ANCELL/GODFREY Pegsdon

[janan]

Hi
I'm trying to sort this Ancell/Godfrey  family out

Mary ANCELL married Richard GODFREY 25th Oct 1827 in Shillington

Mary gives her place of birth as Pegsdon and the first 2 of their known children were born their - Elizabeth (my gg grandmother) c 1829 and Frederick c1830.

Am I right in thinking Shillington is the parish church for Pegsdon?

Neither of these children are on the IGI as baptised Shillington. I haven't yet found a baptism for Elizabeth ( of course not, why on earth would there be  ) but Frederick, George (born Hexton c 1833) and Arthur (born c 1834 who must have died as he doesn't appear on censuses) were all baptised Hexton.
Sarah (born Hexton 1835) is then baptised 16th June 1836 at The Chapel-Wesleyan, Luton I haven't found a baptism  for Alfred born c 1838 but their last known child Amelia (born Hexton c1844) was baptised 14th Sep 1851 at Saint Marys Luton. So only a brief flirtation with non-conformism.

Going back to the mother Mary ANCELL - she gives her year of birth on censuses as c 1807 but there is no baptism on the IGI for a Mary in Shillington (or anywhere else in the vicinity that I can see) until 26 JUL 1818 Shillington parents John and Mary - David is baptised same day so this might be a late baptism for Mary?

Lastly if John and Mary are her parents there are these submitted marriages

John ANSELL to Mary FURR 10 OCT 1797  either Shillington or Higham Gobion,

which I would grateful if someone could check.

All thoughts and help very welcome

Jan

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Jan

Easy bit first - Yes, Pegsdon was a hamlet of Shillington

Now I'll read the complicated bit!

David

PS - this continues your winning streak - not one straightforward line in your ancestry!!!

[bedfordshire boy]

Sorry Jan, I'm picking these off piecemeal:

Mary Ancell baptism - I have Sarah Ancell daughter of John & Mary in my own tree, baptised 9 March 1815 in Shillington. Perhaps they completely forgot to have Mary done and she was baptised very late, out of order. There's a David age 36 born Shillington in 1851, which may be the one baptised in 1818 so he looks to have been late as well. I'm afraid this looks like another where only reference to the parish register microfilm will help you. There's also a burial in Shillington of Mary Ancel age 6 on 7 Dec 1823. I'm beginning to have reservations that Mary chr 1818 is your Mary.

Arthur Godfrey age 3 months was buried at Hexton on 21 Nov 1834

David

[janan]

Hi David

Thanks for the burials - poor little Arthur. It does look as if the Mary baptised 1818 is not mine - so that's mother and daughter missing now! I wonder if anyone has the Shillington transcripts to see if there is an earlier Mary that maybe got missed off the IGI.

Jan

[bedfordshire boy]

Could it be that the Ancells were non-conformist all along, and neither Mary nor her daughter Elizabeth were baptised in the established church?

There's a marriage in Shillington on 17 Apr 1799 between William Ancell and Sarah Gregory, with no baptisms in Beds. There's also a William Ancell age 56 buried in Shillington on 11 July 1826

Might be idle speculation of course....!

Living in Pegsdon in 1851 was
James Godfrey with wife Sarah age 45 born Shillington, plus mother in law Sarah Ancell widow 77 born Shillington.

I can't see a baptism for Sarah Ansell c 1806 in Shillington?? ?? I don't believe in coincidences.

David

[janan]

Have a look round I've just found a Sarah  born c1806 married to a James Godfrey in 1851 with mother in law Sarah Ancell living with them. There is an 1826 marriage for them in Shillington. James is born Hexton as is my Richard - Richard did have a brother James baptised 1812 but there is another Hexton James baptised 1808. I can only see one of them in 1851 born c1808, so could be either of them, but in any case related.
Not sure quite what this might mean except perhaps my Mary could be sister to Sarah.  I cannot find Sarah Ancell in 41 at the moment.

Jan

Crossing posts here, that William to Sarah marriage looks good in the light of the above! The non conformist idea is a strong possibility - with Richard and Mary fighting over where the children would be baptised

[janan]

Hi David
See you've modified your post and are thinking along the same lines as me
Jan

[bedfordshire boy]

Sarah is in Pegsdon indexed on Ancestry as Persell - the image is so faint as to be illegible, yet the Beds CDrom set is as clear as a bell, although mine smells of mothballs!

HO107/4/29 folio 4A
James Godfrey 30 Plait dealer
Sarah 35; William 13; George 11; John 8; Jane 3
Sarah Ansell 65 Ind
All bar James born in county

We were definitely on the same wavelength, and I suspect we've come up with the right answer. Mary and Sarah are sisters. Proving it is another matter!

I didn't see your post when I modified mine - you don't get a warning that there's another post when you modify. We must have been typing simultaneously

David

[janan]

Thanks for the 41 details - good find. Persell is even worse than Amell which she is indexed as in 51, at least that starts with an A.

As you say difficult to prove Mary and Sarah are sisters, but the circumstantial evidence is looking good.

Jan