Hi Jo-Ann and John, I have pondered the age question. The 1841 census, as Jo-Ann pointed out, suggests that Jane DUNN was born between 1811 and 1816, depending on her month of birth, and Peter would have been born in 1827 or 1828 depending on his month of birth. Thus, Jane could have been as old as17 when Peter was born. This assumes that Jane did not fib about her age . In the 1851 census age gives her age as 45. With no rounding down and assuming this age was truthful, she would have been born in 1805 or 1806. In 1861, she gave her age as 51, suggesting she was born in 1809 or 1810. At her death in November 1873, her age was given as 67 by the informant, John McKIE. That would have her born 1805 or 1806, consistent with the 1851 census. John McKIE was her brother-in-law, having married Jane's sister Thomason. According to the IGI, Thomason was baptised 01 Aug 1809 in parish of Kirkinner. It seems reasonable to expect Thomason would have known Jane's age and that her husband John McKIE was thus well informed. Thomason's age reported at death on 13 May 1886 was 75, suggesting she was born in 1810 or 1811. If she only cribbed one year on her own age, it seems reasonable to expect that she would have been within a couple of years on Jane's age. That said, there remains some doubt. The IGI shows 11 children to James DUNN & Thomason STRACHAN from 1793 to 1812. The only Jane amongst them was baptised 04 Sep 1796, so it seems likely this one died in infancy. The problem then is to fit the subject Jane into the sequence. The gaps, in order, are 14,30,16,22,20,24,22,21, 30, and 30 months. James was baptised 12 May 1805 at Burlescombe, Devon, and Helen on 01 Feb 1807 at Wooler, Northumberland. It is possible that Jane was born between James and Helen, but it is doubtful. Her place of birth as reported in 1851 was Oak Hill, England. The only one I could find is in Somerset, some 40 miles or 65 km from Burlescombe, Devonshire. This could of course be mistaken information. That does happen. We still can't be sure of Jane's year of birth, but on balance, I think she was likely to have been old enough to have been the mother of Peter. I agree with Jo-Ann's caution in jumping to that conclusion. It is the most obvious possibility, but not the only one. *From the IGI: Father Name: james dunn, Mother Name: thomason strachan* Name John Dun Gender Male Christening Date 20 Jan 1793 Christening Place BARONY,LANARK,SCOTLAND Birth Date 10 Jan 1793 Father's Name James Dun Mother's Name Thomson Strachan Indexing Project (Batch) Number C11622-8 GS Film number 1041477 Name Elizabeth Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 02 Mar 1794 Christening Place, YETHOLM, ROXBURGH, SCOTLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Strahan Indexing Project (Batch) Number C11811-2 GS Film number 1067954 Name Jane Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 04 Sep 1796 Christening Place BURLESCOMBE, DEVON, ENGLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomzin Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-5 GS Film number 6340827 Name Anne Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 25 Dec 1797 Christening Place BURLESCOMBE, DEVON, ENGLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomazin Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-5 GS Film number 6340827 Name Betsy Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 27 Oct 1799 Christening Place BURLESCOMBE, DEVON, ENGLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomazine Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-5 GS Film number 6340827 Name Mary Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 20 Jun 1801 Christening Place BURLESCOMBE, DEVON, ENGLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomasin Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-6 GS Film number 6340828 Name Thomas Dunn Gender Male Christening Date 26 Jun 1803 Christening Place Burlescombe, Devon, England Birth Date 10 Jun 1803 Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomazine Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-6 GS Film number 6340828 Name James Dunn Gender Male Christening Date 12 May 1805 Christening Place Burlescombe, Devon, England Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Tomazin Indexing Project (Batch) Number C16847-6 GS Film number 6340828 Name Helen Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 01 Feb 1807 Christening Place UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHEVIOT STREET-NC,WOOLER,NORTHUMBERLAND,ENGLAND Birth Date 11 Jan 1807 Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomason Indexing Project (Batch) Number P00454-1 GS Film number 87986 Name Thomeson Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 01 Aug 1809 Christening Place, KIRKINNER, WIGTOWN, SCOTLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomeson Strachan Indexing Project (Batch) Number C11889-2 GS Film number 1068037 Name Betsey Dunn Gender Female Christening Date 06 Feb 1812 Christening Place, WIGTOWN, WIGTOWN, SCOTLAND Father's Name James Dunn Mother's Name Thomason Strachan Indexing Project (Batch) Number C11901-2 GS Film number 1068042 Regards, Bruce