birth/baptism records for Francis Gorham born c 1815/16 london

[copper john]

Hi Liz Rosie, thank you for your input and suggestions still nothing concrete!. Francis' birth/baptism records must be somewhere in either Church/Parish records-or was he an illegitimate baby between James and an unknown mother?, was Maria a single mother when she married Abraham (Francis was born around the period she met and married Abraham) James must have known the circumstances around Maria and Francis when he married her when Francis was around 5-6 yrs old and James accepted "Brown" into Maria's name( she did not use Brown until after Abraham died?).
Was Francis an orphan/waif that Maria and Abraham then James all wanted to foster care?- so many questions with few or no answers. James had a sister Hester b Ashford c1787 married a Thos Spencer had 2 sons Thos b 30/10/1815, Henry b 3/2/1818 Guildford but died 11/6/1835. I could trace Thos line for DNA sample to match with mine- cheers copper john.

[rosie99]

Copper John,  how do you know that Maria was married prior to marrying James Gorham

Her marriage to James Gorham shows her as Maria Brown Searly, a Spinster.  There is nothing on that record otr the marriage licence to indicate she was previously married.  What evidence do you have that she was.

[copper john]

Hi Rosie, from searching we have found:Maria Searle/Searly married Abraham Brown from banns at St Mary at Hill Middlesex 2/7/1815 no other info ie births etc. have been found apart from a newspaper article in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal 9/7/1821 it reads: lately was married at St Martin in the Field Church Mr James Gorham of Kensington to Miss Maria Brown Searly late of Blandford Dorset.
I have been in touch with the Dorset family history people- they cannot uncover anything re Maria.
Abraham died and was buried 16/3/1817 (cause of death not known) at St Andrews Holborn London.
when Maria married my James Gorham 13/6/1821 she had added Brown into her christian name & on the bann notice 9/6/1821 her maiden name was spelt both Seale and Searle on the same official record, Maria died 27/4/1822 aged 44yrs buried at St Mary Abbot Church Kensington.
Hope this all helps.
cheers copper john

[rosie99]

I am still not sure why you think that Maria Brown Searly was married to anyone else before she married James Gorham.   The marriage to James says she is a spinster and the newspaper article you have just quoted calls her Miss. 

Anyway, thank you for the additional information re Blandford it may threw up some answers 

Rosie 

[lizdb]

Seems it is based in an assumption that Maria Searle who married Abraham Brown (and he then died) is the same person as the Maria Brown Searly who married James Gorman (she a spinster).

Was James Gorman a bachelor, or widower when the married? The reason I ask is that I am just wondering if James was his child all along, from a previous marriage. If Miss Maria Brown Searly whom he married was single and from Dorset, then Francis born 6 or 7 years earlier in London (yes, have I got that right, Francis was bn London?) is more likely to be his child from a previous marriage.

[lizdb]

Can we just go back to basics with this one.

Here is Francis on 1851-
2 Terrace Kensington
Francis Gorham 35 Watchkaker and Registrar of births and deaths bn Kensington
Harriet 34 wife bn Middx St James
James F 8
Robert H 7
Jane H 6
Frederick E 4
Emily E 3
Henry E 1      children all bn Kensington
Harriet Howse 62 widow Mother in law Independent means bn London
Mary Cooper 57 un aunt Annuitant bn London
Elizabeth Cooper 47 un aunt Annuitant bn Windsor, Berks
+ several apprentices

So we can see Francis comes from a reasonably well-to-do family. So Wills may help in tracing the family further back. Also the presence of the 2 spinster aunts with the name Cooper may help.

We also know from his marriage that cert that he names his father as James Gorham.

So - those are the facts.  We have also found that a James Gorham married Maria Brown Searly in 1821. Is there anything to a) prove that this James is the same one as is the father of Francis and b) if this James had been married before.

[rosie99]

James was a bachelor when he married Maria.

[lizdb]

Thanks Rosie.
So, was that marriage even the same James Gorham? There are several around!

The Will for James Gorham dying in 1856 can be viewed. He leaves some legacies and then the Residue and remainder of his Estate to the wife of Francis Gorham.

Strange - wife not widow, so when it was written Francis was still alive. And no reference to "my son" Francis.

Is this James a) the same one as married MAria b) the same one as Francis names as father, neither or both!!!

[rosie99]

So, was that marriage even the same James Gorham? There are several around!
Is this James a) the same one as married MAria

This may support that it is the same James - The 1822 burial for a Maria Gorham and the 1856 burial for James both give High Street as the address