Woodham family - Wiltshire 1800s - completely disappears

[dtcoulson]

Hi people,

Charles Woodham born in Easton Royal, Sept 13 1829, married in 1854 (Truro) and migrated to NZ 1860. There is no evidence of him anywhere in 1841 & 1851. However there are records of a Charles Woodham in prison through these years (1849-50 I think).

But the mystery does not stop there. His stepbrother Nelson Woodham (formerly Nelson Whitebread, born 1825) disappears, as does his natural brother James (b. 1833) and his parents William Woodham (b. 1808) and Elizabeth (formerly Elizabeth Whitebread, born 1809). They all vanish.


I'd rather like to know what became of this family. I'm inclined to speculate that there was some family catastrophe before 1837. But if so, how did Charles survive unseen for so many years?

Any help welcome.

Cheers
David C

[groom]

Could this be father William in 1851, with a much younger wife?

HO107; Piece: 1511; Folio: 300; Page: 17
St Clement Danes, Middlesex

William Woodham   42     House Agent                    Wiltshire
Jane Woodham   27                                                   Gloucesershire
Eliza Woodham   5                                                     Westminster
Maria Woodham   3                                                     Westminster
Henry Woodham   1                                                     Westminster
Jane Woodham   1 Mo                                                Westminster

[dtcoulson]

Hi Groom

I can't rule it out but it doesn't ring true and raises more questions than it answers.
Charles's Dad was a labourer in 1829 when Charles was born.

Thanks
DC

[Milliepede]

Have you got his wife to be in 1851?  Just in case they were in the same area. 
Who did he marry Susan or Eliza?

What was his address on the marriage certificate?

[dtcoulson]

Charles Woodham married Susan Wilkins, June quarter 1854, Truro Cornwall.
Sailed for NZ late 1859 (October I think).

Charles's birth in Easton Royal Wiltshire, Sept 13 1829 (via FreeReg) identifies parents as William & Elizabeth Woodham.

This appears to be William Woodham & Elizabeth Whitebread, since one of their grandchildren has 'Whitebread' as a middle name. Marriage Oct 21 1828, Easton Royal, Wiltshire.

Some time ago I picked up birth dates for them as 1808 & 1809, though I can't now remember where I saw that. These dates therefore should be considered tentative. That being said I could not find alternative parents for Charles.

Elizabeth had a child out of wedlock in 1825, Nelson Whitebread.
She would have been 16 if her birth date is 1809.

Charles was born in 1829 and then James was born in 1833.
James's birth record (via FreeReg) had this to say: "husband transported, not father of child". 
Don't know what transported means.

A Charles Woodham was imprisoned for creating a disturbance at a poorhouse in 1845.
If this was our boy he would have been 16.

There is a Charles Woodham who was imprisoned for 3 months in Middlesex in 1849.
No other detail known. He was in prison again in 1850.

There is a Charles Woodham in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in 1851, a stable hand. He is the right age but I think I found evidence of another CW born in this area, so the match is not certain.

That's all I can give you except for details of Charles's life in NZ which is not relevant here.

>>>> Just wondering if TRANSPORTED could mean something as dire as 'transported to the colonies' ??

-DC

[groom]

"husband transported, not father of child". 

I think, you are right and that it means he was transported to Australia and therefore couldn't have been James's father. If that was the case, he must have been transported between Sept 1829 and a least 9 months before James's birth.

[groom]

I wonder? There is a William Woodham who was granted permission to marry in 1829 in New South Wales. His bride was 19. He had been sentenced to 7 years transportation.

William Woodham
Age:   31
Birth Year:   Abt 1798
Spouse:   Ellen McAloone
Request Status:   Granted
Date of Permission/Refusal:   27 Nov 1829

Might be worth asking on the Australian board if they can help as they may have access to convict records. Link it back to this thread.

[dtcoulson]

We are thinking in the same direction, Groom. I just posted the question of 'transportation' to the Australian page, making reference back to this conversation in Wiltshire though not literally linking it back (not sure how to do that).

Was "transportation" the common name for booting convicts down to Australia in those days?
It's not a usage of the word I have seen before.

That word, BTW, was found on a birth transcript from Easton Royal.
http://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Easton%20Royal/Easton%20Royal%20-%20Baptisms%201801-1837.pdf


-DC

[groom]

Was "transportation" the common name for booting convicts down to Australia in those days?
It's not a usage of the word I have seen before.

Yes, fairly sure it was.  I see you have an answer on there already that looks good!