Trying to find a marriage.

[lambo]

for years now i have been stuck on my great,great granparents,:( i cannot find a marriage for them, here is the info i have so far:

John Smith b)1854, somerset. Elizabeth Harris b)1851 Kingstanley, Gloucestershire. (Elizabeths dads name was George Harris.)

they had 5 children, first 1 in 1877.
I have found them in the census all stroud gloucestershire,including 1911 and it says they have been married for 35 years.

I have tryed going through the free bmd records but as you can gather there is a lot of John Smith. i cant order his birth certificate either because i dont know what his parents name are as again there are quite a few John Smiths born in somerset.

Can any help.

[Jeanette In Yorkshire]

Could you just confirm that this is them in 1881 please

John Smith 27
Elizabeth Smith 30
George E. Smith 4
Emily J. Smith

[KiteRunner]

In which case (i.e. if Jeanette has the right 1881 entry) Elizabeth and George were both born in Kings Stanley so you would expect the marriage to be there too (district Stroud). And John's birth place says West Coker.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Have yopu investigated these couples?

Marriages Jun 1875
DAY Julia Stroud 6a 565
Harris Elizabeth Stroud 6a 565
KING Thomas Henry Stroud 6a 565
SMITH Alfred John Stroud 6a 565

[Jeanette In Yorkshire]

That looks promising Merry

[KiteRunner]

There's a Thomas King in Minchinhampton with wife Julia on the 1881 census, oldest child age 5, so it looks very likely that Thomas married Julia and Alfred John married Elizabeth.

[lambo]

That is them in 1881 John Smith age 27 and yep i have John Smith born in West Coker which is in Somerset.

Merry i have come across that couple and i have also traced them in the census which they are not the couple who iam looking for.

:( Smiths driving me bananas.

i cant think what else to try.

[lambo]

Right, i hope i dont make this to confussing:

Alfred Smith and Elizabeth i found in
1881 and 1871 they had a son George Smith b)1863.
if this is there marriage in 1875 (which i thought it was) that Merry found that would make them married 11 years after George was born.

Im not following this family above, im trying to find John Smith and Elizabeth Harris marriage, im considering weather this is there marriage and actually his name is Alfred John Smith i suppose the only way i would know was if i bought it.

On my Great grandfathers birth is says father: John Smith and on his marriage certificate it also says father: John Smith.

[KiteRunner]

If the Alfred Smith and Elizabeth who you found on the census are the couple from that marriage then George was most likely the child of one of them from a previous relationship, or perhaps they lived together for years before marrying. But Smith is such a common name that they could easily be a different couple altogether from the couple who married in 1875, so that marriage could be yours. Yes, the only way to find out might be to get the certificate.

[lambo]

I have just found an Alfred Willam Smith married in 1863 Gloucestershire but unfortunatly it doesnt say who his partner was beacuse the page numbers couldnt be read in the index.

[KiteRunner]

The page number is 432. There are a few matching women: Emma Shildey Clarke, Eliza Morse or Rebecca Teahle.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I have just found an Alfred Willam Smith married in 1863 Gloucestershire but unfortunatly it doesnt say who his partner was beacuse the page numbers couldnt be read in the index.

The page number is 432 and these are the others from that page:

Marriages Mar 1863
CLARKE Emma Shildey Stroud 6a 432
MORSE Eliza Stroud 6a 432
TEAHLE Rebecca Stroud 6a 432

[KiteRunner]

But luckily the marriage is on FamilySearch as well:

Alfred William Smith married Emma Shirley Clarke 26 Jan 1863 Stroud.

But if I were you I think I would just order the Alfred John Smith / Elizabeth Harris marriage certificate and see if it is the right one or not.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

As you know Elizabeth's father's name you could say you only want the cert if that name is correct. If you do this through Stroud Reg office then it shouldn't cost you anything if the cert isn't the right one. Having said that there's a chance the bride's father could be "George Harris" and it's still the wrong cert! lol

The Register Office,
Parliament Street,
Stroud,
GL5 1DY
Tel: 01453 766049. Fax: 01453 752961.
E-mail: stroud.ro@gloucestershire.gov.uk

[lambo]

I will get that marriage certificate,
Thanks Merry if i get it now and it still says George Harris as the brides father i will still never know if ive got the right one will i :D

Thankyou both for helping me i have pondering over this one for a few years ill let you know as soon as i get it.

[lambo]

Yeah, i contacted Stroud yesterday, and they sent me an email back today confirming that Elizabeth Harris dad is George Harris. so i have just phoned them and hopefully i should have by next week.
Thankyou for helping cant wait to get it now.