Mary Heaver Mystery
William STEPHENS, born 1839 of Wivelsfield, Sussex and
Mary HEAVER born c 1844 of
Wivelsfield or Woodmancote, Sussex
We
have been at our wits' end with the young lady mentioned above for many years.
This is what we think we know:
1851 – Mary HEAVER is 6, an only child living with
her parents John HEAVER [born circa 1817, at Wivelsfield or Cuckfield] and Jane
[nee TAYLOR, born c 1822 at Lewes, daughter of John TAYLOR, a Currier by
trade]. Mary's birthplace is given as
Woodmancote. We cannot find a birth registration or baptism for her around 1844, either as a
HEAVER or a TAYLOR
1851 – William STEPHENS/STEVENS, born 18 May 1839
[parents Henry STEPHENS and Jane STEPHENS née WHITING] (certificate owned)
Wivelsfield and living at Wivelsfield
1861 – Mary HEAVEN [sic] is visiting a family named DENNETT in Keymer, aged 16
with her birthplace given as Wivelsfield.
John HEAVER and wife Jane are
living in Wivelsfield with children younger than Mary
1861 – unable to locate William STEPHENS – but we strongly believe he was
wrongly enumerated as John Stephens, working in a Brighton public house as a
potboy
1861 to 1864 – is there a possible
marriage of Mary HEAVER to William STEPHENS/STEVENS? –
no marriage registration has been found despite exhaustive searches
1864 – a daughter, Jane STEPHENS born at Wivelsfield to William STEPHENS and
Mary [née HEAVER ] (certificate owned)
1867 – a son, William Edward STEPHENS born at Brighton to William STEPHENS and
Mary
[née HEAVER] (certificate owned)
1871 – a William STEVENS, born circa 1841 at Haywards Heath is a prisoner in
the Wandsworth House of Correction (County Prison to you and me!) - no trace of
any other likely candidate
1871 – Now, this is where you come in - where are Mary and the children? Nay, who are Mary and the children? We have tried everything to locate Mary
STEPHENS with children Jane (aged 7) and William (aged 4) on the 1871 census
1872 – William STEPHENS dies in Brighton, death registered by Mary HEAVER: using her maiden name, not
her "married" name
1874 – Mary HEAVER spinster [!] (father John HEAVER) marries Lewis WHITE at
Brighton Register Office (certificate owned)
1881 – Lewis and Mary WHITE, with son William WHITE [sic] living in Wandsworth
1881 – Jane WHITE [sic], a servant, working in London
1886 – Jane STEPHENS, now known as Ellen Jane STEPHENS marries Henry George
HUGHES at
St
John Waterloo, Lambeth
This
is where you come in – are you able to provide any information on when and
where Mary HEAVER was born, or indeed any information or suggestions regarding
any of the other four queries raised below?:
(1) When and where was Mary HEAVER born or
baptised ?
(2) When and where was her mother Jane TAYLOR
(daughter of John TAYLOR) born ? – censuses indicate
she was born c 1822 at Lewes but
no baptism has been found
(3) Why did Mary HEAVER and William STEPHENS
never marry?
(4) Where were William STEPHENS, Mary STEPHENS,
Jane STEPHENS and William STEPHENS at the time of
the 1871 census?
(5) Who were Henry STEPHENS' parents and where
was he born – all censuses indicate he was born
c 1810 at Wivelsfield but no baptism can
be found
If
you have information on one or more of the following queries, please contact us
at:
16 April 2011