Orchard Family, Somerset, England

[hollings13]

I need help trying to find birth/baptism records for Robert Orchard believed to have been born/baptised Dunster/Luxborough Somerset 1733.  I have a death transcription which gives his birth/baptism as 1733 and his death date as Dec 1824 (which would make him 91!) but doesn't say when in 1733 he was born/baptised or where.  I am desperately trying to trace back from Robert but can't seem to find any records detailing who his parents were.  I know he married Mary Baker in 1764 at Dunster's St George Church and that they had seven children.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  I have looked through every genealogy website and it's records that I can think of !!

[Victor Harvey]

Hi,
Robert ORCHARD was buried at Blessed Virgin Mary, Luxborough, Somerset on December 12th, 1824, aged 91.
Victor

[hollings13]

Hi Victor,

Thank you for the information, that takes me a step closer to finding out more about the Orchard's!

Val

[Ken S]

I know you are trying to go backwards ... not forward. But of your many children of Robert & Mary ... one would be a James, who married an Elizabeth Court .. and I believe lived at Wootton Courtenay in Somerset. James and Elizabeth had more than one son or dau .. that came to Canada. My great grand mother was a Mary Orchard that married and lived in Brooke township Lambton County Ontario Canada. Mary had a brother George Orchard ... who ran a drug store in Strathroy (Middlesex County) Ontario.
 I believe at least some of these came first to New Brunswick in the Eastern Provinces .. then Ontario ..... and from there some went west to Manitoba. I live near Strathroy.

[hollings13]

Thank you for the info.  I will look to incorporating that into the family tree and see what happens!  All information gratefully received!

Many thanks

Val

[hollings13]

Hi Ken,

Just had a look at the family tree, James is from a different branch of the Orchards, his parents were Thomas and Sarah not Robert and Mary, but I will keep looking.....

[Ken S]

 I am very sorry ... I was not carefull enough in what I put in my first message. To start with I am not quoting my own work .. but rather another (rellie) an Orchard researcher here in Ontario. In going back to this researchers old letters (dated 1983) ... I see that he searched my (and his) Orchard line back to Robert Orchard and Mary Baker who married at Dunster 2 Sept 1764 .. and went on to have children ... Ann 1766 / Ann 1768 / Mary 1770 / John 1771 / William 1774 / Joan 1777 / Grace / Robert 1780 ... (and ..if I am understanding his work .. then all baprised Taunton?) Now he goes to their son William (1774) ... stating he married an Ann ... and one of their sons was a James (quote: James son of William and Ann Orchard baptised 6 April 1806, Selworthy Somerset) ... James went on to marry  Elizabeth Court at Wootton Courtenay 8 May 1831 .... and it is different sons & dau's of them that came to Canada .. one being: George baptised April 1834 (Somerset, Eng) .. died at Strathroy Ontario. Sooooo in my first message .. I am missing one generation (that of William) ... I hope I am finally correct with this. It would seem that the Ontario Orchard researcher that I am quoting was trying to do it the right way .. he was using a pro. researcher in Somerset .. and getting answers from the Somerset record office etc.

[Ken S]

... allow me to scratch my head a bit, on this one. Is it possible that Robert Orchard born about 1733, was not born in Somerset. You have likely already done this .. but .. if you go to familysearch and look for any Robert Orchard (baptised 1732 - 1734) you find "Robert Orchard christened 17 Apr 1734 at Broadwinsor, Dorset .. parents William and Elizabeth Orchard"
 A google search (google maps) does not find a Broadwinsor .. but there is a 'BROADWINDSOR in Dorset' ... which good chance that is what the record on familysearch is meaning. If I am reading the map right, then Broadwindsor would be about 30 km (about 18 miles) south east of Taunton in Somerset.
 I just throw this in as a possibility.
 Also interesting that the site .. nationarchives.gov.uk .. in their index of pre 1858 wills .. has 'Robert Orchard of Broadwinsor Dorset 22 Sept 1660'

[hollings13]

Hi Ken,

Sorry I haven't replied sooner.  Thanks for the info.  I did see the Robert Orchard born Broadwindsor and as there is nothing even remotely close date wise in Somerset it could well be that this is the Robert that has been eluding me!  On most of the genealogy sites it comes up as a "five star" match so could well be that the family lived in that area - Broadwindsor and Dunster are not that far away and I do know that most of the family did move from the Somerset area!  I did get an email from an on-line Parish Clerk who gave me the same information and thought that it could be that in later transcriptions Robert has just been "guessed" at having been born in Dunster. Have now put these details in my family tree for now and will see if I can get any cross references etc.

Once again many thanks for your help, happy researching - I am thoroughly enjoying myself!!

PS - All the  information you gave me regarding James and Ontario was indeed correct - so many apologies for doubting your information!!