I noticed your posting today and had previously noticed earlier postings of the name Fewell and its spelling variants beginning with an F. This is a name which I have often encountered in Essex records and the more I saw it the more I thought that it seemed disproportionate to the number of times I can remember seeing the appearance of the name in modern times. This line of thinking (or hunch really) increased when I began to see the name Suell or variants beginning with an S. And I wonder if there had been some mix-up in the past over the way letters were written. I've just put my hunch to the test by going to LDS site and searching the IGI for Philomon SEWELL. I got two results. I don't want to send anyone on a wild goose chase but what do you think
Hi Clincher There is a family of Sewell's as well. In fact I think I have seen a Sewell that married a Fewell, if I remember rightly. Jewel is another one that we are having problems with as Takeley Parish records have been transcribed, and there are Fewell's on it that have been written as Jewell. My first encounter was a Fewell in the RMA Chelsea his name had been written as Jewel. I think that as far as Sewel, Jewel and Fewel are concerned we have to keep an open mind. People over the years have had trouble translating F, S and J. Now I am off to look at BMD to see what info you found on Philomon Sewell. Philomon is such an unusual name, I have only seen it crop up twice on the Essex records. Thanks Sue
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Bell - London, Dorset & Somerset Bridge, Crow, Fewell, Prior - Essex Cane - London & Portsmouth Hunter - London McLeod - Scotland, Helmsdale & Wick
Just for general information I encountered a problem with an S being thought to be a P. I sent to the Chelmsford Registry Office for a Sarah Searles B C, the R O said they could only find a Sarah Pearls. Since the parents names were the same as those for Sarah Searls I asked for a recheck, so after taking in other names beginning with S by the same recorder, they found it was Searls.
You do have to keep on your toes with these record offices. The last certificate I sent for was a Hunter, I gave them the GRO ref as well. They sent me an email the day it was supposed to be sent and said it didn't exist and refunded half my money. This is the third time this has happened when I have supplied a GRO number, so I wrote and asked why, when I have got the number from 3 different records does this keep happening. The next thing I had was an email aplogising and saying it did exist and they sent it the next day. Sue
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Bell - London, Dorset & Somerset Bridge, Crow, Fewell, Prior - Essex Cane - London & Portsmouth Hunter - London McLeod - Scotland, Helmsdale & Wick