Author Topic: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada  (Read 6284 times)

Offline Gene-ee-us

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James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« on: Friday 14 December 12 05:18 GMT (UK) »
I am looking for the parents of --or anything else about-- James Giles, believed to have been born in England in about 1797. There is some discussion in the family about whether he was from Devon, Somerset or possibly Kent, but we don't have any idea what town or parish it might have been.

He is known to have been in Newfoundland by 1827: He married Mary Ann Willey on 30 May 1827 in Burin, Newfoundland. Mary Ann seems to have been born about 1807 in Burin, but that's all we know of her.

They are thought to have been one of the original "planter" families on Sound Island in Placentia Bay. Their first child was born there in 1828, but it is thought that James may have been there as early as 1820.

James and Mary Ann had 11 known children, all born on Sound Island: Amelia, 1828; Hannah, 1829; Thomas, 1831 m. Elizabeth?; Susannah, 1832 m. Edmund Reid; Harriet, 1835 m. John Rodway; James C., 1838; Joseph Henry, 1840 m. Charlotte Anna Brinston; Mary Willey, 1844 m. Thomas Beck; Eliza Ann, 1845 m. Henry Beck; Francis, 1847; and Sophia, 1850 m. William Eddy.

I'd be grateful for anything anyone can tell me about the origins of James Giles and Mary Ann Willey -- or even any place to look for them!

Thanks.

Gene-ee-us
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Offline JaneyCanuck

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #1 on: Monday 17 December 12 01:21 GMT (UK) »
Hi G -- try putting a post on the Devon board (with a link to this one to avoid duplication!) -- DOB7 there has access to parish records for Devon (which is notoriously hard to research pre-1837 because records are not available on line and must be purchased) and should be able to give you a hand at looking for James in that county.

... Actually, I see that even familysearch has a couple James Giles-s baptised in Devon in the mid-late 1790s, so identifying yours, even if he was from there, could be impossible.

But the one born in Broad Clyst is still there in later censuses, leaving one baptised in 1796 in Stoke Damerel (the Plymouth area) which would be a very reasonable source for someone who went to Nfld, as it is a seafaring/naval place. However, father's name Peter isn't reflected in your James's children's names.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N5ZF-BH5

Peter and Elizabeth show as having one other child, Nancy, 1798, baptised at Morrice St Wesleyan in Devonport (also generally the Plymouth area):
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NPW2-2HD
and there's a 1794 Nancy Hibly(?) Giles
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQZ5-BY3
also recorded as Nancy Shirbly(?) Giles
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JQYJ-9D9
(so it looks like the first one died)

... and there is another, Mary Ann 1789
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWGR-8XW
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JMJN-P6V

Unfortunately, since they are girls, there is no point looking for them in 1841 as they would have different surnames.

It's always possible that your James went to Nfld as a child with family; you could try looking in Nfld records for any of those names too.

It would be a matter of trying to rule out a death/marriage/other presence in England later on, for any possible you identify.

And of course, as a quick search at familysearch.org shows, there were several James Giles-s born in Kent in the mid-late 1700s ...

(If your Mary Ann was from Nottinghamshire, we might be related, ;) (see my sig line) -- unlikely as a source of someone in Nfld unless her father was military maybe.
-- But, if that mangled name happened to be Sibl(e)y, well, we could still be related. The nest of Siblys from St Cleer, Cornwall, are mine, and I see my grx3 grandmother's brother Samuel is in Devon in 1851, and seems to have married in Stoke Damerel in 1795 ... and as a matter of fact, their sister Elizabeth born 1772 seems to have gone missing from marriages in Cornwall ... heh heh)
HILL, HOARE, BOND, SIBLY, Cornwall (Devon); DENNIS, PAGE, WHITBREAD, Essex; BARNARD, CASTLE, PONTON, Wiltshire; SANKEY, HORNE, YOUNG, Kent; COWDELL, Bermondsey; COOPER, SMITH, FALLOWELL, WILLEY, Notts; CAMPION, CARTER, CRADDOCK, KENNY, Northants; LITTLER, CORNER, Leicestershire; RUSHLAND, Lincolnshire; MORRISON, Ireland; COLLINS, ?; ... MONCK?

