George BLAND of Lancaster & Trinidad 1820s

[BlandTree]

For 28 years I have been unable to find the parents of my gt-gt-grandfather William BLAND (a millwright), who married in Otley, Yorkshire West Riding, 16th September 1816 and went to seek his fortune in Trinidad in the early 1820s, leaving his family behind at the last moment because his very young son was too ill to travel.  Why would a skilled man take his family to Trinidad to make his fortune in the early 1820s? 

In February 1817 George BLAND, a very prosperous merchant in Port of Spain, Trinidad, married in Lancaster and returned to his business in Trinidad, possibly on one of his own ships the Lina Packet or the Amethyst.  Was my William BLAND related to George BLAND, did they meet at George's wedding, did George tell William that he would help him to get started in Trinidad, did William sail out on one of George's ships?  I know that William had a sugar planation in North Naparima in 1825 and that he died of Yellow fever before 1828.

I am seeking any information about George BLANDs ancestors, in the hope that he & William have a common ancestor and that I can trace down from there to find the father of my William.  I have my autosomal DNA results in the hope that I can link to an ancestor of my William, so if I find a living descendant of William or George or, even, the Rev. Miles BLAND (a very prominent intellectual of the time, who officiated at George BLANDs wedding in 1817), it might help me to break down a 28 year old brick wall!

Any suggestions?

[trish1120]

ANN Bland was buried 19 March 1833 Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago
Birth c 1788
Buried Lapeyrouse Cemetery

Just googled the Cemetery and a photo of the grave is there;
Inscription:
THIS MONUMENT
OF ESTEEM AND REGARD TO DEPARTED WORTH
WAS ERECTED BY GEORGE BLAND,
MERCHANT OF THIS TOWN,
IN MEMORY OF HIS AFFECTIONATE WIFE ANN BLAND,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE THE 19TH DAY OF MARCH 1833 [1855?],
IN THE 45TH YEAR OF HER AGE, LEAVING ISSUE SIX CHILDREN, VIZ:
ELIZABETH, ANN, MILES, GEORGE, JOHN CARLISLE, AND ESTHER

So George was still alive post 1833

Seems theres a lot of research on the Blands'

The Rev. Miles Bland who officiated at George's wedding may be the Rev
Miles Bland, D.D., F.R.S. , Rector of Lilley born 11 Oct 1786 at
Sedburgh, Yorkshire & who died of 27 Dec 1867 aged 81. Son of Thomas
Bland. Might he have been George's brother?

I think this is likely as George names a Son Miles

[trish1120]

I Seached Anc for any Bland Marriages 1816+/- 5 years Otley, Yorks.
Of course William BLAND/Elizabeth SUGDEN Marriage came up and also a SARAH Bland/ William UPTON Marriage 12 Aug 1818
A William Bland was a Witness to Sarahs Marriage.
You can check the signatures to see if you think Williams is the same on the 2 Marriages.

Then in you can find William/Sarah in 1851 she may be a Sibling of Williams.

[BlandTree]

Oh Trish, you are a star!

I had not seen the cemetery photograph, so I did not have the names of George's six children.  What I did have is the entry in the Sedbergh School Register which states, "Entrances in 1830.  Bland, Miles, Entered August, age 8; born in Trinidad; Left, April 1836; He was a nephew of Dr Miles Bland, the Mathematician.  He went out to the West Indies and died there."

I suspected that the Rev. Miles BLAND was George's brother but you have proved this! 

Ann BLAND was born Ann CARLISLE and I know that this is the case because I have the marriage certificate and when I consulted the Triennial Slave Registers (in The National Archives) I saw that several of her slaves had been given the surname 'Carlisle'. 

More recently I have found the names of two of George BLAND's ships and one, the 'Lima Packet', brought sugar, molasses & cocoa from Trinidad to Lancaster for "W CARLISLE", so there is another possible connection there and, in 1833, George Bland of Trinidad. merchant, is made a Freeman of the Borough of Lancaster "on presentation of Mr Carlisle".  Add to that the fact that I have a copy of Nicholas CARLISLE's "A History of the Ancient Family of Bland" in 1826, in which he mentions a Thomas BLAND of Trinidad, of the right age to be George's father although I have no proof of this... yet!

Thank you so much for establishing the link between George & Miles BLAND!

Very best wishes,

Malcolm (Bland)

[BlandTree]

Great idea, Trish, and I have had a look at both signatures.  To be honest the style of writing in Otley in about 1816 is so similar that I don't feel qualified to judge.  Added to that, I an not sure how much of the certificate (excluding the signatures of the bride & groom), has been completed by Rev. Henry Robinson.  I Know that my William was dead some time between 1825 & 1828 so he won't appear on any English census and as Sarah married a William she will probably have a child named William, after the father.  I did find Sarah Lupton in an Ancestry Family Tree but the parents are unknown and the evidence in the sources quoted is clearly suspect anyway.

However, your list of George's children is a major find because I had already found some possible children years ago but could find no definite link, so now I can move forward with these these with the knowledge that he certainly had children with these names!

Thank you again,

Malcolm

[willsy]

There's a notice in the death cols. for Ann

Lancaster Gazette 11 May 1833

So checked the next 10 years in that paper and

Lancaster Gazette 11 August 1838
On Thursday the 21st of June, by special license, at Trinity Church, Trinidad, George Ramsey, Esq., of the firm of Jamieson, Ramseys and Co., of that island, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of George Bland, Esq.

[willsy]

Esther

London Daily News 02 November 1852

BLAND.-Oct. 31st, at Baker-street, Liverpool, Esther, third daughter of the late G. Bland, Esq., of Trinidad

[BlandTree]

Many thanks, Willsy

That helps me on three counts.
1.  It confirms Ann's date of death.  The MI was unclear and the transcriber suggested 1833 or 1855.
2.  It gives me a married name for Elizabeth, which starts me on the road to finding possible descendants who may have had DNA tested.  That wouldn't prove anything at this stage but if we had a reasonably close match it would give me an incentive to search for a possible common ancestor with vigour and renewed hope!
3.  Esther's death suggests that she died unmarried and states Liverpool.  Perhaps a Will might be interesting!  I'll have a look!

I had already started a separate family tree in Family Tree Maker in the hope of finding someone else who is researching George BLAND of Trinidad and who might have climbed further up his tree!

Thanks, again, I feel as if there may be light glinting at the end of the 28 year long tunnel!

Malcolm

[willsy]

Keep us posted, it's been really intereting looking for them, good luck