Lakemans Ceylon

[ewanarm]

Hi,
I have currently hit a brick wall with my great great grandfather Stephen Lakeman. He was a coffee planter in Ceylon in the 1840s. He was married to Emma Charlotte Sanders and they had 5 children including my g grandfather Frederick Sanders Lakeman.
Stephen died a bankrupt in Ceylon around 1860 and his wife died in London soon after. His children were raised in a school for orphaned children and Fred returned to Ceylon later where he married Amy Louisa Barker in 1884. Amy was the daughter of Thomas Barker manager of the New Oriental Hotel Galle. Two of their children were born in Ceylon, Winifred Eleanor and Harold Leslie.
Any further help would be appreciated.

Ewan Armstrong
Sheffield UK

[AMBLY]

Hi Ewan,

I take it you're trying to take Stephen LAKEMAN back? To find his origins, parents?

From the Kabristan Archives site: http://www.kabristan.org.uk/ and Allens India Mail records:
I see  his 5 children must be:
   Hannah Elizabeth Alice  (b abt 1847/48) is in the 1871 English Census
   Maria Winifred (b either abt 1847 or 1851)
   Mary Emma (b either abt 1847 or 1851)
   Thomas George Stephen (died age 1 yr 7 mths in Ceylon)
   Frederick Sanders LAKEMAN b abt 1856 Ceylon, died 1928, Lenzie

Daughter of Mrs S LAKEMAN, b 7 April, of Kandaneura (Allen's Indian Mail 1848 )
Daughter, to lady of Stephen Lakeman, of Wariapoola Matelle, 25 Jan (Allen's Indian Mail 1847
Daughter, of Mrs S LAKEMAN, At Ballacadoa, on 5 February  (Allen's Indian Mail 1851)

The Kingdom of Kandy, in Ceylon, is where they were documented at.

I also found the following death notice:
Miss Mary Emily Lakeman, died 15 May, at Kandy  age 24
Src: The Indian News and Chronicle of Eastern Affaires: 1852

She was born about 1827/28.  And appears to have been unmarried. A sister to Stephen?

Family Search record the following christenings, at Saint Petrox, Dartmouth Devon, to parents named  Thomas LAKEMAN & Elizabeth:
  Thos LAKEMAN chr 25 Nov 1807
  James LAKEMAN chr 7 Jun 1809
  Sarah Jane LAKEMAN chr 4 Mar 1812
  Margaretta Bella LAKEMAN chr 15 Sep 1813
  John LAKEMAN chr 18 May 1815
  Stephen LAKEMAN, chr 31 Jan 1817
  Rebecca Maria LAKEMAN chr 6 Jan 1819
  Nicholas Wheaton LAKEMAN chr 16 Oct 1822
  Mary Emily LAKEMAN 7 Oct 1827

Cheers
AMBLY

[ewanarm]

Thanks for this Ambly, quite a lot of information there to consider. Stephen is proving to be a bit of a wall to break down. Noticed that Lakeman was a popular name in Devon.