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« on: Thursday 18 February 10 15:56 GMT (UK) »
I don't know if this is the same Boston family but there must be a chance.
My grandma lived to a ripe old age, 99 died in 1997.
There was always a story in the family that her father, who had died when she was only 2, had been black or mixed race. This was borne out by the fact that her half sisters had completely different features.
These stories also suggested there was something to do with a ships captain marrying someone.
Anyway, I found out that her grandmother was called Lourina Boston and she had been born in Liverpool in 1848.
Census showed that by 1851 Lourina was being looked after in Runcorn by her mother's family.
Lourina went on to be married twice. Firstly to John Gough with whiom she had three children including my great grandfather, and then to James Whitney with whom she had a whole clutch of kids.
Anyway, her mother was called Mary Stubbs (born in Northwich) and we soon found out she had married a man called Francis Boston in Liverpool in 1847. That was where my information dried up because I couldn't find any mention of Mary or Francis after the birth of Lourina.
That was until I came across a descendant of Lourina via the Whitney line. She confirmed that there was undoubtedly black skin in Lourina's family and she did have some more documents including Francis and Mary's wedding certificate and his death certificate. He died shortly after Lourina was born in 1848 which would explain why the child ended up with her grandparents.
There is no explanation as to the whereabouts of Mary (who would be Boston now) so I can only assume that she had remarried and her new husband didn't want to take on a child of mixed race.
At the same time Mary and Francis' wedding certificate lists his father's name as Cato Boston and there is no record of that name in the UK. There is however plenty of mentions of Cato Boston in the USA and they are all in relation to either slaves or freed slaves.
So I was very interested to see in the posts on this thread the name Mary Boston linked to Liverpool. It is the only time I have been able to find it and, perhaps, if you too have been struggling to understand where the Boston name comes from then perhaps it is due to the same reason that I have.
I reckon my Mary Boston was born in about 1825 (given that Lourina was born in 1848) so for her to be 77 in 1901 would be spot on.
As I have said I am not sure it is the same Mary Boston but there has to be a chance.
I wonder if Mary Boston is the first mother in law of Emma Morris and perhaps Ada is not Peter Morris's daughter.
I also find the 1881 mention of Frederick Boston and Emma interesting as they are listed at Cabbage Hall. That is very interesting because Cabbage Hall still exists. I used to live very close to it but it was in Runcorn not Liverpool and very close to where Lourina was brought up by her grandparents.
If Frederick was Mary's son then the ages would fit too, though he too would have had to have been born out of wedlock - not that that seemd to matter.
I know I have probably confused you even nmore but I think we could be onto something.