Pruned branch of my tree has sprouted new leaves!

[Uncle John]

A few years ago I took a firm axe to the more distant and unlikely branches of my tree. But after going methodically through the National Probate Calendar on Ancestry, someone off one of those branches has popped up as an executor for someone who is still firmly attached to my tree. So I've resurrected an ancient backup and started working my way back again with this family. There's loads more info around now. But I've got stuck now exactly where the doubt originally arose - a birth about 1806 to a single mother. The baptism is in the IGI / familysearch but there's no way of telling which of many family branches Mary belongs to, and there are several possible later marriages.

So that one goes back into the unsolved pile.

[kiterunner]

Post up what you have if you like, UJ, and I'll see if I can spot anything.

[Uncle John]

Let's start with Sarah Agnes Lishman (1862-1934) who married George Murray Carruthers (1862-1948) in Feb 1891 in Winchcomb, Glos. George ended up as a newspaper proprietor in Barrow in Furness.

Sarah's parents were Thomas Lishman (1829-1905) and Mary Jane Davis (1830 to ?1916).

Thomas and Mary were living with the Carruthers family in 1901 at Sea View, Barrow in Furness. Thomas's probate (Oct 1905) gives George Murray Carruthers as an executor and an address of Crosslands Park, Barrow. I can't find Mary in 1911 (she's not with the Carruthers family and the most likely death I can find is in 1916).

I deduced Thomas's birth circa 1829 in Hale, Westmorland and Mary's circa 1830 in Cowan Head from the censuses. He was a paper maker so the family was easy to trace as they moved around.

Thomas's father was also a Thomas who married Jane Thexton. He was an ag. lab. and gardener who by 1879 had moved to Postlip paper mill, Winchcomb to be with his children (Jane died there in 1879).

Thomas senr. was born/bap in Lancaster in 1806 (IGI/familysearch), with mother Mary Lishman, no father. And that's where the trail goes cold - there are just too many Mary Lishmans to match up reliably.

It is claimed by some Lishman researchers that Mary was the eldest daughter of John Lishman and Mary Myers, who married in Cartmel in 1786 (I have a PR transcription of the marriage on microfiche). The only problem is that I don't have a reliable record of any of their children's births or baps. I don't have their deaths/burials either, and I think they died before the 1841 census. The information came several years ago from a source which wasn't thoroughly researched.

So there it is. Enjoy!

[HarrysMum]

Can't see what you are after UJ.......I'll check around a few more places.

I've got Thomas, son of Mary bap 7/12/1806

There is also a William MYERS Lishman 26/10/1812 bap in Lowick. Not sure where he comes in, but must be part of that Lishman/Myers marriage somewhere.

[kiterunner]

Do you have the witnesses' names from Thomas Lishman's marriage to Jane Thexton, UJ?

[kiterunner]

There's a Mary Lishman who married Mark Irwin 17 Sep 1811 at St Mary's Lancaster, who is with Mark Irwin on the 1841 and is then a widow on the 1851 and 1861 censuses born Cartmel or Broughton about 1783. If her age is accurate on the censuses then she was born a few years before that John Lishman / Mary Myers marriage.

Of course we don't know whether she is the right Mary Lishman!

[Uncle John]

I've got Thomas, son of Mary bap 7/12/1806
Yes that's him.

There is also a William MYERS Lishman 26/10/1812 bap in Lowick. Not sure where he comes in, but must be part of that Lishman/Myers marriage somewhere.
Yes, he's from the marriage I quoted.

Do you have the witnesses' names from Thomas Lishman's marriage to Jane Thexton, UJ?
No, I don't have any record to show where it came from.

There's a Mary Lishman who married Mark Irwin 17 Sep 1811 at St Mary's Lancaster, who is with Mark Irwin on the 1841 and is then a widow on the 1851 and 1861 censuses born Cartmel or Broughton about 1783. If her age is accurate on the censuses then she was born a few years before that John Lishman / Mary Myers marriage.

Of course we don't know whether she is the right Mary Lishman!

Exactly. This is the marriage that's attributed to Mary from my doubtful source. I found that Mark Irwin was an exciseman (or similar). There is a Sarah Irwin bap Lancaster 1812 who prsumably belongs to this marriage. I haven't yet traced her forwards.

I still have quite a bit of work to do, filling in the references for the "facts". I think I've recovered a backup file dating from before when I did some of this spadework!

Thank you for all your efforts. Fresh pairs of eyes (and brains!) are always useful.