Family:William Smith and Esther Sheffield (1)

There were two couples called William and Esther Smith who lived in Luton about the time this William and Esther were married - the other couple had married in neighbouring Sundon in 1793, but were still having children after this couple married in 1814. To disentangle which children belong to which William and Esther Smith, we look to the censuses. This William and Esther can be found in the 1841 census with children John, James and Esther. The 1851 census find William and Esther living with their son John - who gives his place of birth as North Mymms in Hertfordshire (quite some way from Luton). Looking then at records for North Mymms, we see that there were indeed two children (John and George) baptised at North Mymms to William and Esther Smith, but no corresponding marriage for such a couple in or near North Mymms. Turning back to the censuses, we find that the George Smith baptised at North Mymms in 1817 turns up in Luton in the 1861 census living in one of the courts off Park Street, very close to where this William and Esther had been living - indeed, George lived in that area all along, but in most censuses gave his place of birth as Luton, only giving it as North Mymms in 1861. We therefore conclude that this William and Esther moved to North Mymms straight after their marriage, but returned to Luton between 1817 and 1819 (when James was baptised in Luton). By that time, the other William and Esther Smith in Luton would almost certainly have been past childbearing - and the William baptised in 1822 had his marriage witnessed by a James and Sarah Smith, who are presumably his siblings.

1. ↑ Marriages 1813-1837, in Bedfordshire Family History Society. Luton Parish Register Transcript. (Bedford).

   No. 50, 12 Oct 1814
   William Smith, bachelor & Esther Sheffeild, spinster
   By banns; witnesses James Smith & Kezia Jackson