Baptism at Ottery St Mary to South Devon Militia family

[Janelle]

I am copying here a post I made on WWWboard 23 April at Devon Family History Soc, which has gone unanswered. I am stunned by their silence, most unusual. Maybe someone here can help?

On findmypast I have seen the image of the baptisms for 1808 at Ottery St Mary and 8 of the 27 entries April to August have (S D Militia) after the Surname.

I understand from reading online from the Ottery Heritage website http://www.otteryheritage.org.uk/attachments/File/hj0612r2.pdfin
that the militia men at that barracks were from other counties, and that local East Devon men went to other barracks, like Plymouth.

Does that mean that 8 local families but serving in South Devon Militia came back to Ottery for these baptisms, or was S D Militia stationed at Ottery, and these baptisims then of temporary residents?

One of these baptisms on 10 July 1808 is for Jane Warren dau of Simon and Elizabeth Warren.

I first saw this baptism on FreeREG, without reading S.D.M. in the notes.

In my tree Simon Warren and Elizabeth How m at Churchstanton Feb 1796. They are sojourners, which is most uninformative, but probably from nearby Clayhidon. I can only find the baptism for their first dau Ann 1 Jan 1797 at Hemyock. They go on to have 5 dau and 3 sons, and apart from Ann (and this possible Jane) I have not seen any for the others.

In the 1851 census Jane and her sisters give Upottery as their birthplace.

I do not know if my Simon was in the Militia, and by 1808 he would have been 38 years old.

Any thoughts or advice,

Salute,
Janelle

[Janelle]

Hey I reckon that I had the wrong Simon and Elizabeth WARREN and therefore the wrong Jane because I have mixed up Upottery with Ottery St Mary.  My folks lived at Luxon farm in the parish of Upottery from about 1800 near his eldest brother Robert.

They moved to Kersham farm Cutcombe Somerset, miles away before Jane marries there in 1829.

So what is still missing is the baptisms of all the siblings after the first Ann!! I can't link Robert b 1800 to Simon and can't find any other family in the neighbourhood for him... sigh

[terryleaman]

How about this? Just proves you should always look for baptisms other than as children.

[Janelle]

  WOW thankyou Terry,

That is our Charlotte!! She married Joseph Elliott of Heale Farm, Highweek in 1845. All the details in the registration match what I had gathered from other sources. 

And now I can find this on FindMyPast Thankyou for sharing the pic (which must available to you be via your OPC activities).

This puts Charlotte's birth as 1812. She never gave the right age in census after her husband died, haha

I was thinking that they were probably baptised by a non-conformist church, of which North Devon abounds. And so Charlotte might then reasonably get a Parish church baptism as an adult.

Searching the others will be a labour of love 

Salute,

Janelle