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Topics - Caliandris

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FH Documents and Artefacts / Marriage cert abbreviation "FWR"

« on: Wednesday 28 December 22 11:14 GMT (UK) »

I have just received a marriage certificate for a marriage at St Mary's Nottingham which I couldn't find online. The rank or profession of father is given as F.W.R. (or just possibly F.W.N) for the father of the groom and F.W.K on the rank or profession of the bride's father. Maybe I am in a post-Christmas fog,but I cannot for the life of me make out what this is supposed to be. I've never come across it before. Rest of the certificate is as expected.

Carmarthenshire / Men in Carmarthen not marrying their partners in the 19th century puzzle

« on: Wednesday 23 March 22 12:57 GMT (UK) »

I would be very grateful if anyone can shed light on this puzzle, which has been driving me a bit crazy since I first learned of it.

My four greats grandfather, Charles Henry Hughes, was borough treasurer, a solicitor, a J.P. and generally a pillar of middle-class community in Carmarthen. He had five children with Ann Jones. He accepted responsibility for the children, and gave them his surname. He lived with them after the presumed death of their mother. He made arrangements for them to have money from his estate after his death (1879), and left them the property he was living in.

His parents were married, and his father was mayor of Carmarthen on a number of occasions and so they were a respectable family and so I looked for explanations for him not marrying his partner, such as a pre-existing marriage or some other reason. I can find none, although Charles Hughes is a common name in Wales.

What became even more strange, was that I discovered his brother, David Walter Hughes (1813-1850) did exactly the same. He didn't marry his partner, but took responsibility for his children and made arrangements for both partner and children to be looked after financially after his death.

His sister, Sophia Hughes (1807-1878) did marry, to Lewis Morris, but their son, Lewis Morris, who was a barrister and a poet, had to be made to marry his partner, with whom he lived before marriage.

It seems that Charles and David's other brother John may also have had a relationship with one of his nurses, and again, did not marry her.

If it was just my 4 greats grandfather, I would assume there must have been an obstacle to the marriage which could not be overcome. However, the fact that both his brothers and his nephew also avoided or resisted marriage makes me feel sure there must have been a reason - maybe a religion or political movement or philosophical movement which resisted state-sanctioned marriage for some reason.

I have asked this question of historians specializing in Carmarthenshire and no one has been able to come up with any sort of explanation. If anyone has any ideas, or suggestions for how I might research this, I'd be very glad to hear them.

Berkshire / Torles alias Butcher families of Whatcombe, Kintbury and Stanton Harcourt

« on: Tuesday 22 March 22 10:50 GMT (UK) »

I have been doing some work for a friend on her Torles alias Butcher family of Whatcombe in Berkshire, and thought I would ask if anyone else was studying this family, as I have gathered quite a lot of information about them in the course of my researches. My main difficulty at the moment is that they seem to arrive, buying land and owning property, from nowhere in the early 16th century.

The family I have been studying are William Torles alias Butcher of Whatcombe, Fawley, East Garston (villages which are all within a small area of Berkshire) and his wife Elizabeth Blagrave. They married in Fawley, Berkshire, on 29 November 1572 (Fawley registers).

I have a lot of detail about the family of William and Elizabeth, thanks to the will written by their son Adam, who worked as a servant and treasurer to Archbishop Laud until his death in 1641. I know that both William's family and Elizabeth's family were relations of Sir Thomas White, as there were men in both families who attended St John's College as "founder's kin", but pinning down the actual relationship has proved challenging. The Blagraves may be related through the Kibblewhites, as Sir Thomas's mother was a Kibblewhite and there is a Kibblewhite in the Blagrave ancestry.

