In the 1891 Census, 68 Jodrell Road, Stratford has Jane Walker, widow, as head of the household living with her 4 sons plus Mary Woodage, sister, and 3 of Mary's children listed as nieces and nephew. Mary may well be some relation of Jane but certainly is not a sister.

I was expecting to find that Mary was a half-sister, step-sister or cousin but having spent far too much time on the matter I cannot find any relationship between the two.

In the 1881 Census, 20 Ormerod Road, Bow is occupied by John Eales together with his wife and 4 children PLUS Jane Walker listed as sister and 3 of Jane's sons PLUS John Eales' grandmother. If you look at the descendants of Ann Elizabeth Richardson/Eales/Wright née Lawson you will see that Jane was a half-sister of John as they had the same mother.

There is a further mystery that I have not solved! You will see that Ann Elizabeth Lawson's first husband was George Henry Charles Richardson. Ann's sister, Maria married a George Henry Richardson. Then there is yet another George Richardson who married Sarah Anne Cunnington in 1841. Sarah was born in 1822 to parents Thomas & Mary but I have not found any relationship to Mary Cunnington. As yet I have not been able to find any link between the three people called George Richardson.

Yet another mystery: The witnesses at Mary Cunnington's marriage were Frances Lawson and Mary Ann Lawson. I have not been able to find a relationship between these Lawsons and the Lawsons mentioned above nor with either Mary Cunnington or Thomas Woodage.

I suspect that in 1891 Mary Woodage and family were simply sharing the house and none of the usual descriptions such as lodger, visitor, boarder etc. was appropriate so sister/niece/nephew seemed a lot easier.