Quote Originally Posted by almach View Post
When Susannah married her parents were named as Eliza and John, if the John on the 1841 census is the key to this search it is possible her parents didn't marry and her birth is registered under Eliza's surname, I apologise if this has already been mentioned but the thread is long and I'm tired I wanted to document my thoughts so I can pick up tomorrow as really must go to bed now, it's late! I'll take another look later.
Okay - I received the marriage certificate for John Smith and Eliza Smith - who are listed as Susannah Smith's parents on her marriage to Robert Emmett. John's father is given as Thomas Smith, a flour dealer, and Eliza's father is given as William Smith, a farmer. It is John's second marriage - Eliza's first. Unfortunately, the marriage took place in 1854, years after Susannah was born. Susannah must have always considered Eliza to be her mother, but in fact it must have been John's first wife, who likely died before 1851, when Susannah showed up in the home of Jonathan and Susannah Lowe, age 3, listed as their granddaughter.

So, we know Jonathan Lowe married Susannah Smith in 1828, and that John Smith must have been her son from her first marriage. If her first husband was named Thomas Smith, then we have a link from Susannah Smith, the child, to Susannah Lowe, Jonathan's wife, that goes thru John Smith and his second wife Eliza Smith.

So, to complete the link, I need:
1. a marriage between Thomas Smith and Susannah prior to 1821, which is about when John Smith was born;
2. a birth record for John Smith to Thomas Smith and his wife Susannah;
3. a marriage between John Smith (father: Thomas) and a woman about 1846-ish, as Susannah Smith was age 3 in 1851;
4. a birth for Susannah Smith about 1847-8 to John Smith and that woman;
5. a death for that woman between Susannah Smith's birth and 1854, when he seems to have remarried to Eliza Smith (provided Susannah, wife of Jonathan Lowe's first husband - and John's father - was named Thomas.

So, first I'll send off for that marriage record between Jonathan and Susannah, then start looking for John's birth record!