For the ancestors of William Torles alias Butcher, or at least the previous generation, I am indebted to a document from the national archives about a property dispute in Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire. It appears the "Old" William Torles Alias Butcher, uncle of the one who married Elizabeth Blagrave, bought the Stanton Manor, but there were a number of court cases in the Star Chamber relating to that property. In the court case, all his nephews were questioned and this sorts out the family tree a bit more. There are William and Richard Torles alias Butcher or Bowcher of Kintbury who appear to be the sons of Thomas Torles alias Butcher of Kintbury. There are Arthur and William Torles alias Butcher or Bowcher from Whatcombe or Fawley. I do not know the name of their father, who would have been brother to Thomas of Kintbury and William of Stanton Harcourt.

I have explored the possibility that the family were related to John Tollos, who was an alderman in London contemporary with Sir Thomas White, but it appears that he was French, John Toulouse and he didn't mention any brothers or sons in his will.

As I say I have a LOT of detail about the family from this point on - dates of birth for the children of William and Elizabeth. The family seems to have dropped the alias Butcher in the next generation, who used Torles, Torlesse, Taulis, Tarlis or Torleys as their surname. If anyone wants more detail of the later family, or has seen any mention of the family earlier than 1572 (apart from the court cases where documents are available at the National Archives), I'd be very grateful to know.

The Common Room / Complaining to an archive assistance

« on: Tuesday 22 March 22 10:21 GMT (UK) »

Before Christmas I ordered some images for a Dickins family tree from Staffordshire History Centre. I gave the correct reference and was quoted £50 for the images. My son offered to pay for the images as part of my Christmas present, and so ordered them. I must admit I was excited about it as I hoped they might be for my Dickins family.

They sent me 13 double-page images. 4 of the images were not related at all, and when I examined the images they were for a completely different reference number. I responded to the archive and asked for a refund for the four pages which were for the wrong thing.

I didn't get any reply and so on the 10 of January I chased them. I was told they were "trying" to get a refund for me.

I haven't heard anything back again - and now it looks like the centre has closed for a few months. I'm wondering if I can escalate or refer to someone else in the hierarchy. It's about £15 I was overcharged, and I'd like it back!

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'm not familiar with Staffordshire History Centre, I've only dealt with them by email and post.

Hampshire & IOW Lookup Requests / Harriet Geary King's Somborne 1799

« on: Tuesday 14 June 16 08:50 BST (UK) »

I have been looking for my four greats grandmother, who is named as Harriet Georey on the marriage record, when she married Moses Joshua Chamberlain (from Somerset) in Kensington in 1827. I've been searching for her parents for years, and only recently realised that her birthplace is named as King's Sombourne in a later census.

One of the handicaps is that Georey doesn't seem to be a surname. Looking at the area, there seem to be a Geary family in King's Sombourne or more than one, and there is a birth around 1798 of a Harriet Geary - but there is also a death of a Harriet Geary in 1847 which may match up with that - hard to tell as there isn't an age on the death record.

I am wondering if someone who has access to the births and marriages in King's Sombourne might be able to find information about Harriet? If her mother was Harriet Geary by marriage and stayed in the area, that might mean that the 1798 birth is hers. If the mother of that Harriet was not a Harriet herself (or it isn't given) then I might have to keep looking.

Thank you!
Fee

Carmarthenshire / John Hughes and Sarah Spence, Carmarthen

« on: Sunday 27 March 16 11:40 BST (UK) »

I have brickwalls all round in Carmarthen. My three greats grandfather was Charles Henry Hughes, born around 1807 and died 1879. He was a solicitor, borough treasurer and Land tax commissioner, who served on the council too. Both his parents and his partner are brickwalls for me. His father was John Edward Hughes, dry salter, shipowner and merchant, who lived in Quay Street. He ws born around 1765 and died in 1829 in Carmarthen, having served as a councillor and three terms as mayor for the town. I've found lots of detail about this man, and his family, and have his will but I have never found any thing about his birth or parents. His brother was Edward Hughes, Vicar of Tenby, and his daughter Sophia married Lewis Morris.

