Some time ago I asked for help in tracing the marriage of a David Edwin Holdsworth to a Mary Croft (the names came from several of their chiildrens birth certificates). After over 2 years of searching I had hit a brick wall and was unable to move any further on. I recently found a descendent of this couple living in Canada through the www.curiousfox.com site and they had a family bible. Apparently Mary Croft married David Holdsworth using the name of Mary Ann Taylor (spinster) according to the bible. I have now acquired the marriage certificate for 21 Sept 1857 and this is correct, however on the marriage certificate her father is named as John Croft. So I am now pursuing this conundrum but thought I would record what I have found here in case anyone is following this up in the future. Regards Liz Holdsworth

From: "Liz Holdsworth" <yzzil.yrruc@virgin.net> > Some time ago I asked for help in tracing the marriage of a David > Edwin Holdsworth to a Mary Croft (the names came from several of > their chiildrens birth certificates). After over 2 years of searching I had > hit a brick wall and was unable to move any further on. > > I recently found a descendent of this couple living in Canada through > the www.curiousfox.com site and they had a family bible. Apparently > Mary Croft married David Holdsworth using the name of Mary Ann > Taylor (spinster) according to the bible. I have now acquired the > marriage certificate for 21 Sept 1857 and this is correct, however on > the marriage certificate her father is named as John Croft. > > So I am now pursuing this conundrum but thought I would record what I > have found here in case anyone is following this up in the future.< I can think of at least one possible explanation, i.e. Mary Ann Taylor/Croft was born illegitimate. Her mother was a Taylor and not married to John Croft but told Mary who her father was. How old was Mary when she married and have you found her in the 1851 census? A further possible scenario is that Mary's parents were, in fact, married and she was born as Croft, but John died and Mary's mother subsequently married a man called Taylor and Mary took the name. -- Roy Stockdill Professional genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE