Hi again
So I’m trying to sort through these late 18th century St Agnes REYNOLDS families. There’s potential ancestors galore for all of us among them!!! If we can arrive at some clarity, hopefully this thread will make for really useful research reading down the track!
There are two St Agnes baptised James Reynolds. Between them they father at least 14 children In the late 1700s. With flagrant disregard for future genealogists, they conspire to reproduce concurrently during this time. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, they both choose women christened Elizabeth to do the heavy lifting for them.
Looking for naming clues in earlier Reynolds generations hasn’t really helped me to decide which James and Elizabeth belongs with which child. However, its not unusual for me to overlook the obvious. The only relevant mid 1700s Reynolds families in the region that I can find are a George Reynolds and Catherine BLEWETT from Perranzabuloe (married 1743), who have four children, the eldest of which are George and James (1751). Then there’s a James Reynolds and Thomisen CLEMOW (married in St Agnes in 1760), who have a son James in 1768 (who is perhaps a bit young for us) along with 8 other children. There’s also a James Reynolds and Jane SYMMONDS (married in Redruth in 1758), whose son James is born in St Agnes in 1761. They seem to have the rest of their family in either Illogan or Redruth.
In the absence of any real firm ideas about where to go next, I’m listing all of the St Agnes 1786-1802 children of James and Elizabeth Reynolds below.
They need to be put into one of two groups – either children of
• James REYNOLDS and Elizabeth WILLIAMS, married St Agnes Feb 1786
or
• James REYNOLDS and Elizabeth SEYMOUR, married St Agnes Dec 1786
So far I have identified the following St Agnes children of James and Elizabeth REYNOLDS:
1. George, baptised 07 May 1786
2. George, baptised 11 Mar 1787
3. Sophia Seymour, baptised 26 Dec 1787
4. James, baptised 18 Jul 1790
5. James, born 17 Aug 1791, baptised 13 Oct 1791
6. William, born 23 Dec 1792, baptised 05 May 1793
7. John, born 29 Aug 1794, baptised 21 Sep 1794
8. Samuel, baptised 27 Oct 1795
9. Jeremiah, born 09 May 1796, baptised 15 Nov 1796
10. William, born 14 Mar 1798, baptised 08 Apr 1798
11. Kezia, born 10 Jul 1798, baptised 02 Feb 1800
12. Isaiah, born 15 Jul 1800, baptised 15 Aug 1802
13. Elizabeth, born 16 Feb 1802, baptised 15 Aug 1802
14. Thomas, born 17 Jan 1802, baptised 28 Feb 1802
It’s just possible that Georges 1 and 2 above are both from the same set of parents, which would be James Reynolds and Elizabeth Williams (because the first one is born before the James Reynolds and Elizabeth Seymour marriage occurs). However, there’s no matching burial of an infant George. On available evidence, perhaps both couples’ first child is a son called George.
Number 3, Sophia Seymour Reynolds, plainly belongs to James Reynolds and Elizabeth Seymour. She is baptised just nine months after her brother George – pretty quick turnaround, but possible depending on birth dates.
The two Jameses at 4 and 5 could possibly be from the same set of parents, although there’s no matching burial to support that (however, “James Reynolds the elder” is buried in St Agnes on 24 June 1790). On available evidence, perhaps both couples second son is called James.
It starts to get tricky from 6 down to 10. All of these children are sufficiently well spaced apart that either couple could be the parents.
It’s tempting to group Jeremiah in with the parents responsible for Isaiah (number 12). Also, both Isaiah and Kezia (number 11) are baptised around the age of 2. Perhaps the commonality in their delayed baptisms implies that they belong to the same parents.
Isaiah and Elizabeth (number 13) are also both baptised on the same day, which strongly indicates that they are siblings.
Thomas, number 14, isn’t a sibling of Isaiah and Elizabeth, because he is born one month before Elizabeth.
There are a couple of other James and Elizabeth Reynolds children baptised in nearby parishes between 1786 and 1802. Firstly, there’s Richard, born 16 Feb 1787 and baptised 15 Apr 1787 further west in Crowan. If his birth isn’t allowed to raise the spectre of yet another James and Elizabeth Reynolds in the region, Richard could only be the younger brother of George 1 from our list. There’s also an Ann Reynolds, baptised 27 Jun 1790 in Redruth. It’s possible she belongs with George 2, Sophia Seymour and James 5 (but not James 4).
It’s doing my head in, so I’m off to bed.
But if some kind soul has any info to help rehome these St Agnes REYNOLDS children, your participation here would be very welcome and extremely valuable
Best regards
Grant