Sarah Spence also from Carmarthen born around 1769, died 1847, is another brickwall. She had a Spence relative living with her, according to John's will, who seems to have been born in London, although most Spences seem to originate from Orkney. I have found no Spences in the region except for a Graeme Spence, Admiralty surveyor, whose dates seem a bit late for him to have been her father, although the newspaper report of her marriage in 1795 talked about her being of the town and peculiarly accomplished. Graeme Spence was born in Orkney, but I can find no birth of a Sarah in Orkney at the right date.

Charles Henry Hughes, like his brothers, never married his partner Ann Jones, although he had a number of children with her and never sought to avoid his parental responsibilities. He lived with the children after the death of his mother and the presumed death of their mother. Jones is a terrible name to research in Carmarthen. Her mother was Mary Jones, also a terrible name to research, and they were together with the Hughes children for the 1841 and 1851 census.

I would be grateful for any ideas of where to research, and especially if anyone knows of any headstones or memorials relating to this family. They all lived in Quay Street, Carmarthen.

Yorkshire (West Riding) Lookup Requests / Cocking fmily of Ecclesfield

« on: Friday 11 March 16 20:15 GMT (UK) »

I am looking for the birth of William Cocking, who married Ellen Pickering both from the Sheffield area, and became postmaster in Market Rasen in Lincolnshire before dying in 1916. On some censuses he says he was born in Ecclesfield.

All I know is that his mother was Mary and born in 1786, his father was a Cocking, and he was born in 1830. I have the date 5 September 1830 but I haven't been able to confirm that this was his birthdate.

His mother's family were very long lived, his maternal grandfather living to 99 and 3 months, being born in 1736 and dying in 1836. There was a newspaper article dedicated to how long-lived the family was, which didn't once mention the family name!

I have been searching for the records for St Mary's, Ecclesfield, as I presume that's where he was baptized, but I don't seem to be able to find a birth in 1830 except in August.

Staffordshire Lookup Requests / Burial lookup Stafford 1851

« on: Thursday 05 April 12 11:15 BST (UK) »

My ancestor John Dickins or Dickens died in Meertown, Forton, Staffordshire on 24 March 1851. He was aged 78 and thus was born around 1773. After twenty-five years of searching I still don't know where he was born.

He was described as a gentleman in The Gentleman, and was a Captain in the 90th regiment of foot and a farmer, before his death.

There is an entry in the IGI which states that John Dickens was buried in Stafford 29 March 1851, but frustratingly it gives no location, and so I do not know where in Stafford he was buried. I am wondering if anyone can look up this information for me? I have tried all the online resources I can think of, and can find no specific location.

I am hoping against hope that there might be a headstone or memorial in the location of the burial, which may lead me to further information.

If I can reciprocate with research in London I would be glad to.
best wishes
Fee

Staffordshire Lookup Requests / Stafford burial 1851 John Dickins look out please!

« on: Wednesday 20 October 10 09:44 BST (UK) »

I have just found a reference to a burial in Stafford on the Family History Search beta, which has never come up before for my four greats grandfather John Dickins (b 1772/3-1851).

Unfortunately it simply says "Stafford" as the burial place, so I don't know which church or even if it means Staffordshire instead of Stafford. So this is really an appeal to anyone searching in graveyards in Stafford to keep an eye out for my ancestor, please!

I don't know where John Dickins was born. He served in the army in various regiments, ending up in 1818 in Trysull near Wolverhampton on half pay as a Captain in the 90th foot. He left the army in 1827 and then moved to Meretown, Forton, Staffordshire at some time after 1841.

He died in March 1851 at Meretown, Forton, Staffordshire. The FHS result says he was buried 29 March 1851 in Stafford. According to White's directory, he was living at Banks House at the time.

If he is buried in Stafford somewhere, I believe it will be a family vault or grave, but I don't know that. I have been searching for this man 20 years, and I know so much about all his children that I feel as though I know them all personally. If anyone stumbles upon his grave I will very grateful!
Thanks
Fee