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Hi Jon, thanks for the additional information. All very interesting. l have already ordered a copy of Leonard's Death record from GRO UK and was pleased to note that you now have the option to get the full certificate, a pdf version or a digital image. The later 2 are much cheaper, have no postage costs and are available relatively quickly.. Certainly a positive for family research.
Cheers Ian.

Hi Jon and also all others following this Board.

Firstly I must give my apologies for the delay in my followup to my last Post, being in response to Jon's.
Although Elizabeth Gordon and Dr William Brumwell didn't marry until 1810 and at which time they already had children together out of wedlock, Jon had previously surmised (correctly) that they couldn't marry until his previous wife (who he had been separated from for some considerable time) died. William acknowledged these children as being his natural children as detailed and provided for in his Will.

I am not sure that we can say that because of this precedent and the fact that we have todate been unable to find a marriage record circa 1829 for John Stephenson and Elizabeth Brumwell, that they never actually married. Likewise we can't rule it out either. All their children's Birth and Marriages have been under the name of Stephenson as have Census records, with the exception of Leonard and Alfred who used Gordon as their surname in later years. Was this not more likely to have been an occupational alias (stage name), associated with both being travelling musicians or was there some run in with the law where a change of name was desirable?

1881 Census Leonard was using Stephenson but spelt Stevenson. I had no trace of him after that. Now see from your Post above that he was going under name Samuel Gordon. Checked out England and Wales Death Index 1837-1915 for Death Details 1902 as per your information. Records for Jan/Feb/Mar 1902 ref 4b 222 show two entries, Page 10 Samuel Gordon age 62, Page 29 Leonard Stephenson age 62.

Looking at Norfolk, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1995 specifically St Nicholas, King´s Lynn 1902 Page 8 Entry 63 it shows Leonard Stephenson (Alias Samuel Gordon) age 62 Abode Queens St buried Feb 13.

I will get a copy of his Death Cert to see the whole details.

Alfred and his wife Jane used the surname Gordon for the 1881 to 1911 Censuses.   
On his sister Indianna's 3rd Wedding 1 Nov 1902 (1st Scott, 2nd Lyall & 3rd Emery) her residence was given as 44 Percy St, being Alfred's address and he signed as a Witness under Alfred Gordon.

Alfred died 24 September 1915. Death Cert shows his full name as Alfred Septimus Gordon Stephenson age 72, address being 44 Percy St, Occupation Street Musician.

Based on all of the above I believe the use of the Gordon surname by Leonard and Alfred (and wife Jane) was an Alias for occupational purposes only.

Jon, I am unable to confirm or deny your suggestion that John Stephenson is the son of William Stephenson and Mary Layton from Romaldkirk as I have no knowledge off a link to the Eggelston Stephenson's.

You mention that you now have a DNA match with a descendant of my wife's Great Grandfather Henry Layton Stephenson 1832 -1907 on your maternal line but based on the information you sent me privately I have been unable to see where and with whom this match is.

Cheers
Ian

Following on from my last Post (and is related ) when looking at Ancestry ThruLines it suggested the possibility of new 3rd GGP's for my wife being the Parents of John Stephenson. The already established and verified 3rd GGP's being the parents of Elizabeth Gordon Brumwell namely William Brumwell and Elizabeth Gordon.
The new 3rd GGP's identified were Henry Stephenson Born?, Died 1811 Madras India and his wife Mary Smith born 1775. Married 1800 approx, Madras India.

In Ancestry 'Hints' which pop up on Family Tree's and suggested new Relatives in True Lines DNA are not verified nor DNA Linked but are based on information on Family Tree's as submitted by Ancestry members.

In other words this new information should be treated as a possibility only and should not be accepted as correct without further investigation and verification of the stated facts. Unfortunately this is not carried out in a lot of cases and simply uploaded to their respective Family Tree's, which are then corrupted and repeated by other members associated with that Tree.

In the case above John is stated to have married an Elizabeth Brockman born 1806 (died 1879), on 2 June 1822 Tamil Nadu India. His occupation Apothecary. Their children Robert b. 6/1826, James b. 2/1828, William b. 1/1831, Henry Layton Stephenson (our Henry) b. 1/1832 Singhee Bengal India, John Bromswell Stephenson (our John) b. 6/1832 Ghazeepore Bengal India, George b. 8/1832, Mary b. 6/1834, Alexander b. 9/1836, Richard b. 4/1838, Georgina b, 4/1840, Victoria b. 3/1842.

Clearly not the same family as our John Stephenson and Elizabeth Brumwell (Nee Gordon).

This Family were during the whole of the above time living in Southern India (Madras) whereas ours were in Gateshead Newcastle England up to 1829, Northern India (Bengal) until 1838 and then back to England.

It's obvious that someone was searching for other Stephenson's living in India and incorrectly added our relatives to their Tree. Another point is to note the impossibility of Henry being a member of this family is that his Birth is 1/1832 yet his supposed sibling George was born the same year on 8/1832 being only 7 months apart.

Facts are John Stephenson b, 1790, Married Circa 1839 Elizabeth Brumwell, 1st son John Atlantic Brumwell Stephenson born at sea 6/1829 on the Brig 'Argo', Henry Layton Stephenson b, 7/1832 Singhee Bengal. Both boys were baptised 1/4/1833 Ghazeepore Northern India. (I have a copy of the original written Baptism Register rather than the India Office Transcript, as well as John's birth detail as recorded on the Argo, which includes subsequent entry details by John in later life on his original birth names and later baptism changes to it).

We also have verified birth details of John & Henry's siblings.

Unfortunately I note that a number of Family Tree's associated with our Family Group, have uploaded these incorrect details to their Trees. Can I ask that if your Tree has the incorrect information that you check against my comments and delete if you agree.

Hi John, thanks for your seperate email advising me of your post to this site. I have not had a notification from Rootschat that posts have been made to this forum for some time. I looked a few times after my last posting on page 34 but nothing and assumed people had lost interest or no further advances had been made. So have concentrated on my own family DNA rather than my wife's side.

So really surprised to see that a lot of new posts have been made and now up page 37.

I will have to digest all the new posts and in particular your recent comments and findings.

Thanks again Jon.
Cheers Ian.