Help to Locate a Marriage
 

Hello,

I've tried, and failed, to locate a marriage for my Gx5 aunt Mary Ann Bowin/Bowen. She was born 1806 in Woodbridge Suffolk to Frederick & Frances Bowin but the parents were residents of Hull, Yorkshire mainly and they were only briefly in Suffolk whilst Frederick was stationed there (East Yorks Militia it says on baptism record). They were back in Hull by the time of the birth of their next child.

She appears to have married Joseph Rankin but where and when I don't know. They are together on the 1841 census in Monkwearmouth Shore, Durham. Joseph is a Mariner. They are still there in 1851 at Back Church Street with a niece living with them. The niece, wrongly written as Brown, is Elizabeth Bowin the daughter of Mary's brother Henry. Joseph Rankin is a witness to Elizabeth's first marriage in 1857 when she was only 16.

Any help would be greatly appreciate :)

Regards, Claire

I've been looking, but no luck. I wonder whether one of them was already married to someone else?

I can't help but wonder that too.

Ancestry keeps throwing up hints at me to a 'Mary Ann Rankin' who was transported to Australia who whilst there married a Joseph Lowe. Now I don't think it's her, yet I haven't been able to totally rule her out yet. Her age fits, where she was of when she was sentenced (Hull) fits. But her place of origin, Edinburgh, doesn't. I keep going back to it though because I keep wondering if that random 'L' that is on the 1851 census for Joseph Rankin stands for 'Lowe'.

Also, I finally found what I believe to be the marriage of her parents Frederick & Frances a couple of days ago and despite them both appearing to be English, the marriage was in..Edinburgh!

Again, I am very doubtful this is her but I haven't 100% disregarded it yet. If it was to be her, then that would suggest she married someone with the surname 'Rankin' somewhere.

There is though a Joseph Rankin who was baptised non-conformist in Monkwearmouth in 1809.

The problem is that she could have been married at any date from about 1822 onwards. If he is a mariner and she is also mobile, it could be anywhere from London to Edinburgh, with a marriage that may be respectable, just not online yet.

I agree with that too Phoenix. I don't think any marriage took place in Scotland as I've tried a number of variations of both their surnames to look for a marriage with no joy.