I've been looking at Grace Usher who was one of the witnesses at the marriage of Henry Usher and Maria Cottrell (a very poor photocopy of the certificate is on someone's Ancestry tree.) The IGI has an extracted baptism for Grace Usher 11th Jan 1819 St Peter Liverpool, to John Usher and Phebe. Phebe is alias Barr --- married 22nd April 1816 St Nicholas Liverpool.

So the closest relationship there could be between Grace and Henry Usher is first cousins, if Levi and John were brothers.

Grace Usher married Robert Birch in 1845 in LP. In 1841 she was a 20 yr old pauper b Lancs in the Liverpool Mount Pleasant District Public Workhouse and Fever Hospital. In 1851 Grace was "25 b LP" ---- her family was in LP with Grace's mother, Phoebe Usher 67 (or 61) b LP.

In 1861 Phoebe Usher is still with the family, age 72 ---- Grace is 36 "b Isle of Man"

In 1871 Grace (indexed by Ancestry as George) is "49 b Liverpool"

Is it possible that the Usher family moved regularly between Liverpool and the IOM in the late 1700s to 1820 era so that Henry and his siblings, and also Grace and her siblings, were born in various places and weren't necessarily baptised where the birth took place? If so, this might account for the fact that Grace's place of birth stated in the various censuses shows inconsistency.

Another possibility is that Henry Usher's birth might be in the IGI, but as an illegitimate son registered to a Manx mother with her surname --- perhaps a girl who worked as a servant with Levi ?

Just found Phoebe Usher in 1841 in Liverpool, indexed as Phoebe Wiken b 1801. The actual page shows "Phoebe Usher 44 Ind Y." She's sharing a dwelling with John Leece 20 coach builder N, and Jane Leece 20 Y (probably a Jane alias Hurst)

But I'm not sure that all this amounts to anything useful in the quest to find Henry Usher's mother.

Jean C