Somerset & Dorset Pages - Number 8

Family Queries

Josephine Wyatt is anxious to find information about Elizabeth STANTON, her 2xGGM, who married William PIKE. From one child's birth certificate and the Devon Census, she has found that Elizabeth was born c1828 at Castle Cary SOM but has not located her actual birth or baptism. The children were Amos, Edith [PAYNE], Frederick, Levi, GF Charles Robert (1862), Sarah Ann [PAUL], George (in Royal Marines 1891) and Sidney. William Pike was a gardener in Bristol when Amos was born and an ag labourer from at least 1860, living at Corrymoor Cottage, Upottery DEV. William's parents were Robert and Mary MOCKRIDGE. His siblings were Edith [SANSOM], Emanuel, Jemima Louisa and others.

Ian Lawson has been researching his ancestors in Somerset for a considerable time and has accumulated much data from various parish registers, purchased from the Somerset Record Office e.g. Stoke Lane, Holcombe, Kilmersdon, Ashwick, East Cranmore, Leigh upon Mendip, Downhead and Elm. His interests start with John TREASURE and wife Sarah who had at least six children at the beginning of the 18th century.
One of them, Tobias, married Hester A(I)SHMAN at Kilmersdon SOM in 1728; there were at least four children of whom John married a Margaret, c1770. From this marriage, there appear to have been ten children baptised at Holcombe SOM. One was Levi who married Bete TRUS(S)LER at Downhead in 1806. From this marriage, there were 13 children.
It was at this stage that difficulties began to arise. One daughter, Jane Treasure, married Robert EMERY at Stoke lane in 1833 and they and two of their siblings ran up against the law. They were convicted of "burglarously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Sarah Stowell to steal 20 pounds weight of bacon and other articles and also breaking into a building to steal a handkerchief and other articles, property of the Revd. West." Two were sent to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), served time there and were given conditional pardon in 1850. The youngest was transported to Western Australia (aged 20) but was given a "ticket of leave" before the ship arrived.
Ian has a large array of extractions and copies of various documents and is willing to share information on his Somerset ancestral families.

Ken Andrews is searching for information on George ANDREWS who married Ann FARMER c1825, possibly at Bridgwater SOM. Their children were all baptised at St Mary's Church Bridgwater and were:
George (1826); Annette (Nov 1832) died 11 Jun 1833 at Bridgwater SOM; Ellen (1834); Ann (1837).
George Snr is shown on his son's marriage certificate as "Professor of music". He was more than likely a church organist at St Mary's Church in Bridgwater SOM. George Jnr emigrated to Australia in 1854 where he married Catherine ABBOTT who emigrated from Birmingham UK.
Ken would also like to know something of Bridgwater SOM and any information on churches in the area, particularly St Mary's where the baptisms took place. Contacts and information would be greatly appreciated.

Simon Smith is seeking more information on his JARMAN and KNIGHT ancestors. In what follows, Emma, Sarah and John are siblings of Simon's GGF Charles JARMAN.
Emma JARMAN (b1820) married Henry KNIGHT (b1817) about 1852 and they lived in Chilton Trinity in 1881. They had two children: William Drake (b1853) and Anne (b1855).
Sarah JARMAN (b.1829) became Mrs Sarah MOLE sometime after 1851 and left SOM.
John Drake JARMAN (b1832) married Rebecca Mary (...?) of Frome (b1841) and they lived in Bridgwater in 1881. There were five children: John Parker (b1861), Alice Ada (b1869), Florence Evelyn (b1871), Elsie Maud Mary (b1872), Kate Emily (b1874).

