Looking for more information on Jo(h)anna Robins

[LizzieL]

Jo(h)anna Robins married John Fowler of the Royal Sappers and Miners at St Andrews Plymouth on 16 May 1823. He was a bachelor, she was a spinster. Their first child was baptised Mary Ann Wills Fowler in the following year in Launceston. They had several children, some were born in Ireland.
In 1841 they were back in Launceston, John's age gives a birth year of 1801 (rounded) and was not born in county. This matches with his birthplace of Woolwich, Kent and birth 22 Dec 1799, baptism on 13 Jan 1800. Joanna also has a birth year of 1801 and was born in County (Cornwall). The children with them seem to be recorded correctly where I can match with baptisms or later census records. This makes me fairly confident that Joanna was born in Cornwall between 1797 and 1801. Although Joanna was not literate (made her mark on marriage record), John was a surveyor and map maker working on the Irish survey, so would be quite literate enough to complete a census form accurately. Joanna died late 1841, so can't get information from a later census.

I'm trying to find a bit more about Joanna's parentage and to see where the "Wills" as the first child's middle name came from. It obviously isn't the mother's maiden name.

I think the most likely baptism is in Launceston in 1801 (Non-conformist) parents John and Grace.
I think the mother is Grace Hoskin who married John Robins at St Thomas by Launceston 16 Jan 1792.

Can anyone come up with a better alternative, hopefully solving the mystery of the Wills name.

[venelow]

Hi Lizzie

What was the maiden name of John's mother? I found out she was called Mary Ann so maybe it was
Mary Ann Wills and the first child is called after her. Have you researched John's side and not found any Wills?

Venelow

[KGarrad]

What about this baptism?

25th December 1801, Lostwithiel
Joanna Robins, daughter of William & Catherine Robins of Lostwithiel

[LizzieL]

What about this baptism?

25th December 1801, Lostwithiel
Joanna Robins, daughter of William & Catherine Robins of Lostwithiel

Thanks KGarrad

I had found that one earlier and it seemed a better fit on what I thought might be Joanna's age. But the Launceston one fitted better on location.

I think I will try and trace both possible parents, to see if any names match anywhere.

[LizzieL]

Hi Lizzie

What was the maiden name of John's mother? I found out she was called Mary Ann so maybe it was
Mary Ann Wills and the first child is called after her. Have you researched John's side and not found any Wills?

Venelow

That's a bit of a problem..

Kenneth Fowler and Maria Nile had their Banns read in Great Yarmouth in December 1795. They were both otp. Then a daughter (Ann) was born on 6 Dec 1796 and baptised in Great Yarmouth on 22 December 1796. The timing is just right for Kenneth and Maria / Mary Ann to have married within a week or two of the 3rd Banns reading, then produced a child less than a year later. Yhe problem is I have never actually found the record of their marriage (have posted about it before) .The record on familysearch is actually the Banns, I have a scan of the record from LDS. The name is Nile possibly Niles, I am not sure whether there is an s after the e or it is just flowery handwriting, but I can't make Wills out of it.
As the Banns says botp, I would expect them to have married in the same church. To have married elsewhere there would have to be another set of Banns or a licence.

[venelow]

Hi Lizzie

I looked back at your posts about the missing marriage and found that I had put my two cents in on that problem. Sorry you have not been able to solve it yet.

All the following information is from the Cornish OPC transcription site and Family Search.

Looking at John Robins and Grace Hoskin I have not been able to find many children for them. There is a baptism at Launceston St Mary Magdalene on 7 May 1797 for Mary Robins d/o John and Grace.  Then Joanna's Non Conformist baptism in 1801 is the only other child I can find.

It is possible that Grace died as there is a burial at Launceston St Thomas on 17 Nov 1801. This record can be found by browsing the St Thomas records on Family Search. Unfortunately there is no addition information about this Grace regarding age or marital status.

On Jan 7, 1810 there is a baptism in the Launceston Wesleyan Circuit records for a Grace Robins, born 26 Dec 1809 to parents John and Mary. This may be a second marriage for John. Very often the first daughter of the second marriage was named in memory of the deceased spouse. 

There is a burial at Launceston St Mary Magdalene for John Robins on Feb 8 1829. Age stated to be 61 years, so born about 1768.  There is such a John baptized at Launceston St Mary Magdalene on Feb 24, 1768, father Richard Robins.

And a marriage at Launceston St Mary Magdalene on Apr 19 Richard Robins to Joanna Thorne or Thom. The OPC transcriber has Thorne and Phillimore's has Thom. Unfortunately the Launceston St Thomas records are not available on Family Search.  This is all circumstantial and needs to be verified by looking at all the records. Ideally you should see if you can find out what John's occupation was and see if he left a Will that mentions Joanna.

This was a very unfortunate family. John's father Richard seems to have died  in Dec 1768 when John was less than a year old and another sibling Richard (posthumous?) also died. I was hoping that the widowed Joanna may have married a Mr. Wills but she appears to have married William Barrett of South Petherwyn at St Mary Magdalene on Feb 14th 1775.

Have not worked out who Grace Hoskin may be but one of the witnesses to the 1792 marriage was a James Hoskin.
Cheers
Venelow

[LizzieL]

Thank you very much for all that information, it certainly all seems to hold together and gives me some names and events to look into further. I think the Launceston Joanna Robins is more likely than a couple of others in other parts of Cornwall as otherwise there was no reason for the family to settle in Launceston when John Fowler was discharged from the army. His parents and younger siblings were in Jersey (his father's last posting with the Royal Artillery.)

[trish1120]

25th December 1801, Lostwithiel
Joanna Robins, daughter of William & Catherine Robins of Lostwithiel

This one may have died buried 14 Sept 1802, no age given (FreeREG)