James Cowdrey

There are plenty in my tree, people who appear in the census for a couple of years and then just simply disappear without trace. This one is worth commenting on, for future reference at least.

Born c1849 in Brighton, Sussex.

1851 England Census: James Cowdrey listed as the son of William Cowdrey and Henrietta (Stillwell) in Brighton. Birth year shown as 1844, but suspect that this is due to age 1 being mistranscribed as age 7.
1861 England Census: James Cowdrey listed as a servant, still in Brighton.
1871 England Census: Off in China aboard the 'Dove'.

Then no record.

In the Ancestral File on FamilySearch, marriages:

Spouse: Maria Elizabeth MADDOX
Marriage: 18 May 1879, Camberwell, London, England

Spouse: Harriett Jane BARNES
Marriage: 16 Mar 1889, Southwark, London, England

There is a marriage record in the BMD index for James Cowdry and Maria Elizabeth Maddox that matches, but no confirming record in the 1881 England Census. The Ancestral file also lists a son, Frederick born 1879 who also fails to appear in 1881.

There is no corresponding marriage record for the Harriett Barnes marriage in the BMD.

Another of life's mysteries. Perhaps he went off to sea and settled abroad somewhere?