RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Topic started by: zumaro on Friday 05 February 21 09:23 GMT (UK)
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I am a little intrigued if the virulence of the baptism entry for my 4x great grandfather Jonas Smeeton means something. In his Halstead, Leicester baptism record on 25 November 1787, he is described as "Jonah, bastard child of Susannah Smeeton, a whore!", which are fighting words even today. Interestingly a little further down the page, another illegitimate child is described as simply that "Hannah Wood, illegitimate child of Hannah Carter". I wondered if this difference in tone might mean anything.
Tracking Susannah Smeeton turns out to be a little difficult. I can find one buried in North Kilworth, Leicester in 1815, with an implied birth date of about 1764. Others have concluded that this is Susannah Norton, born on 13 April 1764 in Northampton, who married John Smeeton in Northampton on 26 January 1784. John and Sarah had a daughter Sarah in North Kilworth on 7 June 1793, and she was baptised in Northampton.
My question is does any of this point to Jonas being also a member of this family. I had assumed that Susannah Smeeton would be unmarried, but maybe this is a case of adultery instead, hence the strength of language in the baptism record? Is there anywhere else where one might learn about the early life of Jonas, or of this family during this time? I might add that Smeeton is not a common name.
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The 29th July entry was a burial. Perhaps the 'softer description' ie illegitimate, was to avoid speaking ill of the dead?