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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Dorset => Topic started by: las camelias on Tuesday 31 July 12 15:50 BST (UK)
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I am researching casualties from WW1 for the Wilts OPC Project. One of the men named on a plaque in the St. Catherine's Church Sedgehill Wiltshire is George Batson.
Found birth reg of George Robert Batson Mar Q 1883 Sherborne RD Dorset
Sgt George Robert Batson killed in action 16 Aug 1917, commemorated Tyne Cot Memorial Belgium (5th Bn Dorset Regt)
George Robert Batson married Flora Ellen Smith in Sherborne RD 1909
Can anyone add any information please?
Thankyou. LC
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Here is his baptism
Name: George Robert Batson
Baptism Date: 1 Apr 1883
Parish: Trent
Father's Name: Charles Batson (A labourer)
Mother's Name: Jane
Also his marriage
George Robert Batson
Age: about 31
Marriage 30 May 1909
Parish: Sherborne
Father's Name: Charles Batson
Spouse's Name: Flora Ellen Smith
Spouse's Father's Name: Arthur Joseph England
George was a carter, Charles was a labourer and Arthur a carpenter. Flora was a widow at the time of the marriage.
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Hi,
1891 census George R Batson (b 1884) with parents Charles and Jane. Siblings are Sarah A (1879), Charles (1886), Percy N (1889). Living at Rigg Lane, Trent, Sherborne.
Nanny Jan
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Charles Batson married Jane Sanders, Dec quarter 1876, Sherbourne 5A 841
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This is speedy work Groom!
I have found two sets of "sign up" papers on FindMyPast, but I don't have time to study right now.
Will come back. LC
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Had a look through the files on George Batson and it seems he applied to join the army in 1899 but failed the medical; he applied again in 1901 and passed, spent 5 years in India and was eventually discharged in1908 for misconduct, striking an officer. Hence 2 sets of docs on FindMyPast. I presume he was then called up for WW1.
Can anyone help with his wife - it seems she was Flora Ellen Smith, a widow, when she married George in 1909. On War Graves Photographic, it says "Flore E Parham (formerly Batson) of Westcombe Evercreech Somerset".
So she evidently married for a third time. What I really need is her maiden name. Am trying to find the connection between George and the memorial in Sedgehill Wiltshire - did they live there prior to WW1 perhaps (after 1911 Census when they were in Hampshire)?
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Hi,
Flora married John W Parham DecQ 1917 in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Nanny Jan
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So she evidently married for a third time. What I really need is her maiden name.
Hi,
Groom has found her maiden name via George's marriage; Spouse: Flora Ellen Smith but Spouse's Father is Arthur Joseph ENGLAND.
Flora Ellen ENGLAND married Arthur Edward J SMITH DecQ 1903 in Sherborne.
There is a death for an Arthur Edward J Smith (age 26) in MarQ 1908 in Sherborne.
Nanny Jan
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How clever! Thank you very much Nanny Jan. That rules out my theory that George & Flora may have been living in Sedgehill because she was from the area.
LC
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Hi,
Have you looked for Flora on an early census? Perhaps she was born there or had lived there?
Nanny Jan
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Good thinking, but no, she isn't on any Sedgehill census
LC
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Hi,
This could be them in 1881:
Arthur England (24 b Grimstead, Wiltshire), wife Thursa (23 b Stoke Winterbourne, Wiltshire) and daughter
Flora (b 1880 Gussage, Dorset). Arthur is a Police Constable and the family is living at Police Station, Eling, Hampshire.
In 1901 the family are in Somerset; Arthur is now a carpenter, Flora is absent but there are 4 children with Queensland show as birthplace then 2 younger ones born in Wiltshire.
Nanny Jan
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hi everyone George R Batson was my Great Grandad and i am trying to gather more info on him for my family tree i know that he had in fact 2 daughters one a step daughter the other was my Gran Nora H Batson. I am currently living not far from Trent in Somerset as i am also in the forces any help would be much apriciated
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Hello, welcome to Rootschat
Looking at Freebmd it looks as if there were 2 children born to the marriage between George and Flora Ellen Smith. Remember that her maiden name was England, so that would show as the mother's name.
George R Batson born September quarter 1911 registered Droxford Hampshire.
Norah H Batson born September quarter 1914 registered Mere Wiltshire.
The step daughter was Violet Flora May Smith who was born Sept quarter 1907 registered Sherbourne.
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This looks like the son:
George Robert Batson
Birth : 21 Aug 1911
Death: Mar 1982 Aged 70
Salisbury Wiltshire
Volume: 23 Page: 2309
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That's interesting Groom that you have found the children of George & Flora Batson. I knew about the step-daughter, but not about the other two, George and Norah. Note Norah's birth in 1914 in the Mere Registration District - which includes the parish of Sedgehill. So it looks as though George & Flora were there in 1914 at least. Good hunting!
LC
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Hi LC
It looks as if you have a living descendent of George as well through leighhayward.
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Yes, I've just dropped Leigh a pm with my email address; I have some info that she may be interested in that I don't want to detail here at this time.
LC
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I do not know how much of this has been written before, but I am following through on Florence Ellen Smith's surname.
Given that her father was Arthur England, I suggest that she was born Florence Ellen England (not Smith) and her mother was therefore Thirza Grant.
Her birth would have been in 1880, 6 of her 7 her siblings would have been born in Australia, and because she was already married, she failed to travel with her parents to Canada in 1906
Notes from FreeBMD
Florence Ellen England born 1880
married Arthur Edward J Smith in Sherborne 1903
married Arthur Edward J Smith died in Sherborne 1908
married George Batson in Sherborne 1909
If that fits, she is on my family tree, and because her mother Thirza was my great grandfather's sister, I have her mother's ancestry back to the 1700s in Winterborne Stoke and Chitterne in Wiltshire.
Regards Roy G