An interesting feature of the 1871 census of Kingsclear Parish, York Co., NB is that while there were Jabez (33) and Martha (33) Simms from Newfoundland, with children, John (6) and Ethel (4), both b. NB; next door were Robert (57) and Ann (54) Farcey and family, also from Newfoundland. Just beyond the Farcey’s were Mark Poor (b. England ca. 1842) and his wife, Mary (b. Newfoundland ca. 1842) and their daughter, Ann Elizabeth (b. Newfoundland ca. 1867). Presumably they all were connected.
In 1881, in Kingsclear Parish, ‘Jafes’ (43) and Martha (43) ‘Symes’ had John (16) and ‘Eathel’ (14). There were others from Newfoundland, including John (26), Benjamin (30) and Thomas (28) Lovell, with Benjamin a widower and John with a wife, Martha (21) and children. Also, very near by, were Jonathan Syms (33), with a wife, Jane (30), both from Newfoundland; with children Charles (5), Lyman (3) and Jane (JUL1880) Jonathan (22SEP1846) and Jane (26JAN1851) Simms are still in Kingsclear Parish in 1901, with amongst their children, Jabez Simms (4JUL1889).
Early in 1889, Jabez Symes sold his farm in Kingsclear Parish to the Rev. Gilbert, and went to Michigan where a son had been living for two or three years.
By 1910, Jabez D. (72) and Martha C. (72) Symes are in Menominee, Menominee Co., Michigan. Jabez Bunting Symes (28AUG1837-14JAN1918) is buried in Menominee.
There does not appear to be, nor is there likely to be, any birth records for Jabez and Martha’s children. They were not required until much later, and while some exist for roughly 1860-1900, these are mostly late registrations needed for Old Age Pensions, etc. For example, Allen Jabez Simms registered his birth in 1930 as being in Kingsclear Parish, 4AUG1889 (indicating the unreliability of the 1901 census), s/o Jonathan and Jennie (Forsey) Simms. His sister, Amelia Forsey Simms (b. Kingsclear 18JUL1882) registered her birth in 1944. Another sibling, John Leonard Simms (b. 25AUG1884) gave, in 1944, his mother as Jennia Amelia Forsay.
Not having been in NB after 1900, and not feeling the need to return to do a late registration, it becomes very unlikely that a birth registration exists for Ethel. However, a baptismal record is very likely. In 1881, they were Methodist Church of Canada. Much of the Methodist Church of Canada merged with churches of the Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec and the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1925 to become the United Church of Canada. I do not see anything too likely in the microfilms mentioned at:
http://archives.gnb.ca/Documents/CountyGuides/York_en-CA.pdfI would suspect, then, that the only record of Ethel’s birth would be in her death record and in a family record such as a family Bible, or, as above, in the 1871 abd 1881 censuses. Presumably one of these was your source for the information at:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=86...The discrepancy between headstone and death certificate is not all that unusual, especially if a stone was placed several years later, or a miscalculation was made in the death record. In 1871 and 1881, Ethel was b. ca. 1867, so that year, if later census returns support it, seems most likely. On the other hand, she gave ca. 1866 when married.
Thomas.