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Thank you to all of you for all your help with this! I dont know why I hadnt looked at the Otford Churchyard listings as I have found a number of my relations buried there! Does anyone know if there are websites for graves for other parts of the county that are as good as the Kent ones? Jenny x

.. mine too, Jacqueline! Though I did have a couple of branches (one on Mum's side & one on Dad's) that emigrated to Cleveland - which is how I knew about the Cleveland Necrology Files (some of my lot are listed on there too). Have pm'd Jenny to let her know that we've found 'em! Cheers, Richard

That's brilliant Richard! Well done! I wish I could get that kind of luck with my 'sticky' relatives!

Final proof!!! from http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Libr/MIs/MIsOtford/01.htm (a website listing monumental inscriptions from Otford, Kent): 92. William Thomas PARISH died at Collamer? , U.S.A. 24 February 1884 aged 77 years. Mary Maria Parish wife of above died at Otford 8 May 1885 aged 50 years. It seems, therefore, that he had knocked a few years off his age in the American records!! So... mystery solved, Jenny! Sounds like there's even a headstone in Otford for them - there's a pencil sketch of the graveyard on the above website, showing the position of the grave. Richard :))

Seems they're in Ohio in 1870, too, but the date/age is way out! His wife is Mary, aged 40. Name: William Parish Estimated Birth Year: abt 1814 Age in 1870: 56 BirthPlace: England Home in 1870: East Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio Family and Neighbors: View Results Race: White Gender: Male Value of real estate: View Image Post Office: Collamer

I can't see Collamer anywhere on the form, Richard - here are the details: Name: William F. Parish Home in 1880: East Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio Age: 70 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1810 BirthPlace: England Relation to head-of-household: Self Spouses's Name: Mary Maria Father's birthplace: ENG Mother's birthplace: ENG Neighbors: View others on page Occupation: Farmer Marital status: Married Race: White Gender: Male Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane: View image Household Members: Name Age William F. Parish 70 Mary Maria Parish 45 ------------------------------- Off to look for 1870 now

Jacqueline - don't suppose they turn up on the 1870 US census do they? And was their address in 1880 in Collamer?

Well, well! Looks like you're correct Richard! Certainly looks like the old style hand writing 'T' to me!! It's often transcribed as an 'F', or 'J'. As for the Passenger lists, I did have a quick look, but couldn't find a reasonable match. I don't know percentages of lists online, though, or the accuracy of them.

... but wait, there's more!! from the Cleveland Necrology File (an online index to Ohio obituaries): Id#: 0269163 Name: Parish, William Thomas Date: Feb. 27, 1884 Source: Source unknown; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #062. Notes: Parish- At his home, no. Collamer, on Sunday, the 24th inst., William Thomas Parish, a native of England, in the 74th year of his age. The Funeral services will be held at St. Paul's Church, Collamer, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 2 p. m. ... That gives Mary Maria a year in which to return to England before her death in her home town in 1885! If someone on here has access to the USA Ancestry records, maybe they could check the 1880 image above (was William's middle initial really a 'T'?) and also check the New York Passenger Lists for any Parish's entering the USA between 1861 and 1880? Richard

Maybe she went to America!! There is this record on the US 1880 census - ages and occupation are right, just William's middle initial is wrong (but could be a transcription error?): Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace William F. PARISH Self M Male W 70 ENG Farmer ENG ENG Mary Maria PARISH Wife M Female W 45 ENG ENG ENG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Information: Census Place East Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio Family History Library Film 1255009 NA Film Number T9-1009 Page Number 102A

Found this on the 1871 Census, but her age is and place of birth are off. (Again, not uncommon, though) Name: Mary Parish Age: 41 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1830 Relation: Head - Widow Gender: Female Where born: Cliffe, Kent, England Civil Parish: Battersea Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary County/Island: Surrey Country: England Registration district: Wandsworth Sub-registration district: Battersea Household Members: Name Age Eliza Parish 11 Emma Parish 9 James Parish 16 Mary Parish 41 Willm Parish 4

Found this marriage - could it be them? (Note that Thomas is a middle name - it was not uncommon for people to pick and choose their first names) Name: Mary Maria Jessup Year of Registration: 1854 Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec District: St George Hanover Square County: London, Surrey Volume: 1a Page: 324 Name: William Thomas Parish Year of Registration: 1854 Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec District: St George Hanover Square County: London, Surrey Volume: 1a Page: 324 -------------------------------- Could this be Mary's death? Name: Mary Maria Parish Birth Date: abt 1835 Year of Registration: 1885 Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun Age at death: 50 District: Sevenoaks County: Kent Volume: 2a Page: 394

Im not really sure if she would have reverted to her maiden name as I havent found a death record for William either. Her middle name is MARIA anyways.

1881 - could she have reverted to maiden name Mary An. Jessup (not sure it is An. as middle initial - doesn´t match an A further down the page. ) Age: 45 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1836 Relation: Daughter Mother's name: Sarah Gender: Female Where Born: Otford, Kent, England Civil parish: Otford County/Island: Kent Country: England Registration district: Sevenoaks Sub registration district: Shoreham ED, institution, or vessel: 6 Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Harriet Jessup 36 John Jessup 32 Mary An. Jessup 45 Sarah Jessup 65 Mary Smart 66

REFERENCE 1861 Mary M Parish Age: 26 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1835 Relation: Wife Spouses's Name: William T Gender: Female Where born: Otford, Kent, England Civil parish: Otford County/Island: Kent Country: England Street address: Occupation: Condition as to marriage: View image Registration district: Sevenoaks Sub-registration district: Shoreham ED, institution, or vessel: 6 Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 20 Household Members: Name Age Ann Humble 16 Samuel Levitt 16 Mary M Parish 26 William T Parish 55 View Original Record View original image DEATH FOR MARY MARIA PARISH Name: Mary Maria Parish Birth Date: abt 1835 Year of Registration: 1885 Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun Age at death: 50 District: Sevenoaks County: Kent Volume: 2a Page: 394 (click to see others on page) REFERENCE.......................

Hi Could someone help me with a little mystery.. I am looking for Mary Maria Parish (nee Jessup b. Circa 1834 in Kent) and Thomas Parish (b.1806 in Finsbury, London). It is the 1871 and 1881 censuses I cant find them in. Regards Jenny