Who is Joseph Chapman's Mother?

Joseph Chapman's parents, John and Ruth Chapman, have been a brick wall in my family tree for a long time now, so a few days ago, I  had the idea of ordering the birth certificate of Joseph's brother, Frederick Chapman, to try to resolve the mystery. (I couldn't really order Joseph's birth certificate because there are too many births for the same name around the same time, so I couldn't be sure I was getting MY Joseph!)

Frederick Chapman's birth certificate came yesterday and what a shock it was to find his father listed as GEORGE Chapman (File Cutler) instead of the JOHN I was expecting! The mother is listed as Ruth Jubb. (I'm certain this is the correct Frederick, by the way!)

At this point, as a matter of interest, I can confirm there was a marriage between George Chapman and Ruth Jubb in the September Quarter of 1837, two years before Frederick's birth, in ROTHERHAM - not Sheffield as I was expecting. Frederick was born in Sheffield.

In the light of this new-found information which puts the cats firmly amongst the pigeons, I must retrace my steps and start again from the information I DO know for certain:

Facts I know about Joseph Chapman from Marriage Certificate:

1. married 4th July 1881
2. was aged 29 in 1881 (therefore born 1852)
3. lived in Bennett Lane, Sheffield in 1881
4. was a bachelor
5. occupation Table Knife Cutler
6. father John Chapman
7. father's occupation File Cutler
8. father was deceased in 1881

Facts I know about Joseph Chapman from his daughter, Ruth Annie's birth certificate 1881:

1. daughter born 16th July 1881
2. living at Hereford Street, Sheffield
3. occupation Table Knife Cutler

Facts I know about Joseph Chapman from the 1881 census:

1. living in Bowden Street
2. age obscured
3. Table Knife Cutler
4. living with both daughters
5. married - but wife not at home

Facts I know about Joseph Chapman and Ruth from the 1871 census:

1. living in 10 Bennett Lane, Sheffield
2. age 18
3. occupation Table Knife Cutler
4. unmarried
5. living with mother, Ruth
6. mother, Ruth, is age 60
7. mother's occupation Silver Trade Retired
8. mother a widow

Facts I know about Joseph Chapman and Ruth and Matthew from the 1861 census:

1. living in 10 Bennett Lane
2. age 7
3. at school
4. unmarried
5. living with mother, Ruth
6. mother, Ruth, is age 44
7. mother's occupation not listed
8. mother a widow
9. living with brother Matthew
10. Matthew age 17
11. Matthew's occupation Cutler
12. Matthew is unmarried

Facts I know about Ruth Chapman from the 1851 census:

1. living as a lodger at 57 Backfields, Sheffield
2. age 39
3. widow
4. occupation Silver Burnisher
5. living with son Matthew (age 6) and daughter Ann (age 1)

Facts I know about Ruth from the 1841 census:

1. age 30
2. living at Bishop Street, Sheffield
3. living with son Frederick
4. marital status not specified
5. husband not at home

CONCLUSIONS

I'm hoping I have got the correct census records for this family! 

Living at Bennett Lane seems to be proof that Ruth IS Joseph's mother.

The one thing that really hits you here, though, is that Ruth's husband appears to be deceased before the 1852 birth I have for Joseph - maybe he could have been born in 1851?

And Ruth's daughter, Ann, is age 1 on the 1851 census, so the father must have died within the last year - there IS a death for a George Chapman in 1851!

Could there have been (yet another) misprint on Joseph's marriage certificate and his father was not, in fact, John - seems a bit far-fetched as the certificate is a copy of the hand-written original and not typed out.

Is the only way of solving this paying out for a search Joseph's birth certificate at the GRO? 

Seems so!