Have been looking again at the family tree of Thomas Brereton and Martha Hughes and have discovered that they had a son Samuel, born ~1848, quite a long time after their other children. I know this because I came across his marriage lines in Ontario, Canada. He married at the age of 64 to a Martha Hurleston, also 64. It clearly states on the record the names of his mother (Martha Hughes) and father (Thomas Brereton) and birth at Harthill. The year of his marriage was 1912. which makes his birth year ~1848, about 10 years after the rest of his siblings. This is the first time I have found 'proof' that the wife of Thomas was indeed Martha Hughes, as I have yet to find the record of their marriage. I hope that this find is helpful to some of you in researching your ancestors

Regards and happy searching

Jill