|
Pages: [1]
|
 |
|
Author
|
Topic: George FRY and James FRY, of Membury (Read 168 times)
|
GazT
RootsChat Extra
 Offline
Posts: 69
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
|
Hi,
I am returning to a topic on which I had little luck last year.
I had been hoping someone could help me find more on George FRY and his family. George, born about 1823, was transported to Tasmania in 1843 after stabbing a drinking partner Joseph Hake. He was convicted in Somerset Assizes in August 1843 and shipped out in November that year.
His convict papers show him as a ploughman and farm labourer and his 'native place' as 'Exminster'. In a barely legible 'Remarks' section it appears to show his father as 'Jas' (probably James), a brother Jas, and a sister Eliza.
I have looked at the 1841 Census through Ancestry and found a number of George Frys, none living with a James or Eliza, though it is likely he was out working by then, aged about 17.
The most likely candidate was working at Clayhidon, but the census pages are virtually unreadable.
Today I returned to chasing the Frys and using the LDS site found a George Fry, bapt 28 Apr 1822, son of James FRY and a Harriet. Further searching showed James and Harriet had two other children and they turned out to be James Frederick, bapt 31 Aug 1823; and Eliza, bapt 1 Jun 1828.
They looked very likely prospects and a google search showed me that Membury was only a couple of miles from Axminster (not Exminster) and that Clayhidon was only about six miles further north-west-ish. This makes me believe I might have found the right people.
I haven't been able to find anything else on Harriet, who may have died before George was transported in 1843, nor am I confident of an 1841 census showing a James Fry at Axminster with a daughter Eliza, aged 15, and a wife Susan.
Can anyone set me straight?
Gazt
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
aggiebagwash
RootsChat Veteran
Offline
Posts: 525
|
Bingo!!! Found them living in Axminster as you said.
James Fry age 55 Ag Lab Y
Susan Fry 55 N
Eliza Fry 15 Dressmaker Y
Regards
Margaret
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
GazT
RootsChat Extra
Offline
Posts: 69
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
|
Hi Margaret,
I've seen that and it's always looked promising, but Susan as wife raised questions. George did not list a mother on his convict documents, so it's likely she had died before he was transported.
I've searched the LDS and found a James Fry marrying a Susanna Mathews at Holy Trinity, Exeter, Devon on 18 Sep 1832. Exeter seems a fair way from Axminster to me, but I have trouble working out English locations and scale. Could she be the one?
The real mystery is what happened to Harriet and who exactly was she -- if indeed she was George's mother.
GazT
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
aggiebagwash
RootsChat Veteran
Offline
Posts: 525
|
Hi Gaz
nor am I confident of an 1841 census showing a James Fry at Axminster with a daughter Eliza, aged 15, and a wife Susan.
Sorry mis-interpreted the above sentence as you looking for them not having found them.
I think that James and Susan could be strong possibilities. Have you looked for James and Susanna around the Exeter area on the 1851 so you can see (a) if she was called Susan on the census and (b) their ages. The ones we know about are about 65 in 1851 anything under that age you can dismiss as the wrong couple.
Why not work around the details that you do know for sure. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on the IGI it is notorious for not being complete and inaccurate dates, names etc.
There is always the chance that Harriet was George's mother as you think and James remarried after her death.
Will have another look for you, sometimes a pair of fresh eyes can spot something.
Margaret
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
GazT
RootsChat Extra
Offline
Posts: 69
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
|
Thanks Criss,
That's great but it throws up some big questions.
I have George Fry bap 28 Apr 1822; James Frederick Fry bap 31 Aug 1823; and Eliza and John Fry bap 1 Jun 1828, all in Membury, Devon, children of James and Harriet. This is from the IGI and I know that can be a problematic source, but these are from extracted birth records from the parish which I believe are usually reliable. (batch CO51411).
I agree it's more than possible that other children could have been born and baptised outside Axminster, or Membury, but if so some of the dates raise questions: we have two Johns baptised within 15 months of each other, which could suggest the one from Axminster died in his first year; we have two Elizas, but a gap of about five years between them, so again, the first may have passed away.
George makes no mention of a Jane or John in his convict papers (nor of a mother Harriet, for that matter). Perhaps they had also passed away by the time of his transportation in 1843. From your records it seems likely that Harriet died within weeks of Jane's birth.
By the way, I have recently been in contact with someone researching the same family and she says that Harriet Matthews was born in Ilminster, Somerset about 1800 (which fits with Harriet dying in Axminster in 1832) and that she may have been of Quaker parents.
Thanks for your help, I don't suppose you have access to the Membury baptisms and burials, do you?
cheers
Gary
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pages: [1]
|
|
|
|
|
hi this was from the axminster baptisms and burials