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With the help from the wonderful people here, I have traced so many relatives, but here's a prickly problem.
My great grandmother was Eliza Smith. I know from a marriage certificate that her father was called Samuel. Deductions have put Samuel Smith 1858 as her father. Her mother was Emma Harrison, ex Coldham. I know this because of her stepchildren, mother and Samuel listed at the same address on a census.

However, using the 1891 census as reference, it lists Samuel as born in Edgbaston, with all of the family members correct.
In the 1881 census, when 'lodging' with his future wife, he is listed as born in Ledbury, Heresfordshire.

I am having trouble establishing just where he was from, as the only family I can find for him earlier is father William Smith and his mother Hannah, plus siblings, all born in Birmingham.
As I am trying to link the Finchley Smith family to my own, I am now questioning that maybe I have the wrong parents for Samuel, thanks to the misleading information. Perhaps this is why I can't find anything more past Samuel.
If more details needed to assist, please ask and I can post them as needed.
Any suggestions or help?
Many thanks in advance...Wendy

My thoughts are, why were Samuel's father and siblings all born in Birmingham, and he states elsewhere in the 1881 census. Immediately I would think wrong Samuel, but the 1891 census places him near the correct location, and with the exact same family members. Perhaps the secret lays with his father who I just cannot find relevant information on.

1881 for ref:

Name: Samuel Smith
Age: 23
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Relation: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: Ledbury, Hereford, England

Civil parish: Finchley
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England

Street Address: Green Lane 1 Old Manor Cottage
Education:

Employment status: View image
Occupation: Plasterer

Registration district: Barnet
Sub-registration district: Finchley
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Emma Coldham 36
Arthur Coldham 12
Charles Coldham 10
Herbert Coldham 7
Emma Coldham 5
Henry Thos. Coldham 3
Emma Harrison 73
Samuel Smith 23

TY Caqsie, that is the 1881 reference I have. Take a look at the 1891 census to see what I mean.

do remember that the information is what the enumerator was told and recorded but is not necessarily accurate, it could be that he said he was born Ledbury but wasn't, or that however gave his info got it wrong

i have plenty of occasions when someone consistenly gives a piece of info apart from one census when it's completely different - in the early days this threw me off the track, but now i realize that things were never as black and white as more recently

Do you have his marriage cert with confirmation of his father's name and occupation?

in 1891 there is a Samuel Smith born 1858 Birmingham living with parents William and Hannah - this would suggest the one you found (for 1871?) isn't your Samuel

will keep digging

No I don't have any certificates, only a couple mum gave me that my nan kept. I live in Australia, and have looked at prices to get a certificate sent...terribly expensive, particularly when I would be needing many to confirm a lot of relatives.

As I stated before, I would have dismissed one of the census based on the place of birth, but when the exact same family members are listed, it would seem unlikely and improbable there were 2 different Samuels living with the same people.

The 1881 has him lodging with Emma and family, and born in Ledbury, and 1891 married to Emma, with the same children, but born in Birmingham. My question is, if it was a typo, which happened a lot, was where did he actually come from?
I ownder, could he have done something to send him away from home...was he lying in the census and to Emma about his birthplace? Ad I said, quite a mystery to it all. If someone could come up with records for him as a lad in Ledbury, then that would delete William and Hannah.

where did you get the info that his parents were william and hannah? on an earlier census?

You're right Caqsie, I just found that census and took a look. The Samuel I have is living at Finchley in 1891.
I do know my Great Grandmother was born Eliza Smith. And from all of the records I could find, Samuel is her father.
I think I should now try and find parents for Samuel from Ledbury.
But that census with born Birmingham bothers me.

so Samuel has died by 1901 so that doesn't help

I think it was based on Samuel being born in Birmingham, and then matching up appropriate names and dates. This was before I was able to access more data.

The Samuel Smith born to William and Hannah is still with his parents and single in 1891 so I think that discounts him.

Samuel Smith
Age: 33
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Hannah
Gender: Male
Where born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Civil parish: Aston
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter and St Paul
Town: Aston
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England
Registration district: Aston
Sub-registration district: Aston Manor
ED, institution, or vessel: 56
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
William Smith 67
Hannah Smith 62
Elizabeth Smith 37
Samuel Smith 33
Henry Smith 28

yes Astra, that's what I was trying to point out

i wonder if the occupation of plasterer has anything to do with it?

Exactly. It would seem the Birmingham on his 1891 census threw me, but have to ask why???
As I live in Australia, I really don't know all of the name places, but have figured out that Birmingham and Hertfordshire is far enough away from each other to know where you came from.
I am now having trouble trying to locate the Ledbury Samuel prior to 1881.

It's actually Ledbury Herefordshire not Hertfordshire. Makes a big difference.

My Apologies, yes Heresfordshire, as I originally wrote. So many unfamiliar names.
Just wondering how the census clerk could make the mistake of confusing Edgbaston with Ledbury, or vice versa.
I gather Ledbury is closer to Hackney and Finchley than Edgbaston?

I do have a possible alternative that removes Samuel all together.
There is an Eliza Smith, born a few years earlier (1881C), who's parents were Henry and Eliza Smith. Her sister was Harriett, who my mum called nan, as My G grandmother died when my grandmother was 13.

whoa, hang on !!

let's go back to the beginning ... what info do you DEFINITELY have?

can you give us names, dates and places for people you know to be 100% your ancestors? eg your grandparents

how can you "remove" Samuel if he is named as the father on the marriage certificate? you said "A marriage certificate" does that mean you're not sure that it is your great grandmother's?

best start right back at the beginning, to stop you (and us) going on a wild goose chase

My alternative will fit if someone is able to acess the 1911 census. This should confirm the year of birth for Eliza. If I have been looking at the wrong one, then it would all fit in nicely.
It should read Albert Fish and Eliza, with no children. (Unless my Grandmother had an older sibling that died early as she was born in 1912). In the Hackney area.