Offline Gene-ee-us

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #2 on: Monday 17 December 12 16:03 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Janey. i looked at the Family Search people but I couldn't identify "our" James. I'll give the Devon link a try (once I figure out how!). There aren't many Newfoundland records on-line so it might be a good excuse for a holiday. Otherwise, as you say, I will have to track down and eliminate all the other ones.

As for Mary Ann Willey, who knows where she came from? Her family was almost certainly English, but if she was born in Burin, we might never find her, as there are a lot of gaps in the records.

Thanks again for your help Janey.
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Offline JaneyCanuck

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #3 on: Monday 17 December 12 16:12 GMT (UK) »
The Devon board I meant was the one right here at RootsChat. ;)

Just go to the main forum list and look under counties in England. If you post there, just include this link
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=627597
to this thread.

There is a forum at the Devon Family History Society site, but since you have DOB7 right here at RootsChat, there's probably no need to wander off!
HILL, HOARE, BOND, SIBLY, Cornwall (Devon); DENNIS, PAGE, WHITBREAD, Essex; BARNARD, CASTLE, PONTON, Wiltshire; SANKEY, HORNE, YOUNG, Kent; COWDELL, Bermondsey; COOPER, SMITH, FALLOWELL, WILLEY, Notts; CAMPION, CARTER, CRADDOCK, KENNY, Northants; LITTLER, CORNER, Leicestershire; RUSHLAND, Lincolnshire; MORRISON, Ireland; COLLINS, ?; ... MONCK?


Offline Gene-ee-us

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #4 on: Monday 17 December 12 19:21 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the instructions -- I posted the link on the Devon board and I'll keep my fingers crossed :) I have been researching family history for a long time, but I haven't been much on RootsChat. I am always amazed by the generosity of genealogists.

Geneeeus
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MacKay and McLean in Cape Breton, Canada

Offline Gene-ee-us

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 04 January 15 23:02 GMT (UK) »
Hi Everyone,

I am still looking for the origins of this James and Mary Ann. I have recently discovered that the source for this man's being from Somerset appears to be the book "Six Months of a Newfoundland Missionary's Journal," by Archdeacon Edward Wix. The Archdeacon states that, while on Sound Island, he stayed at "the tilt of Giles, a Somerset man." James and Mary Ann were the only Giles on the island at the time (approx 1835-37), so it had to be their house, but I'm not sure "Somerset man" should be taken as "gospel," since the book was written about two years after he returned from his trip.

I still don't know where the 1797 date came from, but it may be just a guess at the common genealogical "standard" of age 30 at first marriage (abt 1827) for men of his era. I have also found that the personal names of James and Mary Ann's daughters and granddaughters are fairly common in the Giles records in Kent, though practically non-existent among those in Devon and Somerset. Otherwise, I am no further ahead than last time.

Still hoping for one of the miracles that seem to be standard fare from the generosity of Roots Chat researchers.

Thanks,
Geneeeus
Coubrough, Cowbrough - all variants, anytime, anyplace
MacKay and McLean in Cape Breton, Canada

Offline Donald Brinston

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 31 December 17 17:16 GMT (UK) »
james giles was baptized in 1797.place of birth is keynsham  Somersetshire.his father is james giles born 1769  kensham.his mother is mary saunders born 1769 in keynsham.james giles sr.
father is francis giles  born 1740 in kintbury Berkshire.james mother is grace quarmam.grace was
born 1740 ? in bitton Gloucester.francis father was john giles.john mother was anne canter.

.

Offline Gene-ee-us

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 31 December 17 19:54 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Donald! I have been looking for these people for years. I have seen these people in the records I searched, but wasn't able to determine if they were the right ones. Are you related to them?

Thanks again,
Myrna
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Offline Donald Brinston

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Re: James Giles & Mary Ann Willey - Newfoundland, Canada
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 31 December 17 22:24 GMT (UK) »
yes I am related.james & mary are my second great grand parents.i have found a lot of stuff on  james giles .mary willey giles is my second great grand mother.she was married to Thomas beck.
she was my moms grand mother.