1) Barring his death notice in an Aldord (Lincs) newpaper in 1823 which gave his age as 60 every source I have seen strongly suggests my 2Xgreat grandfather John Luffman was born c1776. He joined the Somerset Fencible militia at Bath in 1794 and left the unit in Alford to marry in 1797. I have been unable to confirm his place or date of birth. A baptismal record from Henstridge Somerset in July 1777 shows John Luffman base son of Betty Meechard(Meatyard). Was this him? His army discharge records from Kilmainham hospital in 1811 show his place of birth as the parish of St, Mary York; no record of a baptism there in 1776 or at any other time. Indeed his marriage at Alford 25th December 1797 is the earliest record I have so far found of the surname in Northern England. Henstridge is on the other side of a marsh from Oborne Dorset where one Luffman family lived at the time; there were none recorded in Henstridge parish records. Any suggestions.
2) A Robert Meatyard son of Betty was baptised in Henstridge in February 1782; later that year a
Robert Luffman son of Betty Luffman was baptised in Baltonsborough. Are these the same people? Betty trying to make a fresh start away from Henstridge?
I have made these my 2 prime family history objectives for 2014. If I succeed with either I shall be delighted and no doubt will have received assistance (again) from this site.
