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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: CuriousKat on Monday 12 March 18 22:02 GMT (UK)

Title: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: CuriousKat on Monday 12 March 18 22:02 GMT (UK)
Evening all,
So for the longest time i've been looking for further information on Mary Lines born between 1791/95 in Gresham Norfolk, she married Henry Butters on 20th October 1817 in Morston. I could never find anything on her "origins".  Today i found an entry for the Norfolk records office
Title   Marriage licence bond: Henry Butters and Mary Lines
Date   16 Oct 1817
Description   Groom’s parish: Morston.
Bride’s parish: Burnham Thorpe.
Parish of intended marriage: Morston.

So looking up Burnham Thorpe on ancestry there are no Lines there, births, deaths etc. So i just put in Mary rough birth & Burnham Thorpe, the nearest in Ives, do you think an Ives is possibly a Lines??
 Mary Ann Ives
17 Oct 1797   Baptism   Burnham Thorpe   Theophilus & Mary

Just as a side note Horatio Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe in 1758!  ;D
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: Ruskie on Monday 12 March 18 22:51 GMT (UK)
Nothing is impossible, but you probably need to be a bit careful that you aren't just jumping on this record because it (sort of) fits.

Have you tried tracing that Mary Ann Ives in case she died young or married in the area?

Regarding Theophilus and Mary .... I would be looking to find Mary's maiden name in case it is Lines. I don't suppose that your Mary and Henry named any of their sons Theophilis did they? 

There is also the issue of the middle name of Ann for Mary Ann Ives, though middle names are not always given on all records.

I don't think Lines and Ives sound very similar so there is unlikely to have been any confusion about the surname, but it could be a deliberate "change".

One more thing - the bride's parish when she marries is not necessarily her parish of birth.
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: Mvann on Monday 12 March 18 23:54 GMT (UK)
Hi.

Having opened the search out to Norfolk between 1791 and 1800, there are 8 Mary lines baptisms on family search. The nearest to the area you are looking at is at weybourne on 23rd May 1798 with parents as Thomas lines and Elizabeth Pells.
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: Jang on Tuesday 13 March 18 00:21 GMT (UK)
A Mary Ann Ives, of Burnham, was buried on 29 May 1814, aged 15, at Barningham.
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: BumbleB on Tuesday 13 March 18 08:10 GMT (UK)
Ancestry have the images for the Bond and Allegation - Archdeaconry of Norwich - image 17 for 1817.

Both parties are single and are aged 22 and upwards.  Henry is a Mariner.
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: CuriousKat on Tuesday 13 March 18 09:24 GMT (UK)
Ancestry have the images for the Bond and Allegation - Archdeaconry of Norwich - image 17 for 1817.

Both parties are single and are aged 22 and upwards.  Henry is a Mariner.
  Were you able to read what it said under "holden & firmly bound to"?

That's interesting thank you i missed it. The chap who put up the bond Charles lamb i shall have to look into, they named a daughter for him, Celia Lamb 1823-1828 transcribed Selah.
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: CuriousKat on Tuesday 13 March 18 09:26 GMT (UK)
So it would appear that i can not go any further back from Mary as there is nothing that is credible enough to help.
How incredibly frustrating.  :(
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: andrewalston on Tuesday 13 March 18 12:19 GMT (UK)
How do you know she was born at Gresham? The dates you give hint at the 1841, which only confirms the county.

If you have a cross-reference, Ancestry show a birth and naming of a Mary Lynes at Runton 20 Jun 1795, daughter of Thomas & Sarah. Runton is less than 4 miles from Gresham.

Remember that Mary could easily have been in service far away from her birthplace when she married.

I was recently looking at a family from that general area, and as agricultural labourers they moved around from parish to parish. They were in 8 different parishes within a 6 mile radius of Cley Next The Sea - and there's only a semicircle of land involved. :)
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: BumbleB on Tuesday 13 March 18 12:34 GMT (UK)
I think the very faint wording relates to the Clerk - John Bu....ll but the wording is the same on most of the Bonds.  This is for the next Bond in the file, even though I've named it Butters.  :-\

Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: CuriousKat on Tuesday 13 March 18 14:45 GMT (UK)
How do you know she was born at Gresham? The dates you give hint at the 1841, which only confirms the county. On the 1861/71 census she lists Gresham as her place of birth.

If you have a cross-reference, Ancestry show a birth and naming of a Mary Lynes at Runton 20 Jun 1795, daughter of Thomas & Sarah. Runton is less than 4 miles from Gresham.  I shall have a look at this, thank you.

Remember that Mary could easily have been in service far away from her birthplace when she married.

I was recently looking at a family from that general area, and as agricultural labourers they moved around from parish to parish. They were in 8 different parishes within a 6 mile radius of Cley Next The Sea - and there's only a semicircle of land involved. :)
Title: Re: How can you prove/disprove theories & assumptions?
Post by: Josephine on Tuesday 13 March 18 16:54 GMT (UK)
Hi, CuriousKat:

There are other ways to try to make that connection. Sometimes it helps to go really broad in your searches. These are all long shots but, if you're lucky, they might pay off.

These strategies have worked for me at various times:

- Check for wills of people with the same surname in the same general area, in case she was named in any of them.

- Search the Internet Archive and Google Books for information that might have been published about families of the same (or similar) surname.

- Search digitized newspapers for obits that might name relatives; also search for birth and marriage notices, plus other articles that might provide family information.

- Contact local family history societies to ask about family histories they might have on file, plus local BMD indexes and cemetery transcripts.

- Contact local libraries re. the same.

Good luck in your search!

Regards,
Josephine