Morning to you Casalguidi,
Yes, that is them.
They went on to have six children in all.
I know that he shows Scotswood as his place of birth, (Like you, I had never heard of Scotswood, but on investigation it turns out to be on the Tyne, just by where they built the bridge), but my investigations have only thrown up three Robert Snowdons born in the Northumberland area, that could possibly be my Robert, and the other two are safely ensconced in families of their own.
I did wonder if 'my' Robert grew up in the Scotswood area, but again, cannot find him on any of the census. for the years following his birth. Seems rather strange to me that he would know enough about that area to put such (to me anyway) an unknown place as his place of birth though? On the 1901 census he is shown as being born in 'Durham Stockton', but as this is also shown as his wife's place of birth I do not place much faith in that, especially as no Robert Snowdon shows up in the Durham records around the time that he would have been born.
With regard to his marriage certificate, it shows his father as 'Thomas Snowdon, Police constable, deceased'. I have had the NE police society chasing records for me, and they have come up with no-one of that name on any of the NE forces that looked likely. The witnesses to the marriage, which was in a registry office not a church, would this be because he was not baptized I wonder? are not names that mean anything to me, neither a Snowdon nor a Foster, his wife's maiden name.
Robert spent all of his working life on the land, hence my belief that he did not move to the Durham coalfields area because he would find work in the mines, so why I wonder did he move from Northumberland area to Durham? added to the fact that he seems to have acquired the name Dalking along the line, I am thinking that he must have spent his early life with a foster family of some kind.
I have photographs of 'my' Robert, and he looks such a nice man, I don't like to think of him being a sad and lonely little boy..silly I know, but there you are. Would be lovely to find him growing up with a nice family.
My mother remembers him as always being known as Robert Dalking Snowdon rather than simply Robert, but cannot remember any significant details, she remembers sitting with him and his dog outside the cottage where her grandparents lived, and working in the garden with him, she had no idea that he may have been illegitimate, but then I guess that we are speaking of a time when these things were never spoken of.
I'm rambling here, if you do come up with anything I would be extremely pleased, thanks for looking for me
Lindy
