Thomas Gray

[Barb3+4]

Thomas Gray married Jane Dod 1 July 1652 Morpeth Northumberland.  Can anyone lookup who his parents were and his date of birth - I have looked in parish registers but there are about 10 Thomas Gray's born 1630's and I have no idea which one is my Thomas.   Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you

[c-side]

Hi Barb

Sorry no-one has responded to your query but I doubt that anyone will be able to help.  17th century records are so basic that there is rarely any clue about the people concerned.  Marriages don’t mention parents unless they are the children of local gentry or the vicar himself and there was no requirement to have witnesses.

I did look up the marriage entry in Morpeth parish records but it simply says

“Thomas Gray and Jane Dod marryed”  (spelling as is!)

The date was 2nd July 1652 and not 1st as you have.

Sorry not to be of more help

Christine

[Barb3+4]

Thank you for responding and for the correction - appreciate the assistance  - is there any way to trace this couple or any other record you know of that I can search for any more information on them?

[c-side]

I wish I could give you some words of encouragement but the further back in time you go the more difficult it is to have three pieces of good evidence to prove ancestry.  By the 17th century it’s impossible.

If you can find a suitable candidate being baptised in the same parish as his/her marriage and if there’s an unusual Christian name running through the generations then you can say that the probability is that you have the right person.  Otherwise it’s just conjecture.

Although Morpeth St. Mary is an exception the majority of Northumberland parish records run out about this period - earlier ones just haven’t survived.  Where they do exist they are very difficult to read and the information gets less and less.  At this time it is common for only the father to be mentioned on the baptismal record - never the mother - and earlier you simply get the child’s name.

I can look at the earlier Morpeth records for you just to see if either of them get a mention but  all in all I’m afraid you may never get past this point.

Christine

[Barb3+4]

If you have the time to take a quick look - I think the kids were all born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Joseph is not that common and found him there 1655/57 if that helps.

[c-side]

I'll see if Morpeth has either of them.

Which parish in Newcastle did you find the offspring - All Saints, St. Andrew, St. John or St. Nicholas?

Christine

[Barb3+4]

I found Ann born 28 Mar 1653 All Saints
Joseph born 13 Sep 1655 at All Saints and
Joseph born 15 Apr 1657 at All Saints
Elizabeth not found
James born 17 Mar 1652 just states Newcastle upon Tyne
Also found a record that stated Jane and Thomas Gray had daughter Mary and Elizabeth Newcastle upon Tyne but no record of birth for Elizabeth.  Ann could be Mary Ann as used both names in documents in the US.
Found a Thomas Gray son of Thomas Gray born 4 Feb 1633 All Saints
Believe Jane Dod was born in Morpeth where they were married, daughter of Edward?
Thank you so very much for looking for me.

[c-side]

Hi

I looked through Morpeth baptisms 1623 - 1633 but did not spot either of them.

There was a mention in the parish accounts of a Mrs. Gray in 1620 but no more.  I also found a Jane Todd but no Dod    Sorry

Christine

[Barb3+4]

Thank you very much for looking, I really appreciate the effort.