Author Topic: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840  (Read 11548 times)

Offline Abygail

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
    • View Profile
Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« on: Saturday 28 December 13 12:23 GMT (UK) »
I have returned to this family name after a break, hoping to tackle it with fresh eyes.
What I have determined so far is as follows,
Mary Balsom married George Harvie Symons son of Walter Symons and Mary Harvey around 1822 possibly at Stoke Damerel Plymouth Devon with their first? child George Harvie Symons being born at Perranarworthal Cornwall  13 April 1823.   There were another 7 children born at Perranaworthal before most of the migrated to Australia in 1853.
According to Mary Symons nee Balsom's death registration in Australia her fathers name was Christian Balsom and her mother was Mary unknown.
A daughter was named Christianna, which adds some credibility to the name but after a lot of searching I have failed to find any records re Christian Balsom or Mary Balsom being married or born.    I did have a lead suggesting the Balsoms were from Launceston Cornwall/Devon but so far have found nothing to confirm this.
George Symons was born 18 July 1796 and was baptised at Stoke Damerel Devon, so am assuming this was his parents local parish.
According to the shipping records Mary was the same age as her husband George.
Will someone be kind enough to do some look ups for me to see if Christian Balsom was indeed Marys father and his first name was Christian.

 
Durham - HARDY Ann, Mary, CLARKE William, Elizabeth, DABRON Robert, Thomas, Rhoda >1853
Tyrone- SEETON George, John; COULTER Mary>1919
Clonmel Tipperary - KELLY Daniel b1812 wed in Aust.1849 
Cornwell - Newton on Abbot area SYMON(D)S - George Harvie wife BALSOM(E) Mary b1795
Headford Galway - Bridget KING famine orphan and Tuam Workhouse
  Abygail

Offline Isobelruss

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,416
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 28 December 13 13:19 GMT (UK) »
Mary Balsom married George Harvie Symons 8 Jan 1821 Wolborough,Devon

was George a schoolmaster?
1841 census has them at Perranarworthal with 9 children the eldest being Mary
Mary 15,George 15 engineers apprentice,Walter 15,Louisa 15,Eliza 12,Rebecca 10,Sarah 8,Charles 6,Christiana 4 at Greenwith Common.It also has N for not born in county after George and Mary(parents) names
Russells in Westmorland,Lancashire<br />Rileys Halifax,Rochdale<br />Graingers Hull Yorks<br />Coles Northampton<br />Transcribed the whole of Westmorland 41 census<br />and Rochdale 61 <br /><br />Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Isobelruss

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,416
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 28 December 13 13:42 GMT (UK) »
1851 census same family

George Thomas Symons 54 schoolmaster b Devonport Devon
Mary 56 wife b Newton Abbot Devon
Louisa 24 dau b Perranarworthal
Eliza 22 dau b ditto
Rebecca 20 dau b ditto
Sarah Jane 17 dau b ditto
Christiana 13 dau b ditto
still at Greenwith Perranarworthal



Russells in Westmorland,Lancashire<br />Rileys Halifax,Rochdale<br />Graingers Hull Yorks<br />Coles Northampton<br />Transcribed the whole of Westmorland 41 census<br />and Rochdale 61 <br /><br />Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline DOB7

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,075
  • SQUANCE family motto - Be wise and keep quiet
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 28 December 13 16:50 GMT (UK) »
A Christopher BALSOM married Ann HENLY 11 Mar 1791 at Combeinteignhead, Devon which is very close to Newton Abbot (Mary's 1851 census entry states that to be her place of birth). Christopher & Ann baptised 3 children at Wolborough (Newton Abbot) in 1801, 1803 and 1805. Christopher BALSOM was buried at Wolborough 9 Dec 1814. To find Mary's baptism go to http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Combeinteignhead/index.html , scroll down to genealogy for the link to the OPC who offers free look-ups for the parish. Good luck!
Squance, Lillicrap, Dankester, Surtees, Yates


Offline JaneyCanuck

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,031
  • The Famous Five take tea on Parliament Hill
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 28 December 13 22:00 GMT (UK) »
This sounded like possibly a resumption of earlier queries, and it is ...

For info:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=411732

with post linking to earlier thread to avoid duplication:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,288989.0.html

as I do now. ;)

Always best to add to an existing thread to return it to the top of the list for further attention.


In thread 411732 in 2009 it was pointed out that Christian was essentially never a male name in Cornwall/Devon at the time, and that the father's name was quite possibly Christopher. (For example: the Cornwall OPC site shows 12 marriages between 1646 and 1902 for grooms named Christian; two are the same man, and three are obviously foreign, leaving eight. It shows over 2000 brides named Christian, after filtering out the Christianes, Christianas and Christiannas.)

