While checking this earlier article, one of the earliest articles on this website, the name Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased caught my eye.
This is my transcription of the England and Wales Census 1881:
FHJ Ref: 002
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: 4 North Street, East Drayton, Nottingham, England
Household: George Smithson
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithson | George | Head | M | Male | 51 | Agricultural Labourer | Headon, Nottinghamshire | |
| Smithson | Jane | Wife | M | Female | 28 | Retford, Nottinghamshire | ||
| Allen | John H | Step Son | Male | 9 | Scholar | Lambeth, Surrey | ||
| Allen | Jane | Step Daughter | Female | 7 | Scholar | Retford, Nottinghamshire | ||
| Smithson | Elizabeth | Daughter | Female | 2 | East Drayton, Nottinghamshire | |||
| Allen | Zillah | Sister In Law | U | Female | 22 | Dom Serv Unemployed (Farm) | Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire |
To view this table full width please click here.
These records suggest Jane SMITHSON (née Jane ALLEN 1853-1892) had 2 children, either from a previous marriage or 'out of wedlock'.
I suddenly realised that Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased, Jane's daughter presumably from her marriage to George SMITHSON 1830-Deceased, could be the elusive Elizabeth 'Betty' ALLEN.
A search of FreeBMD reveals a death, registered at Retford in March 1892 of one Jane SMITHSON aged 40 years. Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased would now be about 12 years of age.
The England and Wales Census 1891 records the following:
FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacklin | Dan | Head | Married | M | 28 | Coal Miner | Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, | |
| Jacklin | Ziller | Wife | Married | F | 32 | Gringley, Lincolnshire | ||
| Allen | Elizabeth | Niece | S | F | 9 | Gringley, Lincolnshire | ||
| Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire | ||||||||
To view this table full width please click here.
I conjecture Jane had fallen ill and was unable to care for Elizabeth her youngest child and Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) agreed to 'adopt' her.
A quick search of the England and Wales Census 1901 reveals an Elizabeth SMITHSON aged 22 years living at East Drayton.
Another search of FreeBMD this time for a marriage for Elizabeth SMITHSON reveals several, but the only one in an anticipated locality is registered in December 1909 at Rotherham, Yorkshire. The husbands name could either be Thomas DAVIS or Fred KEIGHLEY.
At this time Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) were probably still living at Swallownest so it could well be Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased married at the Church of All Saints at Aston-cum-Aughton which of course is in the registration district of Rotherham.
This is all conjecture and supposition at the moment and the dates, though not exactly what I would expect, are close enough to warrant further research. Since I am unlikely to glean much more from FreeBMD or the England and Wales Census, I will invest in the purchase of the marriage certificate and hope that I can prove my theory.
Updates:
2017-10-18 Recently I located a baptism for one Eliza ALLEN. To read about this development please click here.