Joan Riek is trying to find the birthplace and date of her 3xGGM Mary Ann PERRETT nee TREW whose parents were John and Elizabeth nee CURTIS.
Mary Ann could have been born in 1826, possibly at Ashcott SOM. When she was 14 years old, her relative Charles CURTIS' wife Jane had a baby and Mary Ann went to South Perrott DOR to help care for the child. Later she seems to have moved to Wick SOM where she took up a job as a dairywoman. While there, she met James PERRETT and, at 19, she was married to James in 1846 in Long Load SOM where James' mother lived. His father had died earlier in 1829. James' brother Sealy and Mary's relative Susan Trew were witnesses.
James and Mary Ann lived in Long Load where they had two children, James (b.c1847) and John (b.1849), before migrating to Australia, arriving Sydney NSW AUS on the Mary Bannatyne in July 1849. Rosanna(b.1857), Gilbert (b.1858) and Mary Jane (b.1861) were all born in Pennant Hills NSW AUS and the last child Susan was born in QLD AUS in 1863.
Joan would be delighted to find the definite birthplace and date for Mary Ann TREW and her ancestry. She has good information about the PERRETT family.

Diane Bryant would appreciate any information which can be shared about CLARKE and BRYANT families. William Charles CLARKE and Mary BUCKNALL were married at Banwell SOM. There were two known children.
Arthur Elton CLARKE, b.14 Aug 1868 (Banwell SOM?), married Clara Ann FARNCOMBE on 27 Dec 1900. He died 2 Nov 1937. Their son Arthur Joseph Elton CLARKE, b.27 Nov 1902, married Dorothy Mortimer HART on 5 Aug 1939. There was no issue. AJE Clarke lived at Banwell Cottage, 68 West Street, Banwell SOM at the time of his death on 27 Jul 1992.
Jessie May CLARKE, b.23 Apr 1872 (Banwell SOM?), married George Edward BRYANT on 3 Feb 1895. She died 20 May 1944 in Canada. Their son was George Edward BRYANT, b.27 Jan 1900 Bristol SOM, who married Dorothy Valentine Farraday POOLE on 4 Nov 1921 at London ONT, Canada. He died 8 Jun 1986 in Florida USA.

Trevor Mills is searching for ancestors with the surname COLSTON because the name has been handed down as the second given name to him and his father, and to one of his GF's brothers as a first name. The family story is a curious one because Trevor's GGF, David Mills (b.1845 Drumcowra IRE) was married to one Harriet Jane SUTTON or COLSTON at Opotiki in NZ in 1878.
The MILLS ancestry is well established but there is a real lack of information about Harriet Jane. Trevor was told by his father and GF that Harriet's maiden name was COLSTON and that she came from Bristol where her father was a leading legal man. It was said that she accompanied her sister to NZ after her sister became very much involved with a leading Bristol citizen.
Harriet's first child was given the names Colston Henry. However, Harriet's only known registered details were on the birth certificate of her second son James, giving her maiden name as SUTTON, born c1854 Holcombe DEV. Her arrival date in NZ has not yet been found but could be c1873 to 1878.
Whatever the factual story is, Trevor would be delighted to find the ancestral origin of the name COLSTON so well established in his NZ family and to find out what Harriet Jane's real name and her parentage was in SOM or DEV.

Mrs Veronica Cantello is interested in the surname CANTELLO and variants in SOM in any time period.
Her CANTEL(L)O or CANTLE interests are mainly in Bath and Weston village Bath, centering around William James and Hezekiah who were musicians in the city about 1773. They travelled between Bath, London, Bristol and Oxford. There are various mentions of daughters or nieces referred to by name as Miss Cantelo. A search is being made to find the connections.
There is another group who were based in Bruton SOM, starting with Thomas Cantellow (Thomas Caundle alias Cantelow, possibly one and the same). He married in on 22 Sep 1705. There was also John Cantellow who married on 19 Apr 1744.

Roland Purnell is eager to exchange data with any researchers interested in the following CHANCELLOR or related families.
He has traced his maternal GM CHANCELLOR's ancestors to Midsomer Norton SOM. His 2xGGF was Mark, born c. Apr 1825 to Job Chancellor and Elizabeth nee SMITH who were married 25 Jul 1813. Job's mother was Ann Chancellor, born c Aug 1762, to William Chancellor and Diana nee TURNER, married 18 Feb 1762. William was born c. Jun 1734, the son of Jane Chancellor. These records have come from original parish registers in Taunton SOM.
Roland has explored many neighbouring parishes around Midsomer Norton SOM without further leads and would be delighted to find someone with other information.

