rileypau on Family Tree Circles

I tracing my family history I have come across a rather intriguing ancestor, my great-great-great-grandfather, Solomon Redfern. My research so far has located him on all of the English Census returns from 1901 back to 1861, the intriguing detail is that on the census forms his place of birth is as variably detailed below.

1901 ? born about 1831 in America, British subject occupation retired Boiler Maker.
1891 ? born about 1831 in America, New Brunswick occupation Boiler Maker
1881 ? born about 1824 in America occupation Ship Riveter
1871 ? born about 1831 in America, Fredericton, British subject occupation Boiler Maker
1861 ? born about 1831 in New Brunswick, America, Fredericks Town occupation Boiler Maker

I have also located his marriage to Sarah Brierley in Manchester, England in 1855.

Now I would suggest that he would not have been able to fool the census takers every time into believing that he was from America (the continent of North America), I suspect that the inhabitants of Manchester could have only dreamt of subtitles, and therefore am fairly sure that he was born in North America.

From this information I have surmised that he was born in about 1831 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and emigrated to Manchester, England sometime before 1855 presumably to work in the shipbuilding industry. The questions I have are as follows:

1. Exactly when and where was he born?
2. When did he emigrate, and for what purpose?
3. Is there a distant branch of the family I am not aware of?
4. Where his parents originally from England, possibly Manchester?

Any help will be greatly received by not just me, but at least two relatives I knew nothing of until I hit this obstacle.