John BARTON’s oldest child was Nancy, born in Annan Scotland in 1867 before the family moved to Carlisle, Cumberland. She appears in the 1871 census living at 1 Freestone Place in the township of St Mary. At the age of 14 she is working as a piecer in a cotton mill. She’s still single in 1881 at the age of 24, still living at home and still a cotton worker.

In the summer of 1892 she married James BELL in Carlisle and three years later had a son, John BELL. But by 1901 she’s a 34 year old widow. She’s back living at home with the family in Hope Street with her 6 year old son.

So far I haven’t found anything about James BELL. Their marriage and his subsequent death all happened over the 9 year period between when they were married and the 1901 census.  When I looked for his birth and death records I found there were many, many James Bells!