Thanks Mary and Bert for the information about 23 Warburton St. Seems as if James Callaghan may have moved there after the 1861 census and then moved on by the time of the 1871 census. I wonder if he took in lodgers. Thomas continues to evade us.

And yes, Mary I did wonder about a licence for Frances's marriage but the register entry says 'married ...by certificate'. Perhaps I need to look more closely at who the witnesses were and if there was any family connection between William Sullivan and Frances's parents. I can't make out the first name of the second witness. On the certificate (image below) it looks like Bedelia Quinn, but the church entry looks like a different spelling.

Yes, sorry just posted something about it above.

Don't think it helps, but in the 1881 Kelly's there's a Thomas Browne tailor at 5 Richmond St.  This could have been either father or son, or indeed someone else completely.

Well I've managed to find out quite a bit about Bedelia (sometimes Delia) Quinn, although none of it throws any more light on the marriage of Thomas Browne and Frances, with one small exception. In the 1881 census her occupation is tailoress, Thomas's trade.

She was born in Liverpool around 1850/51 the daughter of Thomas and Ann Quinn, both from Ireland. On 14 Sept 1873 she married Thomas Harrison and in the Catholic church register her parent's address is given as Dryden St. In the 1876 ER for Scotland Ward there's a Bedelia Harrison living at 50 Dryden St, although no sign of either her parents or Thomas Harrison at the same address. In 1881 she's living with her widowed mother at 45 Circus St with children Richard aged 6 and Theresa 4. In 1891 she's shown as a widow living with her 3 children, the youngest John aged 5. Presumably Thomas died sometime between 1885 and 1891. There's a burial of a Thomas Harrison, a carter aged 41, in Kirkdale Cemetery on 9 Dec 1889.  In 1901 and 1911 Bedelia is living with her daughter Theresa who had married Walter Routledge in 1898.  Bedelia Harrison died in early 1916 and was buried at Ford Cemetery 7 Feb 1916.

There's no obvious sign of her in the 1861 or 1871 census under the name Quinn.

Another false trail I suspect.

And thanks for the information about the Chester Hotel. and where number 1 was. If I had the sense to check my copy of the census page I would have seen that without having to ponder out loud and trouble you! All the adult occupants of Number 1 were originally from Ireland - not that surprising really.

What, I wonder, are we to make of the marriage shown below? In case it’s difficult to read, it is between John Buck and Frances Moylan dated 24 Dec 1891. John is a widower aged 41 a cotton porter of 7 Olive Street, Tranmere, and the bride is a widow aged 34 of 4 Victoria Street, Tranmere. The bride’s father is decribed as Thomas Brown (deceased) a timekeeper. The marriage took place in the Register Office, Birkenhead.

Given what we suspect about Frances’s marriage to Daniel Moylan being bigamous, this could well be her at it again, especially when one looks at the creative fiction of her father, and the fact that when she married Danial the fictious father Jeremiah ‘Brown’ was also a timekeeper.

For those just joining the story here, Daniel Moylan didn’t die until 17 July 1893 and so to call herself a widow is a little premature!

Here’s what I know about John Buck. He was born in August 1849 in Kirkby Steven, Westmorland to John and Rachel Buck. John senior was an innkeeper and farmer. In the 1851 census the family were at Houtsay, East Ward, Westmorland living in John senior’s father’s houdeshold. In 1861 John senior, Rachel and John aged 11 were at the Railway Inn Waitby East Ward, where John senior was the Innkeeper. In 1871 John is the other side of the Pennines at Eldon Terrace, Shildon aged 21 a lodger, with the occupation of labourer. The return shows him as married, but I think this is an error. In 1881 he is at 8 Earle St, close to the docks in Liverpool. Now aged 31, single, a boarder and general labourer. On 22 August 1886 he married Ellen Jones and their son John was born in 1887. Ellen died aged 30 at the end of 1889, meaning that John at least was telling the truth about being a widower. There’s no sign of John in the 1891 census, although his son aged 4 is staying with John’s parents at the Castle Hotel, Brough. Later that year John marries Frances Moylan and at the time of the 1901 census John, Frances (born Ireland 1855) and John’s son John age 14 are at 77 Lovat St, West Derby where John’s occupation is Public House Manager.

True to form the trail then goes cold again. There’s no sign of them at Lovat Street, or indeed anywhere, in 1911 although John junior is to be found at 177 Vine Street Liverpool boarding with a Mr and Mrs Clements. He is aged 24, single and working as a sewer flusher. There are a couple of possible deaths for John Buck including one in 1903, which might be him. However there’s no obvious death for a Frances Buck between 1901 and 1911. Rather ominously there is a marriage of a Frances Buck in the third quarter of 1911 in Rotherham ….

First name(s) Frances

Last name Williams

Birth year 1858

Age 54

Death quarter 3

Death year 1912

District Dewsbury

County Yorkshire

Volume 9B Page 648

I don't think this is the Thomas that married Frances, perhaps a relative?

Bert, perhaps you were thinking this story wasn't complicated enough! Having chased dozens of Thomas Browns around Liverpool trying to find what happened to Thomas Browne the first husband, I'm not sure I have the strength to do it all again for someone else's husband! Now, if they had a nice unique name like Georgeopoulo I might be tempted.

Just to update the thread, the Cheshire Archives found the baptism for Mary Ann O'Sullivan at St Werburgh's. She was born 24 February 1863 and baptised 1 March 1863. God parents were James Irwin and Margarita Mann. There was no sign of Jeremiah junior's baptism which would have occurred in December 1860 (he was born 5th Dec).

I have also received the death cert for John Buck of 75 Lovat Street West Derby aged 53 years He died on 6th April 1903 of liver disease and heart failure. His occupation was given as cotton porter which is at odds with the 1901 census which had him as a publican, and as we know from Bert's research 75 Lovat St was definitely a pub. The death was reported by his son also named John whose address was given as 75 Lovat St. The son would only have been aged about 16 at the time and he probably had to report the death because Frances had already moved on.

The other death certificate I have is for Frances Williams, wife of William Parry Williams. She died on 28th August 1912 at the Duke of Leeds Hotel, Dewsbury where she was at the time of the 1911 census. Her age was given as 54, which would put her year of birth as 1858, three years later than Frances O'Sullivan. She died of carcinoma of the uterus and haemorrhage. The death was reported by W H Williams 'son', whose address was the Fleece Hotel, Kirkgate, Huddersfileld. William Henry Williams was born in 1883 to William Parry Williams and Catherine nee Muldowney (sometimes written Mildowney). Catherine had died in 1906. I'm just waiting for the certificate for the marriage of William Parry Jones and Frances Buck in 1907 to see if I have the right person. That should wrap up this story.

I now have pretty much the last piece of the jigsaw that I was seeking. It's the marriage cert for Frances Buck and William Parry Williams and it leaves no doubt that the Frances Buck here is the former Frances O'Sullivan. Her age is wrong but I think she just wants to conform to William's age. It also means that the age on her death certificate reflects the new version of her age as told to the Williams family.  I don't think the Chestnut Street address is particularly significant, nor are the witnesses I suggest. I would have liked to know where William Parry Williams was at the time of the 1901 census and whether he had already left his wife Catherine at that point, but it isn't something I'm going to invest any time in resolving. Thanks to Bert and Mary for their help thrroughout this journey.