Mary DEAKIN was born in about 1795/6. The censuses indicate she was born in Staffordshire in 1841, "Derby" in 1851 and "Burton on Trent" in 1861. Burton upon Trent lies close to the border with Derbyshire, and before 1888 certain parts of the Burton upon Trent were in Derbyshire (which were then ceded to Staffordshire.) As all the censuses were taken in Stoke on Trent, it is possible that either she or the census taker was unfamiliar with the Burton upon Trent area and approximated.
On the basis that her reported ages in all the censuses and her death certificate were consistent it's reasonable to believe that she was born between June 1794 and Mar 1795. There are several possible baptisms near to Burton upon Trent around this time:
- Mary DAYKIN - 19 May 1793 in Boylestone (21 miles east of Stoke on Trent, Burton upon Trent is the nearest town and is just inside the Derbyshire border). The parents were John and Mary, the names of Mary DEAKIN's first boy and first girl. Also baptized John (1790), Hannah (1795), Sophia (1798), Sarah (1801), Ann (1804), Catherine (1806-1806) and Catherina (1807). The baptism is too early and Boylestone is not that close to Burton upon Trent, but it is closer to Stoke on Trent than other possible baptisms and the name is closer phonetically.
- Mary Ann DICKIN - 15 Jun 1794 by John and Ann DICKIN in Burton upon Trent.
- Mary DICKEN - 21 Jun 1795 by William and Ann DICKEN, at St Modwen, Burton upon Trent. Also baptized Sarah (1797) and William (1800). William DICKEN, hatter, married Ann TRICKLE in June 1794. (A John DICKEN was baptized in Burslem in 1806, possibly by the same parents?) A William DICKEN, railway porter, aged 58 (1802-3) and born in "Burton on Trent", was living in Newcastle under Lyme in 1861. A William DEAKIN was buried in Newcastle under Lyme on 19 Jun 1825, aged 53 years, who might have been Mary's father. There is evidence that two other family members relocated to the Stoke on Trent area. The name is not spelled the same, but the East Midlands accent in Burton upon Trent / Derbyshire was different to that of the West Midlands including Staffordshire. On balance this appears to be the best fit matching birth date, locations, and children's names.
- Mary DICKEN - 5 Jul 1795 by Francis and Mary DICKEN at Hartshorne, Derbyshire. Also baptized William (1786), John (1788), Elisabeth (1790) and James (1792). Francis died in Hartshorne in 1836, so apparently at least some of the family stayed in Hartshorne. His wife died in April 1795, presumably after childbirth. Hartshorne is further away, but cannot be ruled as Mary may have relocated for her own reasons.
Mary DEAKIN married James KNIGHT in Stoke upon Trent in April 1815.
Known children of James and Mary KNIGHT include Samuel (1820), Mary (1823), James (1828/9), William (1832), Hannah (1834/5) and George (1839) who appeared as children to James and Mary KNIGHT in the 1841 and 1851 censuses. Mary's son, Henry John PARKS, also appears in the 1851 census as a grandson.
James and Mary probably had other children but, as there were at least three other couples in Staffordshire called James and Mary KNIGHT having children during this period, establishing parentage is difficult (e.g. James KNIGHT and MARY WALTON who christened a daughter, Martha, in Hanley). Other possible children of Mary DEAKIN include: John 1816, James 1819, Thomasine 1826, and Esther 1827. I suspect that James, Thomasine and Esther all died young. John may have moved away or married before the 1941 census.
There is no christening record for Mary (Ann) nor for George, however crucially George's civil birth certificate confirms Mary DEAKIN as his mother.
The names of their children may have been based on their own parents' names, but many were also Mary's husband's siblings' names:
- John - father's youngest brother
- James - father
- Samuel - paternal grandfather / father's brother
- Mary Ann - mother and maternal grandmother(?) / father's sister
- Thomasine - paternal grandmother / father's sister
- Esther - father's sister
- James - father
- William - maternal grandfather (?) / father's brother
- Hannah - unknown
- George - unknown
They were living in Swan Street, Hanley in 1839 and 1941, and in 1844, their grandson Henry John PARKS was also born in Swan Street. By 1851 they had moved to Union Street, Hanley.
In 1861 she is living with her husband who was then described as an 'incapacitated engine tender'.
Elizabeth died of 'infirmity of age' in February 1864 aged 68.