Archibald Dailey is tracing his EDMONDS ancestry back from Victoria AUS to Lopen SOM and would be pleased to have contact with those interested in the surname before 1780 and on through to 1850.
His earliest ancestor is likely to have been Joseph Edmonds who married Phebe HILLARD at Lopen SOM on 22 Jul 1805. One son was William EDMONDS (1811-1879), born and died in Lopen; another son was John (bp.28 Apr 1809) who married Mary ...? in 1830.
William married Sarah HARRIS (1810-1874) of Dinnington SOM; they had at least three children, Elizabeth, Emily and George (1841-1879) in Lopen SOM.
George EDMONDS married Mary Ann ...? (1841-1890) at Lopen SOM. One of their children was John William EDMONDS (b.1866 Lopen - d.1933 London). John William married Florence Jane SPEAR (1862-1948) - he was the GF of Archibald Dailey.
Doris Ellen EDMONDS was a daughter of John William and Florence Jane EDMONDS, born 1903 in London, d.1985. She married Joseph Albert DAILEY, born 1881 in London and died 1966. Their son is Archibald, born 1928 in London and now living in Bayswater, VIC AUS.

Boyd Hando is searching for information about Charles HANDO, Henry HANDO and George HANDO who emigrated from Hutton SOM in August 1852 with their father William HANDO. They left England on the ship Ticonderoga. The ship arrived in Melbourne amd they were disembarked in December 1852 after a voyage during which there were many deaths on board. The father, William, was one of those who died on the ship and was buried at Portsea VIC AUS and not at sea. Any information about the Hando family in Hutton SOM would be much appreciated by Boyd. Although Boyd does not have an email connection, Gordon Merry will pass any messages on to him.
[Note added by the Webmaster: The three Hando sons were fortunate. In Ian Nicholson's Log of Logs, he records that the Ticonderoga, a ship of 1089 tons, set out from Liverpool UK on 4 August 1852 with 714 migrants. 96 died on the voyage and 300 were sick when the ship arrived at Port Phillip VIC AUS on 5 November 1852. The ship was quarantined. There is a Nepean Historical Society 1969 report of the voyage by Major H.J. Welch, From the Hell of the Fever Ships to Health and in Book Two of The Peninsula Story. The Victorian Legislative Council Health Officer reported on the matter in the Returns of Diseases 31.12.1852.]

Elizabeth Raymond is trying to trace the birth and marriage records of Robert RAYMOND, father of William Raymond (born 4 Jul 1845). William appears to be Elizabeth's GGF. Data available in the 1841 and the 1851 Censuses locate Robert Raymond and family at Duke of York Court, Kingston, Yeovil SOM. The 1851 data give Robert's age as 39 and the family made up of:
Hannah (nee MARCH) age 38, born Yeovil SOM; Catherine (13), Edward (11), Stephen (9), William (6), Fanny (4) and Cuthbert (9 mth). Also in the house was Stephen MARCH, widower age 73, born Sparkford SOM, occupation "House, property".
William Raymond married on 7 Jan 1873, at which time he was a decorative painter living in Middle Street, Yeovil. His residence in this street is of interest because the 1851 Census showed that a Henry Raymond lived at 8 Middle Street, Yeovil as follows:
Henry Raymond age 27, Taylor; Elizabeth Raymond age 25, wife of Henry; Susan Martha Raymond age 1, daughter; Benjamin Raymond age 5 mths, son.
Was Henry Raymond perhaps a brother to Robert Raymond? Also from South Cadbury records, it is confirmed that Martha Raymond, daughter of Edward and Martha Raymond, was baptised 19 Oct 1814 - perhaps Robert's sister?
Elizabeth would welcome contact with others who could resolve the difficulty she has in determining the parentage, birth and marriage of Robert Raymond.

