RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Somerset Lookup Requests => Somerset => England => Somerset Completed Lookup Requests => Topic started by: MiniHistory on Monday 25 July 16 03:45 BST (UK)
-
I am descended from Jeremiah Andrews, a blacksmith, who was christened in North Curry on 31st December 1820 (his parents were Robert and Jane), and Elizabeth (surname unknown) who was born around 1816/7 in North Curry, if census returns are to be trusted.
There is no marriage certificate that I can find (which doesn't surprise me since none of their children were registered last time I looked) but there is a curious marriage between a Jeremiah Andrews and Martha Dauncey in Wincanton on 4th December 1838. That's quite a way from North Curry, I know. Also, he is described as being "full age" which wouldn't have been correct for my chap.
In the 1841 census, my young Jeremiah is living with his recently widowed mum and a couple of younger siblings back home in Nth Curry, and I can find no record of a Martha Andrews anywhere. By the 1851 census, Jeremiah has moved to Taunton and acquired a missus (my Elizabeth) and a bunch of kids, and also a son, John, aged 11 and born in Hatch. By 1861 John has headed off.
Was John the son of Martha Dauncey, I wonder. Did she die and their child came to live with his father? Or did they just separate, which might explain the lack of a marriage to Elizabeth.
I've searched without success for evidence of John's birth, Martha's death, Martha's remarriage, any other children, another Jeremiah Andrews, etc. etc. Essentially, any explanation which has occurred to me. Nothing seems to fit.
Any help or suggestions gratefully received.
-
Interesting that the Jeremiah/ Martha marriage has his father as Robert too. Does the Hannah Andrews (witness) also have any relevance to your Andrews family?
Occupations of Jeremiah and Robert are both noted as Yeomen - does this also fit with other info you have?
Sorry, Robert was a blacksmith according to the Jeremiah baptism - I think this is probably more evidence this is not your Jeremiah.
-
Children of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (according to the 1851 census):
These registrations would seem to fit:
Charles June 1850 Taunton 10/477
Ann Dinham June 1846 Taunton 10/490
James Dinham Sep 1844 Taunton 10/431
Can't see John
Dinham sounds like it could be mother's maiden name?
Added, if you ordered one of the certificates it should have mother's maiden name.
-
I think you are absolutely right, Maddy. And armed with your information I found my greatgrandmother's birth registration, also with the Dinham name added (although oddly enough the last few children didn't have that).
As for the mysterious John, I'll keep searching for him, but some family secrets never get explained by the official records.
Thank you very much for your help. It is greatly appreciated.
-
That's great Minihistory. Having a look around, I did notice a couple of other families in the area naming their children with middle names of the area they were in (eg Street) and there is a Corton Denham in Somerset, so maybe there's some association there if it's not the maiden name. ???
I also noticed a marriage for Jeremiah Andrews and Elizabeth Southwood in North Petherton on 20 Feb 1853 (on familysearch). Maybe someone has access to the parish records to see if there's any more detail there? If this is yours, they could have married later (I have a family like this where they had all their children first, then were married some years later in a neighbouring parish.) Still doesn't explain John though.
-
I also have a family where the parents slipped away to get married after the 6th child was christened, but in their case they left the family farm to the children who were born AFTER the marriage. That seems a bit rough.
But back to the Andrews question. Inspired by your discovery of the Andrews/Southwood marriage I turned up on the 1841 census an Elizabeth Southwood of the right age living alone with a John Southwood, also the right age to be John Andrews. More proof is needed, of course, but this might be the answer.
Thank you once again!
- Mini
-
Well done - at Hatch no less! Sounding more possible. ;D
-
Bingo! In the September 1838 marriage reg is a marriage for Thomas Southwood (given as father of John in 1839) and Elizabeth Dinham! And there's a couple of deaths of Thomas which I'll now need to explore.
Thank you again!!!!
-
So pleased it's working out!
There is a baptism on FreeReg for John Bicknell Southwood at St John the Baptist, Hatch Beauchamp to father Thomas, shoemaker ( mother's name not recorded) on 1 Sept 1839.
-
I may be wrong, but I think the death of 25 year old Thomas Southwood at Shepton Mallet in 1841 buried St Peter are a few reports in the Taunton Courier of a Thomas Southwood (stealing various items and sentenced to various amounts). This of course, may be just coincidence. Somerset Record Office apparently has the Wilton Gaol and House of Correction Register 1839-1841, someone might be able to do a search for you to find out some more and see whether it is the same Thomas.
The other Thomas who died in 1842 registered at Taunton I think was buried at Creech St Michael 6 Nov 1842. There was a Thomas Southwood in the 1841 census at Creech St Michael, with a wife Elizabeth and children including son John, but the ages don't tally with your family.
-
It may also be that Jeremiah and Elizabeth didn't marry until 1853 because Thomas was still alive. Not that there's a convenient death in 1852 but I'll keep exploring Mr Southwood to see what became of him. *
On a tangent, I note that the last three children of Jeremiah and Elizabeth didn't carry "Dinham" as a second name. They were all born once the marriage took place. My greatgrandmother was the last to have her mother's surname. She was born Mary Dinham Andrews in 1851. She later had an illegitimate daughter in 1872 and named her Ann Forward Andrews. Given the fact that the Forward family crops up in records of the time I think my greatgrandmother was making a point.
* Further research would point to Thomas, a shoemaker on his son's birth details, being the shoemaker Thomas Southwood who is in the Shepton Mallet House Of Correction on the 1841 census and who dies there in September 1841 aged 25. That all makes perfect sense.
-
Sounds like a sad story doesn't it. You wonder why a shoemaker would need to resort to petty crime (I guess he wasn't a very good shoemaker?).
I wondered about the "Bicknell" name, but noticed a William Southwood married Mary Cox Bicknell at Hatch Beauchamp on 7 Nov 1816, and baptised Thomas at North Curry on 22 Feb 1818 (William was a baker), as well as some subsequent children. So this could explain John Bicknell Southwood (Andrews) middle name. Also saw you can track John Bicknell Southwood in later census, seemed to just have the Andrews name in 1851, possibly enumerator error, or just to make things easier.