Yarmouth, Norfolk marriage and baptism images

[pergamond]

Thanks so much for that Trish.

I'm now looking further back, and have found a baptism for a Mary Proctor in Shouldham, Norfolk, 1 Mar 1758, parents William and Jane. When would you make the decision that close enough is good enough? I'm fairly new to genealogy, and still would like firm indications that this is definitely the correct person, but without additional verifying info such as parents' names on a marriage cert, it appears that sometimes I might just have to guess.

What do you think? It's tricky when there are several by the same name (I'm talking generally now) all born within a few years of each other and could fit the criteria.

[The Yokel]

Hi

Was James Wetherill a Peruke Maker and did he die in 1801?
If so , have you seen his Will?

yokel

[pergamond]

Hi Yokel,

Yes, I saw that, and Trish mentioned it too. I don't know if he was a Peruke Maker or not. And no, I haven't seen the will. Is it easy to find?

There's also an entry for an apprentice James Wetherill to Will Nutman, from Great Yarmouth, Peruke Maker, in the register of duties paid for apprentices' indentures, dated 1763. This will presumably be the same James who died in 1801.

But how do I know if he's the same James who married Mary Proctor?

[The Yokel]

Go here
http://www.norfolksources.norfolk.gov.uk/DserveNS/

click on the Probate button
enter Wetherill in the search box, then search (sorry stating the obvious here)

James' will page one is no.6 and page two is no.1

[Toban]

It definitely gets harder the further back you go and records contain less information.

You've got to make a solid case for the direction you take.

Main things to consider:
- Ages match. This often has to be a pretty broad category as many people didn't quite know how old they were. In your case a 1758 baptism would mean Mary is 18 at her marriage, which would make her a minor and technically need her parents' permission to marry. That said, at 18 she could probably get away with it, but I wouldn't consider her to be much younger.
- Geography. People didn't often travel great distances. Shouldham is the opposite side of the county to Yarmouth, some 60 miles away - no mean feat in the 18th cent.
- Onomastics. Naming patterns are often extremely helpful. In your case, you have 8 names of children with James & Mary obviously the names of the parents. The grandparents' names are more likely than not going to be the names used for the eldest children.

With that in mind, I think it's more likely that your Mary Proctor was not the one baptised in Shouldham but the on in 1758 in Great Yarmouth, parents Thomas and Elizabeth.

James' mother quite possibly was Sarah, which is why their eldest child got that name. If you look at the will of peruke-maker James, it should name spouse and/or children, which will tell you whether he's your man!

[pergamond]

Wonderful reply Toban, thanks. Really helpful.

The will names James's wife as Mary, but not any of their children that I could see. (And thanks Yokel for the link - I am new to the Norfolk resources - was quite surprised to be led there from Essex.)

I do think James the Peruke Maker is most probably my man. And I found the correct (I think) Mary Proctor on Free Reg. What has surprised me is not being able to trace the marriage of her parents, Thomas Proctor and Elizabeth on Free Reg. But I'll try some other resources.

[Toban]

A little more digging....

The missing baptisms for James & Mary's sons James:
- 24 Aug 1787 (born 9 Aug) [d. 1790]
- 3 Jun 1790 (born 5 May) [d. 1792]

There was also another William, born 27 Jul, bapt 30 Jul 1792, buried 1 Oct 1792.

James & Mary's eldest son, Thomas, was apprenticed to Abraham Hunt, clockmaker, in 1791. He (Thomas) died in 1842 and was buried at St. Nich's 10 Jun 1842.

James' will mentions his children, but doesn't name any specifically. He also mentions his mother, though not by name. The fact that a Sarah Wetherill, 82, widow, was buried on 18 Sep 1800 adds weight to my supposition that his mother was named Sarah. This also tallies that she would be alive when James wrote his will in 1797. He likely did not have time to amend it, as he died within a year of his mother.

There are a couple of burials in the 1740s that are of interest: Thomas Wetherill on 1 Apr 1748 and James Wetherill on 29 Oct 1747, both the children of Thomas and Sarah. So it's looking like James' father was also named Thomas. The only burial I can find that fits for the father Thomas was on 4 Jul 1755, so it looks like he died early in James' life. Still working on tracking down their baptisms....

[Toban]

Elizabeth Proctor's maiden name was Woodcock, according to the burial record of their son James (c.1757-Aug 1793). She and Thomas had many children - 14 if I haven't doubled up on kids!!

[pergamond]

Amazing. I don't know how you do it so quickly.