My 2nd great grandmother Grace Martin Wills married Matthew Nettell on 23 Sep 1865 at Redruth, Cornwall. Grace gave her age as 17 (I think it was just over 16 and half), and Matthew gave his as 19.
On their Marriage Certificate the two witnesses are clearly written (see below):
- George Wills which I suspect would be her father (1806 - 1873) or brother (1841 - ?)
- Eliza Ann Wills
I would like to try and determine the identity of Eliza Ann Wills.
She does not appear to be a sister (and perhaps not a sister-in-law) to Grace because her siblings appear to have been:
- Frances (1836 – ?)
- Mary Jane (1838 – ?)
- George (1841 – ?) may have married Ann about 1865 (based on first child born 1866)
Richard (1843 – ?) married Louisa Trevorah in 1863 and they appear to have been living in New Zealand at the time
William (1845 – ?) may not have married
- Eliza Davey (1847 – 1910) - one candidate but middle name does not match and appears to have been living in New Zealand at the time
- Sarah Ellen (1851 – 1868)
- Susan Mary (1853 – 1875)
- Edith Ann (1857 – 1894) - suggested by a cousin but was only 8 years old at the time
- Charles Henry Martin (1859 – 1916) was only 6 years old at the time
If not a sister or sister-in-law then I am thinking that perhaps she was a cousin to Grace, or maybe her aunt or married to her uncle. So far I have found no likely candidate.
The last theory I have is that she is simply a friend who shares the same surname.
Before I try to exhaustively examine the Family and Neighbours (FAN) of Grace, I thought I would ask this question to see if anyone is aware of an Eliza Ann Wills living at the right time and right place to possibly have been the witness to this marriage?