary Garthwaite remarries Joseph Simpson in August 1829 in Trimdon, England of this parish.
⦁   Mary and Joseph Simpson have a daughter Mary Ann Simpson born October 14, 1829 in Trimdon, England
⦁   Mary Simpson previously known as Mary Garthwaite is buried April 26th 1834 in Trimdon, England as abode.
⦁   George Garthwaite, son of George and Mary Garthwaite, is buried on April 25th, 1835 in Trimdon, England as abode.
⦁   Benjamin Garthwaite, son of George and Mary Garthwaite, gets married to Isabella Bruce on July 14th, 1839 in Stockton , England as residence. Benjamin Garthwaite's occupation was a blacksmith
⦁   John Martin Garthwaite, son of George and Mary Garthwaite, gets married to his first of two wives Frances Walton in the 4th quarter of 1839 in Stockton, England as marraige place and registration district.
⦁   Elizabeth Garthwaite marries James Laidlaw on November 3, 1838 in Trimdon Parish Church
⦁   Elizabeth and James Laidlaw have their daughter Mary Laidlaw September 13, 1840
⦁   Elizabeth Laidlaw dies September 22, 1840 due to birthing daughter
⦁   John Martin Garthwaite and Frances have their first child John George Garthwaite birth registered Oct-Nov-Dec 1841 with event place of Stockton, Durham, England
⦁   Edward Garthwaite, son of George and Mary Garthwaite, gets married to Margaret Blenkinsop on March 5th, 1842 in Auckland St. Andrew, England with Middleston/Middleton as Residence. Edwards occupation was a shoemaker
⦁   In 1846 brothers John Martin Garthwaite, Benjamin Garthwaite, and Edward Garthwaite take their families on a ship called Envoy and move to The United States of America arriving June 3, 1846 in New York, New York.

[fiddlerslass]

Unless you can find a will which links John & Dorothy to an earlier generation, you are unlikely to find 100 % proof.There are several wills of Wolsingham Garthwaites but also look at the others too. See the Durham wills project.

http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/data/simple.php

The only other  leads are likely to be in the names of their children. If they followed typical naming patterns then Barbara and George are top of the list for featuring in John's recent ancestry. The name Martin used as a middle name may be a pointer too, unless it came from  George's wife's side.

Also have a look at the other Garthwaites round Houghton le spring and see if any were from the  Wolsingham area.  Try to build up the different family groups. Then perhaps a John who "disappears" from Wolsingham may stand out.
It is going to be more of a process of elimination I am afraid, and sometimes you have to be prepared to say that is as far as I can go with any certainty. I have had to do this with several of my lines once back to the 1700's as there are too many candidates in the right parish with the same names.