How common are these names?

[jettejjane]

Thanks Maiden yes I agree can be mistranscribed It is transcribed as Josias in Parish Register but later as Joseph and Joes. My problem is I have a complete family of 7 children including these 3 in Billingshurst to Edward and Jane. BUT have also found 7 identical children I.e. names and dob in Chichester to an Edward and Hannah? The weirdest thing is a Hannah was Edward's first wife, he married Jane in 1804. If this is just a coincidence it's a mega one! Which I find hard to believe. I uncovered this whilst rechecking my research yesterday.

[Maiden Stone]

Are you sure he was the same Edward?
If he was the same man did the children of his 1st marriage survive?
Were both sets of baptisms in Baptist churches? If so, did both churches have the same rules re baptism. If they were both Baptist churches the children wouldn't have been infants would they?
When were baptisms of children of Edward & Hannah and Edward & Jane?

[jettejjane]

No I am not sure it is same Edward. I only discovered these births yesterday. My Edward had 4 children from first marriagev  all accounted for and researched. They were all baptized in their twenties. The next family of 7 children all emigrated with parents when young before being baptised. There births were on Billingshurst Register.

I have not gone into the duplicate children of Edward and Hannah, nor do I know who these two are. Just pondering the possibility it is a huge coincidence.

[Andrew Tarr]

Thanks Maiden yes I agree can be mistranscribed It is transcribed as Josias in Parish Register but later as Joseph and Joes.

One difficulty is when an abbreviated name is recorded, for example as Jos: .  I think that usually denotes Joseph, but there are other possibilities such as yours.

The male Jesse is biblical, but the female became standardised later as Jessie, as far as I know.

[jettejjane]

Thanks Andrew, yes this can cause problems, one of my females is recorded as Dolly on one census but her name was Kathleen. Luckily i knew of her nickname from Dad, she was his Aunt.