William Meacham is seeking information on Ambrose and Ursula MEACHAM at Crewkerne SOM in the period late 1500s to early 1600s, particularly on the names and birth dates of their children.
US Meacham genealogists have been plagued with the origins of two mainlines of Meachams in the USA. The southern branch is descended from a Jo. Machem and/or John Micham, listed as transported from England to Virginia in 1635. The northern Branch is said to come from a Jeremiah Meacham who appeared around 1650 in New England. There are claims that Jo. Machem and John Micham were brothers and sons of Ambrose and Ursula Meacham. The basis of the claim has never been clear. It has also been claimed in the 1980s that a Will for Ambrose had been discovered in Taunton SOM. No copy or transcription has ever been produced.
William would find it very welcome if some hard data could be provided on the family of Ambrose. What has been written about Ambrose is: Born Crewkerne c1580, parents Thomas Meacham (b.1541) and Joanne nee Pullen; Married Ursula Perrie or Perry in Crewkerne 1 Feb 1600 or 1601 and they had many children between 1602 and 1620; Died probably around 1630-1640.

Don Ryall has traced his roots as far as 1832 to a little settlement called Job's Cove in Conception Bay NFLD. There are variants in the spelling of the surname which changed over the years - Riall, Rial, Riles, Royal. People who stayed there still spell it as Royal. Others who moved to St John's changed it to Ryall. There is even a spelling Rahal which exists to this day.
Getting nowhere with the Job's Cove families, Don searched records of nearby towns and found John Ryall's family at Trinity, Trinity Bay NFLD. That was the information about John Royal (sea captain) who married Mary Ivyney. It is the only time that that spelling occurred. They had eight children. John died in 1789. There are also records about the same time showing three brothers; William, John and Thomas, with ages a couple of years apart. The John Ryall, Trinity family came from Corton Denham SOM, but the three brothers are listed as coming from Horsington SOM.
Don would welcome advice and assistance in looking for the brothers, sisters and parents of John Ryall as it seems likely that their origin could have been in the area around those parishes. These wandering fishermen of the time are very difficult to trace without some fortunate breaks in the search.

Bruce Pitts is searching for Thomas PITTS and his wife Charity who had children William, Charity and Edith in the 1780s in Huntspill SOM.
Of William, he knows some background; he is Bruce's ancestor. In a visit to Somerset in 1997, Bruce found that William Pitts was baptised in Huntspill SOM on Nov 1793 and was buried in Burnham-on-Sea Mar 1868. He found that Thomas died at Burnham-on-Sea and was buried at Huntspill SOM on 23 Feb 1813, aged 67 years, implying born c1746. William was a labourer or butcher and Thomas could well have been a labourer as well.
Bruce has found positive links in Somerset to all of the names in the table and would like to expand upon them if possible. He has not found where Thomas Pitts came from and would like to know what happened to Charity and Edith. He would appreciate any information and on other descendants of Thomas Pitts throughout the 1800s.

Hope and Jerry Michael are searching for the birthplace of John HILLIER, thought to have been born in the southern counties of England in c1783 or 1788, possibly SOM, DOR, DEV or WIL. John Hiller went to Newfoundland and was there in 1814 and 1816 as an agent and bookkeeper, in the employ of Abraham Malzard, a merchant in Burin. John's family was one of several families which originally settled at Lamaline on the Burin Peninsula. Unfortunately, tracing John's ancestry backwards ends at Lamaline NFLD. John Hillier was Hope's 4xGGF.
Hope and Jerry would be delighted to find potential information on John Hilliard and to make contact with others searching in England for this man, perhaps with some success. More details of the family are to be found in the URL in the table.

Robert Hurford is interested to find out more about his 8xGGF John Hurford and wife Grace nee Plaice and their ancestors and descendants. John Hurford became Rector of the Parish of Monksilver SOM. John and Grace has two sons, John (b.c1636) and James. Son John first married Elizabeth Taylor whose parents were Ambrose Taylor and Wilmont nee Parker. John and Elizabeth had John Jr (b.1674) and Sarah (b.1675). Elizabeth (1638-1689) was buried at Woodbury DEV in a Quaker cemetery. John remarried to Sarah Holcome and they, with John Jr, emigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1700.

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