In 1841 there is a Christopher Balsom c1824 in Wolborough, son of William and Ann, possibly suggesting that it is a family name in the area. In the 1851, William is shown as born c1793 in Newton Abbott; he could even be a brother of Mary. Someone has corrected his name from Balson to Balsom at Ancestry; you might want to contact that person to see whether they have family info. A tree that is mirrored at http://www.mundia.com (register, search and send messages free) shows him as the son of James Balsom 1772 and Mary but shows no siblings. (This is equally likely a false assumption: James Balsom and Mary Paddon married in 1792 in Crediton and had son William there in 1803.)

On the other hand, possibly her mother was Christian (with Mary's daughter Christiana named for her), and by the time she died the knowledge of that name as a female name had been lost in the family and someone mistook it for her father's name ...
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 Isobelruss

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,416
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 28 December 13 22:07 GMT (UK) »
It would appear from a letter in the Royal Cornwall Gazette 28/5/1852 that Eliza went to Australia 18 May  1851 and arrived 20 Aug 1851
Russells in Westmorland,Lancashire<br />Rileys Halifax,Rochdale<br />Graingers Hull Yorks<br />Coles Northampton<br />Transcribed the whole of Westmorland 41 census<br />and Rochdale 61 <br /><br />Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Abygail

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 29 December 13 08:19 GMT (UK) »
Thank you everyone for your replies,
Yes you all have the correct family re census returns, George was the school master at Perranarworthal.   I have managed to find leads re his siblings, parents and potentially his paternal grandparents.   It is the Balsom line I'm trying to expand on,  I have entertained the notion that an error may have been make in the names recorded on her/Mary's death record as neither parents names had been recorded for George's parents on his death record.
After searching for a Christian Balsom unsuccessfully I was starting to consider it a real possibility that his first name may have been Christopher, Mary for his wife was feasible as their daughter was Mary or Mary Ann as both have been used in Australia.
With George Symons being a school master I have made a guess that their parents weren't labourers but I have no leads as to what their occupations may have been.
Will explore the links provided to see where they take me.

Abygail
Durham - HARDY Ann, Mary, CLARKE William, Elizabeth, DABRON Robert, Thomas, Rhoda >1853
Tyrone- SEETON George, John; COULTER Mary>1919
Clonmel Tipperary - KELLY Daniel b1812 wed in Aust.1849 
Cornwell - Newton on Abbot area SYMON(D)S - George Harvie wife BALSOM(E) Mary b1795
Headford Galway - Bridget KING famine orphan and Tuam Workhouse
  Abygail

Offline Abygail

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #7 on: Friday 03 January 14 12:07 GMT (UK) »
I hope everyone had a very Happy Christmas and New Year.
After doing a little digging around I have the following complements of IGI.
George Harvie SYMONS b 18 Jul 1796 chr 7 Aug 1796 at Stoke Damerel Devon parents Walter Symons and Mary (Harvie)  There were several other children with Harvie as their second name so fair guess that Mary's maiden name was Harvey.
If anyone is able to help expand on the parents I would be grateful.
I have given up looking for a Christian Balson (yes to those of you who have already told me it was not a common name in Devon/Cornwall for the period I'm inclined to agree with you) after revisiting the death record of Mary Ann Symons nee Balsom her fathers name was written as Christ. Balsom
Which suggests Christopher in Australian records.
This set me looking for Christopher Balsom's from Devon and I came across 2 records;
1 for a marriage 1791 at Combeinteignhead, Devon and
1 for a death/burial 1814 at Wolborough, Devon.   There's not a great distance between the two locations.
Could someone investigate either of these further for me please?
Abygail   
Durham - HARDY Ann, Mary, CLARKE William, Elizabeth, DABRON Robert, Thomas, Rhoda >1853
Tyrone- SEETON George, John; COULTER Mary>1919
Clonmel Tipperary - KELLY Daniel b1812 wed in Aust.1849 
Cornwell - Newton on Abbot area SYMON(D)S - George Harvie wife BALSOM(E) Mary b1795
Headford Galway - Bridget KING famine orphan and Tuam Workhouse
  Abygail

Offline Isobelruss

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,416
    • View Profile
Re: Balsom family - Devon or possibly Cornwall up to c1840
« Reply #8 on: Friday 03 January 14 13:54 GMT (UK) »
Christopher Balsom married Ann Henly 11 Mar 1791 Combeinteignhead,
and the death/burial 9 Dec 1814 Wolborough is probable as thats where Mary married in 1821
Russells in Westmorland,Lancashire<br />Rileys Halifax,Rochdale<br />Graingers Hull Yorks<br />Coles Northampton<br />Transcribed the whole of Westmorland 41 census<br />and Rochdale 61 <br /><br />Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk