Hi Donna,

Re. the other Shimmin family (looking for the parents of Elinor/Eleanor who married John Shimmin of Patrick), is there a German MI for Charles SHIMIN & Elinor COWLL by any chance? They married 18 Oct.1800 Kirk German.
Their daughter Elinor was bapt 1803 which fits John's wife Elinor who was aged 48 in the 1851 census, and who was aged 52 in 1855 at her burial and in the MI you found for them.

There are several Charles Shimmin of German burials on Brian's index:
SHIMMIN, Charles 56 German 17 Dec 1831
SHIMMIN, Charles 85 German 11 Nov 1843
SHIMMIN, Charles 70 German 1 Dec 1847

and too many Eleanor/Elinors (her last child was in 1815 according to the IGI).

There was a Charles Shimmin aged 80 in the 1841 census, but no Elinor of a possible age, so if her husband I assume she had died before then - between 1815 and 1841.
In the household was Elizabeth 70 and Margret 30 (Charles & Elinor's daur b.1811?)

Many thanks for looking.

Sue