I have spent a great deal of time trying to establish a maiden name for Mary Ann TURNER 1828-Deceased, the mother of Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased) the wife of Joseph BELLAMY 1857-Deceased. I have a copy of the marriage certificate for Joseph BELLAMY 1857-Deceased and Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased) but Sheffield Register Office could not retrieve a birth certificate for Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased).

I find this rather puzzling since FreeBMD records a birth during 1860, at Sheffield, of a Mary Anne TURNER. So in order to proceed further I have turned my attention to Mary Ann's siblings.

Originally I had planned to try and retrieve a birth certificate for Edwin TURNER 1859-Deceased but further research has produced a christening record for Alice TURNER 1862-Deceased. If my research is correct she was baptised on the 10th of September, 1864 at the Church of Saint Philip, Shalesmoor, Sheffield.

I have posted a request for a Birth Certificate to Sheffield Register Office and this time hopefully I will get a result.

Notes:
This is almost certainly the correct area of Sheffield since as a young child in the 1950's I remember my visits to the Saint Philips Road area of Sheffield and in particular to my uncle Edwin BELLAMY 1919-Deceased and aunt Margaret (Peggy) BELLAMY (née Margaret KETTLEWELL 1924-Deceased) and their only son and my cousin Philip BELLAMY 1948-Deceased. Sadly Philip died in his early twenties.

The family lived in a terrace house on a cul-de-sac behind the Roscoe Cinema, though the whole of this area was later cleared to make way for road improvements and the new tram system. One of my earliest memories is attending a 5th of November bonfire night party. This was a communal event with the bonfire built in the middle of the cobbled street and the neighbours contributing baked potatoes, hot chestnuts, slabs of black toffee and toffee apples.