Re: LING
Are you sure Edward's wife was Mary? I cannot find a death registered for Mary but there is one for an Elizabeth - 1919/3583 aged 80 years, giving a birth year of c1839.
There is an Immigration record for an Edward and Elizabeth Ling travelling to Canterbury on 1 September 1874. Edward's birthplace is given as Suffolk and he is a ploughman. Elizabeth's birthplace is given as Kent. Edward aged 29 and Elizabeth aged 31. There are no children listed with them and at the moment I cannot find any marriage record for Edward and Elizabeth.
This looks to be Edward's birth record from the GRO website:-
LING, EDWARD WARD
GRO Reference: 1846 S Quarter in HOXNE Volume 13 Page 447
There is an 1851 census record which looks to be the correct Edward
Living at Doggetts, New Street, Stradbrooke, Hoxne, Suffolk with parents Edward and Charlotte and six brothers.
Registration district Hoxne
Piece number 1796
Folio 95
Page 10
If it was me I would be obtaining the death certificate for Elizabeth Ling and seeing what that reveals.