I just noticed this thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=5226 and thought I'd post a follow up, as Priscilla Steventon and Henry Smith are my great great grandparents.
Priscilla was registered and baptised as Zillah. As far as I can tell, she was illiterate throughout her life, and I have a sneaky suspicion she was probably relieved to marry someone called Smith, as census enumerators and other would know how to spell that! I've counted no less than eight variants of her name in various records.
From a combination of Steventon & Smith family bibles, certificates and church registers, I can fill in the following:
Her parents were George Steventon (b. 1795 Dudley, bapt. 14/1/1798 Dudley St Thomas, d. 24/4/1869 Rowley Regis) and Mary Ann Shaw (v. 1795 maybe in Halesowen, d. 13/4/1868, d. 13/4/1868 Rowley Regis).
George Steventon was one of seven children of Joseph Steventon (b. c. 1768 Worcs.) and Zealous Dunn, both of whom are proving a very formidable brickwall, despite such a remarkable name as Zealous Dunn.
There was a family tradition, still kept alive in the 1950s by Emily Smith, that there was a connection between the Steventons and the renowned Lifeguardsman Shaw who fought at Waterloo. Whether that's a real connection or not, I've not been able to prove. It may merely be invented tradition based on Mary Ann Shaw's surname.
George Steventon & Mary Ann Shaw had 8 children:
+Ephraim b. 1/4/1819, bapt. 24/10/1819 Dudley St Thomas, d. 5/1/1845
+Sarah b. 10/3/1822, bapt. 17/11/1822 Dudley St Thomas. Married Benjamin Johnson 1844 at Dudley St Thomas
+Elizabeth b. 11/12/1824, bapt. 13/3/1825 Dudley St Thomas. Poss death Q4 1887, Barrow-in-Furness. Married Jesse Homer Dudley St Thomas 2/12/1844. 5 children.
+Beriah b. 12/6/1828, bapt 5/10/1828 Dudley St Thomas
+Jemima b. 5/3/1831, bapt. 29/5/1831 Dudley St Thomas
+Dorcas b. 22/1/1834 Netherton, d. 8/10/1889 Barrow-in-Furness. Married George Longstaff 8/6/1856, Dudley St Thomas. 6 children
+Nimrod b. 31/3/1836 Halesowen, bapt. 22/5/1836 Dudley St Thomas, d. 10/1/1858 Rowley Regis. Unmarried.
+ Zillah aka Priscilla b. 25/11/1838 Derby End, Netherton, bapt. 23/12/1838 Dudley St Thomas, d. 28/4/1893 Blackpool. Married Henry Smith at Netherton 9/6/186.
Henry Smith was born 1835, 1836 or 1837 probably at Darby End, Netherton. He died 5/1/1903 in Blackpool. I think he was the 4th of 7 children of Henry Smith and Hannah Hampton, who married 16/4/1827 at Dudley St Thomas.
Henry and Priscilla Smith had 14 children in total:
+Ann Maria b. 20/4/1857 in the Dudley/Rowley Regis area; d. 2/12/1929 Blackpool. Married Joseph Smith 12/7/1875 Barrow-in-Furness St James. 4 children
+Elizabeth b. 12/10/1859 Old Hill Staffs, d. 29/5/1874 Barrow-in-Furness
+Henry b. 2/7/1862 Old Hill, d. 14/12/1920 Blackpool. Married Annie Gall 12/3/1888 at Holy Trinity, Blackpool. 4 children. I've just been contacted by someone who seems to have compelling evidence that Annie Gall deserted her family between 1893 and 1895 and went to America where she remarried.
+Jemimah b. 29/11/1864 Barrow-in-Furness, d. 23/2/1907 Blackpool. Married Thomas Bilsborough 20/1/1885 Blackpool St John. 10 children.
+ Emily aka Emiline b. 24/4/1867 Rowley Regis, d. 27/4/1956 Wesham, Lancs. Married Henry Thomas Stevenson 16/11/1889 Blackpool Holy Trinity. 5 children.
+Joseph b. 9/11/1869 Barrow, d. 21/12/1870 Barrow
+George b. 11/11/1871 HIndpool, Dalton-in-Furness. Married Edith Louise Park 16/8/1893 Blackpool Holy Trinity. 2 children.
+William b. 27/9/1873 Hindpool, d. 19/1/1948 Blackpool. Married Gertrude Mary Martin 8/12/1894, Oldham. 4 children
+Ephraim b. and d. 8/5/1875 Dalton-in-Furness
+Ann b. 9/4/1876 Blackpool. Married Mark Blackburn 17/9/1902 Marton St Pauls (Blackpool). Not been able to find them after their marriage.
+John b. 22/5/1877 Blackpool, d. 27/1/1935 Liverpool. Married Florence Campbell 12/9/1898 Independent Chapel, Victoria St, Blackpool. 3 children
+Septimus b. 14/8/1879 Blackpool, d. 16/12/1958 Blackpool. Never married.
+Isaac b. 29/5/1881 Blackpool, d. 9/2/1882 Blackpool.
+Manasseh b. 11/7/1882 d. 12/7/1882 Blackpool.
Here is the most complete photograph I have of these Smiths:
