Author Topic: Whites of Farringdon, Devon (and Wales)  (Read 548 times)

Offline IJDisney

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Whites of Farringdon, Devon (and Wales)
« on: Saturday 31 March 18 20:06 BST (UK) »
I've put a similar request on the Monmouthshire Forum, so I hope no one minds me repeating it in the Devon one, since it has equal relevance, and I'm hoping the more people on Rootschat who see it, the more I might get some help!

I was stuck on an ancestor called Francis White who married Sally Pyne in Farringdon, Devon in 1835, and was listed in the Census as a shepherd born about c.1806 in Wales. Francis later moved to Sowton, Devon.

I also found a William White born c.1803, who married Elizabeth Snow in Farringdon in 1836, and who also came from Wales. He had a son Francis, so I began to wonder if these two men were related (Farringdon being a very small village). Following William through the later Censuses (he  moved to Exeter and worked as a labourer), one of them came up with his birthplace as Portskewett, Wales.

After a bit of searching I came up with these entries in the Portskewett Parish register;
William Whait, bapt. 12 Dec 1802, Francis Whait, bapt. 28 Sept 1806, George Whait, bapt. 10 Feb 1811, all listed as sons of Robert and Elizabeth Whait.
I can not find any more trace of the family.

My query is why two brothers (I don't know what happened to George) travelled from Portskewett (Monmouthshire) all the way to Farringdon? It doesn't seem the most obvious place to go, and is over 90 miles away (including a ferry across the Severn - no bridge back then!)
 
I know Francis White (no longer called 'Whait'!) was in Farringdon by 1833 because he witnessed the wedding of a future sister-in-law (Phebe Pyne to William Street) in that year. As a witness, would he have been a long term resident in the parish?