Black Country (Bilston) Friends and Neighbours - more names

[Trees]

I have posted a problem on the general board but friends on this thread may be the best to help with this tricky problem presented to me by a correspondent.

Kate HANSON died Dec qtr 1923 Pontefract district age 48 giving a birth year 1875
She was known to live in Castleford and had two sons Harry and Edwin
 Alfred HANSON married Kate SMITH June qtr 1901 Pontefract District

1901 census RG13 4304 fo 101 p62 in Castleford
Kate Smith (born ap 1873) from Willenhall Staffs.Wid is Housekeeper to Alfred Hanson also wid

Joseph SMITH m Kate ARNOLD 1897 Wolverhampton District
A Joseph SMITH dies in1898 in Wolverhampton district age 25 giving a birth of 1873

Now it gets complicated
1891 census RG12/ 2234 fo 148 p 16 Willenhall
there is a Kate S (1877) from Willenhall sister to Henry Arnold who was 30 years older!from Willenhall
And 1881 RG11  2808 fo79 p34 again Willenhall the same Henry is unmarried with a sister Sarah (1877) from Willenhall and a visitor Kate BRITTON (1875) from Redcar Yorks. he married his Houskeeper  Mary BOWDLER shortly after the census
problem 1 are Sarah (from the 1881 census) and Kate S (from the 1891 census) the same person?
problem 2 is Kate the same one who married first Joseph SMITH then  Alfred Hanson   if so why the strange date differences?
problem 4 Who was Kate Britton how does she fit in? We have found this:
RG12 3744 fo 137 p37
Joseph HARRIS 52  a fishmonger from Staffs Rushall?
Emma 52 Staffs Darlaston
9 Harris children from Yorks from 1869 on
including Kate 13
and Emma BRITTEN Daur M 25 Staffs Darlaston
Sam BRITTEN Grandson 7
It links both areas and the name BRITTEN could it give a clue why the newly widowed Kate went from Staffs to the Castleford area and remember Kate Britten from Yorkshire was visiting Henry A Arnold in 1881 so was she the Kate ARNOLD??

Henry is on my tree son of Edwin Arnold (remember Kate HANSON's sons were Harry-possibly a corruption of Henry and  Edwin is this a coincidence?)
Who was Kate ARNOLD surely not Henry's natural sister We can not find a Kate in the BMD indexes

ANY HELP or Suggestions will be VERY welcome
A very puzzled Trees 

[DudleyWinchurch]

Hi Trees,

tried to send this earlier but I think I must have broke RootsChat when I logged in and couldn't get back in again for ages.

I did a quick scan for Kate ARNOLD in the 1870s on FREEREG and the only two possibles that I could come up with were a Catherine in Wolverhampton 1873q2 (6b 520) and a Sarah Kate in King's Norton 1876q1 (6c 487).  Kings Norton covered a much wider area than I had imagined as I was dismissing a marriage in that district for one of my relations but eventually sent for the cert. and it was actually at a Smethwick church.

Have you checked out these two already?

And Willow,

you seem to have done some very comprehensive research on the Bilston SHALES but have you seen the marriage cert. for Joseph and Sophia yet?
I'm only asking as one of the witnesses is listed as Nahomi Johnson in the available transcriptions and I wondered if it could possibly be Nehemiah.  There are Johnson-Lowe connections too and they may also be directly connected to the Dudleys.  William's grandmother was a Mary Johnson and one of their witnesses was Obadiah whose father was Nehemiah.  It all gets so complicated.

Sheila

[Trees]

Hi Dudley. Yes I've checked both of those Catherine 1873 was
Catherine ARNOLD bapt 14 May 1873 St Johns Wolverhampton daur of Alice spinster Alice was daughter of George and Emma the lack of a Henry or Edwin in George's large family makes us cautious and if she is Alice's daughter the marriage certificate wouldn't show a father. To add to the confusion I have found Kate's death
I wonder if the sister Sarah/Kate was infact Henry's sister's daughter his mother d 1863 and his father was still living with Henry in 1871 and died in 1872 so didn't remarry and have a second family or move from Willenhall. As the sister was only 4 on the 1881 I doubt the place of birth would have been in question.
I'm getting more and more mystified 
Very grateful for everyone's help I'm sure it will be solved
Trees

[Willow 4873]

Hiya Sheila

No I havent seen it but if you give me the date/church I will have a look Friday because I'm going up the archive office for a few hours. I'm going to look for the William Dudley/Elizabeth Shale one at the same time

Willow x

[DudleyWinchurch]

Hi Willow,

14 April 1811 at St Peters (on W'ton Archives transcripts)

Joseph Shale to Sophia Hellington.

I should have quite a few images for you of all the baptisms at Holy Trinity, but haven't had time to sort them out yet as I was at the Diocesan Archives again last Friday re-photoing several (and trying to identify all my pictures of priests, among other things).

I have John as John Halleton, but again I will recheck images as soon as I have time.

Got to go now,
Sheila

[DudleyWinchurch]

Sorry,

forgot to mention, William and Elizabeth could well be Holy Trinity but the register at the Diocesan Archives finishes the year before.  As soon as I've indexed all the baptisms, that I need, I shall have to try to make an appointment at the church for more recent registers but I hate to ask unless well-prepared as I know most priests have several parishes to look after these days.

If you are near enough to pop in you could try asking there.

Sheila

[Willow 4873]

Hiya Sheila

14.4.1811

Joseph Shale & Sophia Hellington

witnesses Charles Chibsey and Nahomi Johnson

Willow x

[DudleyWinchurch]

Thanks Willow,

Even given the variations in spelling that can be found, sounds more likely to be a Naomi than our Nehemiah, doesn't it?  He should still have been alive at the time but maybe too old to be gadding off to weddings.

did they have their moving schedule confirmed yet?

[Willow 4873]

Hiya Sheila

Either that or the person who wrote it couldnt spell. They acually signed with 'X' as did Sophia

Yep their off 31st of October and will reopen sometime in February 2009

I'm looking forward to it because I will actually get to go in the Molineux Hotel which has been closed down most of my life lol

Willow x