Research thinking skills
Reader Judy Venables would like help solving her oldest brickwall (it’s been standing strong for 37 years). Judy would like to find out who was The moTher of her 2x great-grandmoTher Louisa Membery.
My ancestor, 2x greatgrandmoTher Louisa Membery (various surname spellings) was born about 1843 (this from her death record). She is first shown in The family Bible which shows her marriage to Colour-Sergeant John Wilson on 22 December 1863 at St James, Dover. I got her marriage certificate which confirmed this and stated that her dad, John Membiry, was a gardener. Her husband John was a soldier (I have his muster rolls). They had four children: John Thomas born 1864 Aldershot, Mary Ann born 1865 at Shorncliff, my great-grandfaTher William 1867 at Dublin en route to India, and Henry at Mean Meer 1870 in India.
The oldest and youngest boys both died aged 3-4 months. Louisa died on 16 July 1871 at Dugshaie, Bengal, India, after which, John took Mary Ann and William back to England. Mary Ann died back in Huntingdonshire in 1874 aged 9 (where The Wilsons came from).
I know her dad, John Membery was a master gardener who was born in 1819 and baptised in 1820 at Bradninch, Devon to Samuel and Ann Membery née Charles. Ann died on 29 December 1827 at Bradninch. In 1841, on The census, John is an unmarried lodger residing with an older woman at Lympstone, Devon. In 1856, John marries Sarah Jane Langmead and They have several children. However, Sarah Jane was born about 1835/6 so could not possibly be Louisa’s moTher.