Hi Kat
Thanks for your post, I am related to John Snowden Robson by adoption only. John was the older 'brother' of my GG Grandfather, Thomas Robson (born Thomas Janney, adopted by the RObson family somewhere between 1866 and 1871). I found this out by chance, trying to trace my GG grandfather, I found his wife and family in Hartlepool in the 1901 census, Thomas himself was serving in the Army in South Africa at the time. Their immediate neighbour was John Snowden Robson and his family. Noting he was born in Whitby, I traced his family back and connected the dots. Thomas Janney was born to Elizabeth Janney at Flowergate, Whitby in 1866, but after that I have found no trace of her. There is no father listed on the birth record, and I can find no information through St Mary's at Whitby under either name. He popped up in George and Ann Robson's household in the 1871 census, with his surname as Janney and a note that he was adopted.
There is a bit of a far-fetched chance that he may actually be John Snowden Robson's illegitimate son, who would have been 18 years old at the time of Thomas' birth. We will probably never find out who his father actually is.
Kind regards from Australia
Bec
