Marriage of Parents:
St Alban, Earsdon
Entry 243
Robert Bell & Isabella Smith
Both age 22
Bachelor & Spinster
Miner
Fathers:
Thomas Bell – Miner
Robert Smith – Miner
Witnesses:
Ann Smith – signed with her mark
William Blackett (who seems to have been a regular signer on marriage entries)
Robert signed and Isabella signed with her mark.
By Banns
Searching for Roberts parents I am using the above information that Roberts father is Thomas Bell and that Robert is born around 1836. Marriage age of 22 in 1858 = 1836 and census giving a birth range of c1835-37. The fact that Robert constantly gives his place of birth as 'Percy Main' stands out
to me. So he must have been living very close to this place. It seems that it was a developing area named after the station and not of an existing village, so maybe the lay of the land in the 1830's is an important clue? possibly being born close by and moving to the area as a young child and being the first place he remembers?
The candidates are few, but the Wallsend option are ship wrights, the Hartburn option I have since discovered from census details are farmers so I am not sure if this Robert would have made the transition from farmer to coalminer? The new candidate suggested by AlanBoyd gives fathers name as James and not Thomas. I have however found another possible candidate but was born in 1829 at Chirton, which seems to be a stones throw away from Percy Main, with parents Tomas and Elizabeth. On family search the parents seem to come from Yorkshire?
Oh well, back to the drawing board
