Hello Jane
I have a subscription to Ancestry.com so I can have checked all the cenus's - I would love to get in touch with your friend as hopefully I will be getting in touch with a living relative here as well. Would that not be wonderful to reunite these two families if they are related.
I also found the Marriage of Alfred and Mary and then found her in the 1841 Census - age spot on and nobody else in the area for miles or years with the same name:
Descendants of Alfred Braby
Generation No. 1
1. ALFRED1 BRABY was born Abt. 1823 in Lambeth, Surrey. He married MARY JANE BAYLEY September Quarter 1859 in Pancras. London, daughter of JONATHAN BAYLEY and LYDIA CHAN. She was born Abt. 1838 in Accrington, Lancashire.
Notes for ALFRED BRABY:
Listed as Slate Merchant in the 1861 Census living at Bangor ? Wharf, London.
Baby Ernest 7 months old
1871 Census Alfred is listed as a Slate Merchant and Slater as well as a Slate Manufacturer employing 56 Men and 5 boys living at 89 Connor House in the District of Lambeth
Children of ALFRED BRABY and MARY BAYLEY are:
i. ERNEST2 BRABY, b. 1861, Lambeth, Surrey.
2. ii. CLEMENT BRABY, b. Abt. 1863, Lambeth, Surrey.
iii. WALLACE BRABY, b. 1865, Lambeth, Surrey.
iv. PERCY BRABY, b. 1867, Lambeth, Surrey.
v. LILIAN BRABY, b. Abt. 1869, Lambeth, Surrey.
vi. ETHEL BRABY, b. 1872, Brixton, London.
3. vii. ALFRED CYRIL BRABY, b. 07 Jul 1873, London; d. 1958.
viii. ALICE BRABY, b. 1876, Lambeth, Surrey.
Generation No. 2
2. CLEMENT2 BRABY (ALFRED1) was born Abt. 1863 in Lambeth, Surrey. He married ADA BESSIE CHAPPELL.
Children of CLEMENT BRABY and ADA CHAPPELL are:
i. STANLEY3 BRABY, b. 1889; d. Feb 1954.
ii. BEATRICE BRABY, b. 1888.
iii. ELSIE BRABY, b. 1891.
3. ALFRED CYRIL2 BRABY (ALFRED1) was born 07 Jul 1873 in London, and died 1958. He married MAUD CLARISSA COCKERELL 1901 in Durban, daughter of ALFRED COCKERELL and EMMA RIDGEWAY. She was born 18 Aug 1875 in Durban, and died 25 Jul 1953 in Rockhaven, Cowies Hill, Natal.
Children of ALFRED BRABY and MAUD COCKERELL are:
i. HORACE CYRIL3 BRABY, b. 1904, 1980.
ii. CHILD BRABY.
iii. CHILD BRABY.
kind regards
Trixie