Who were her parents?

 SOPHIA RUMMERY was my 3x great grandmother.  But who were her parents, Joseph Rummery and Hannah Blackford or Richard Rummery and Elizabeth?

There is more than a little confusion as the dates and ages do not really add up between baptism, birth, census, death and burial, nor does the birth location tie up in both instances with the place of baptism!  A tangled web indeed and one to be solved before I can put Sophia's parents in my database.

Her daughter, Eliza Keeley, was my 2x great grandmother and my mother had a photo of her with her husband George Gadd and has recorded that detail on the back of the photo.  Eliza appears with mother Sophia on the 1841 census in Hurst Green, Sussex and it is marked as born in county.  Unfortunately Eliza was born before civil registration.  Later census records say Eliza was born in Hawkhurst.  She married George Gadd in 1857 and she was  24 on the certificate, so born about 1833. It says her father was George Keeley and the witnesses were John and Sarah Keeley which was also the names of two of her many siblings.  

Even though the name Keeley has been recorded as Caley, Kaley, Kealy and Keely on various documents I am happy that Eliza is indeed the daughter of George and Sophia (sometimes recorded as Sophy!!) and a baptism at the end of September in 1833 for Eliza Caley in Hawkhurst, with parents George and Sophy Caley is likely to be the right entry.

So back to Sophia ....Quite a lot of the children shown on the various censuses were born after 1837 and the entries on the GRO gives Sophia's surname as "Rummery" which leads us nicely back to which one!!!

Sophia died 30 June1892 in Burwash and the death certificate says she was 78.  The burial register also says she was 78.  This indicates she was born about 1814.

Her marriage was in 1831 and so before registration and the records do not give her an age or show the name of her father.  There is a Stephen Rummery - could this possibly be an uncle or a sibling?

All census records say she was born in Salehurst and gives her age as: 1891 - 79; 1881 - 66; 1871 - 57; 1861 - 47; 1851 - 38 and the 1841 records her age as 25 but of course that would be rounded to the nearest 5 years.  Did she really know her age when she was asked?

Searching the Salehurst baptism I found  Sophia baptised on 8 September 1816 at 5 weeks old, dau of Joseph and Hannah Rummery.  That doesn't really tie up at all datewise though.  Unfortunately at this time there was a Richard and Elizabeth Rummery (I think that is Elizabeth Hawkins/Hawkings) also having children baptised in Salehurst!!  There was even a baptism for a Sophia Rummery to Richard and Elizabeth in Hawkhurst in 1813.  Are these Richard and Elizabeth families the same ... did they move to Wigsell in the parish of Salehurst and thus Sophia thought she was born there?  This record ties up more datewise and she could well have been confused as to where she was born.

Pondering, pondering ......... and a few extra bits found since first posted this.

Searched for a Stephen Rummery (possible marriage witness) and found a baptism in 1810 in Salehurst, parents Richard and Elizabeth!!

Hawkhurst to Wigsell is only about 6 miles distance.

Joseph Rummery and Hannah Blackford married in 1806 in Salehurst and Richard Rummery and Elizabeth Hawkins married in 1802 in Salehurst.  Witnesses were the same at both weddings.

On the 1841 census there was a Henry Rummery aged 5 years younger than Sophia.  Obviously no relationships are given on this census.  A Henry Rummery was baptised in 1819, parents Richard and Elizabeth Rummery so could well have been a brother.