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The birth record for Mary and Humphrey's daughter Susanna identified Mary as the daughter of William Ashton and his wife Mary. (There was a marriage of a William Ashton and Mary Hambly in Devon on 28 Mar 1795, near Bideford, that would be worth investigating.) Mary was likely under 21 when she married Humphrey Dyment in 1817, as both bride and groom needed the permission of their parents. A William Ashton was a witness at their marriage.

If William was Mary's father, that would explain the name of Humphrey and Mary's first son.

Mary's date of birth is difficult to pinpoint with any certainty. Her gravestone said she died March 1877 aged 76, but the newspaper death notice said she was in her 76th year, that is, she died at age 75. She was upwards of 60 in the 1861 census, which suggests she was born about 1800.

There were at least four women named Mary Ashton baptized in Devon around this time. One was the daughter of Thomas Ashton and Mary Heard, baptized on 25 Oct 1801 in Hartland. There was also the daughter of William and Joan, and the daughter of Suzanne Ashton, single woman, both in Hartland. Mary, daughter of John and Elizabeth, was baptized on 15 Jun 1800 in Hartland. Given that Mary named her first known daughter Susanna Ashton, there is also the possibility that she was the daughter of a single woman, raised by a grandfather or uncle.

Mary spelled her name "Aishton" on the marriage record; she also could sign her name, which was a bit unusual for the time, when many women could read but not write.

Reports of the emigration of Humphrey and Mary to Prince Edward Island mention that members of the Ashton family came with them.

There was a John Ashton in West Devon, PEI in the 1861 census. His family was Bible Christian, which suggests a link with Devon, England. The oldest male in this household was over 60, and was likely the member of the family born in England. There was no married couple, but a younger woman with young children, all born on the Island, which suggests a widowed daughter or daughter-in-law. John Ashton could be Mary's brother.

There was also a Susan Ashton, who married George Lock(e). Since one of Humphrey Jr.'s sons was named George Locke Dyment, and George Lock was a witness at the marriages of Sarah Dyment and Mary Ann Dyment, this would suggest a close relationship with Susan Ashton Locke. There was also a John Locke buried near the Dyments in Bideford Cemetery.

The third Ashton was Sarah Ashton, who married William Baglole in Hartland, Devon in 1818, and who emigrated to Prince Edward Island with her family around 1831. Descendants of these Bagloles lived in Lot 13.

Name: Humphry Dyment
Spouse's Name: Mary Ashton
Event Date: 27 Mar 1817
Event Place: Hartland,Devon,England
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M00174-1
System Origin: England-ODM
GS Film number: 0874366 IT 1
Reference ID:
Citing this Record "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N2V1-Z89 : accessed 27 Jul 2013), Humphry Dyment and Mary Ashton, 27 Mar 1817.
Also in Boyd's Marriage Index 1538-1840