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Thanks for your replies everyone.
The reasons I have matched the birth of Sarah Jane STEPHENS in 1855 with the marriage to Albert Edmund Holmesby in 1876 is for a few reasons;
-the age of the bride on the marriage index is '21' so that ties up,
- her full name ties up
-a family history biography "The Holmesby Family in Australia", 2000, researched & written by WP Holmesby details the same dates and details of Sarah Jane STEPHENS for her birth and marriage.
- I had some help from the SA Genaealogy Society and came up with the same information

Thanks KathleenBell-I had come across the marriage of her possible parents, John STEPHENS and Sarah May in Victoria at St James Church in 1841....it does seem like a possibility. I don't think the church could give me any further info as I emailed them some years ago with no reply. I even
visited the church a couple of years ago..absolutely gorgeous! I will have a look into the Van Diemen's Land possible link.

Thanks Maddie for the information re an arrival date and Vessel name. I will follow that lead up. I have all the details of the offspring of Sarah Jane Stephens and Albert Edmund Holmesby, one of whom was my grandmother.

This record of the marriage of John Stephens and Sarah May (as given above by Maddie) gives the church as St. James. Maybe they have archives that you could check:-

First name(s) John
Last name Stephens
Birth year -
Residence New South Wales, Australia
Marriage year 1841
Marriage date 30 Aug 1841 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Spouse's first name(s) Sarah
Spouse's last name May
Marriage place St. James, Melbourne, New South Wales, Australia<<<<<<<<
Town -
County -
State New South Wales
Country Australia
Bride's marital status Married
Record set Australia, Marriages, 1788-1935
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Marriage & Divorce
Collections from Australasia.

Could they possibly have come from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)?

Kath. x

children
Name
Frank Hollingworth Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Stephens
Father
Alfred Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 30/01/1885
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia
Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922

Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Harrold Stephens Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 26/03/1889
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Rupert Stanley Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 17/06/1886
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Fredrick Percy Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 14/04/1882
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Albert Ernest Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 27/08/1877
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia
Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Ethel May Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Ernest Holmesby
Birth
Adelaide 03/11/1878
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australi

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Leslie George Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmund Holmesby
Birth
Parkside 23/02/1893
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Amy Evlyn Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmond Holmesby
Birth
Parkside 22/11/1897
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Birth, Baptism & Christening
Record information.
Name
Harry Eustace Holmesby
Mother
Sarah Jane Stephens
Father
Albert Edmond Holmesby
Birth
Parkside 03/06/1880
Civil
Adelaide South Australia Australia

in the Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950
Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 No Image

Name: John Stephens
Spouse Name: Sarah May
Marriage Place: Victoria
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration Year: 1841
Registration Number: 4416

Can you check your dates, please

Also, please say why you think the birth is that of the woman who married in 1876

This is the absolute road block of researching my family history.

I have a Sarah Jane STEPHENS b 16/03/1855 Adelaide, SA
Father: John STEPHENS
Mother: Sarah MAY
Ade 5/128 (SA Births 1842-1906)

Married 17/04/1876 to Albert Edmund HOLMESBY
Dist Mt B 107/77 (SA Marriages, Registrations 1843-1916)
Place Presbyterian Manse, Mount Barker
Father: George STEPHENS

You will see that on Sarah Jane STEPHENS b/cert, her father is listed as 'John', yet on her Marriage certificate he is listed as 'George'.
I cannot find anything more about Sarah's father (John or George STEPHENS) or mother (Sarah MAY).

To say this is doing my head in is not an understatement...... Sarah Jane STEPHENS was my great grandmother, so it's not all that far back which makes it even more frustrating. I am tending to her father's name being George, not John, as one of her 10 children had George as a middle name...longshot I know but I am clutching at straws.

I would love to find out more information about Sarah MAY and John/George STEPHENS..where they were from, how/when did they get to Australia, where they were married, did they have any more children, where were they buried. They have quite common names so that makes it even more difficult. Any family tree I have seen my Sarah Jane STEPHENS does not show any more information than I know.

To anyone who is able to throw any light on this, I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you :)