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Hi Lewis

I know it is all a bit frustrating not being able to get back further on this line, but I'm not happy to think that Thomas got his age so wrong in the censuses.

One line I keep checking on is that when Josiah, my ancestor, moved to Sunderland his first marriage shows the witness as John Henry Saunders.  It seems from the records that John Henry was born about 1808, and had a younger brother called Charles born about 1821 who also was in Sunderland.

Neither John Henry, nor Charles, were born in Co Durham.  Unfortunately John Henry died before the 1851 census, but he married in Richmond, Yorkshire.  When Charles married he named his father as Josiah Saunders who was a papermaker!!  Charles was alive in 1851 and living in Gateshead as he had children born there about that time but I have been unable to find him in the census to see where he was born.  He died before 1861. 

Charles also had links to Richmond as his son Josiah was born there, but the family seems to move south and Josiah his son lives his life in Hampshire.

I am convinced these chaps are probably cousins of my Josiah and may well help solve the issues we're all having with Thomas.

Happy hunting!

Good morning

This morning I am cleaning an old mirror which has been in my family for over 100 years. 

I have removed the glass from the frame and found the manufacturers mark which you can see below on the back which carries the date of 16-3-96 (or possibly 26 at the beginning and 98/9 at the end)

Does anyone recognise the mark and have an idea of where it might have been manufactured?  The family branch it came through moved to Sunderland from Godalming in the early 1830s and was there until 1986.

Many thanks for any ideas

But the dates don't fit - Thomas was born in 1790 and he consistently says in High Wycombe.  Also it is worth bearing in mind that Josiah was not the first child they had - the first one was William.  There is no baptism but he was buried 5 December 1816.  I suspect that Josiah had already been born by this time so they did not re-use the name William.  The next children were daughters, but the next son was called William (buried 1825), and the last born 1830 in Chilworth.  Clearly it is an important name for Thomas: as a name William does not come from Hannah's side of the family.

Stephen Ellis married Sarah Meaden (nee Freeland) in East Clandon in East Clandon in 1792 and they had three children up to 1796.  His wife died in 1797.

Once she had died Elizabeth Bartlett seems to have moved in with him and they had three more children I am aware of between 1803 and 1807.

It is clear from the Overseers Accounts book that Stephen was paying Poor Rate Tax in the parish until October 1803.  He was assessed in terms of property at £4 15s with a further 5s as a tithe.  In 1802 the Poor Rate was 4s in the £, and in 1803 it was 3s in the £.

By November 1805 he has disappeared from the accounts book as a contributor but his property continues to be charged at the expense of a James Buckland and it was referred to as Late Ellises or just Ellises until 1820, but that year his rate was uncollected.  In future years it was paid by a member of the Buckland family.

His only other appearance was in November 1815 when the Overseers' Accounts show that on 11 November 1815 Stephen Ellis was given 1s in relief.  Just below that there was an entry reading:

Paid for the order of Stephen Ellis 6s 6d, taking him home to Headley in Hants 16s 0d.  This makes me suspect that the person renting up till 1831 may have been his son as if he was renting property in the parish I don't think they would have removed him.

Presumably he had gone to East Clandon for the lying-in of his daughter Sarah, who was also being looked after by the parish at that time.  She must have miscarried as no baptism appears in that parish records for her child.

I hope that helps.

Ashley

Many thanks to everyone for the help - I got the death certificate from Newcastle and it was the right one - James Biggan, baker of Bedlington.
Quite sad really - he'd got drunk, went to sleep in the woods not realising he was on the edge of a bluff, turned over and fell off. He 'dislocated' his back and never recovered.  I have no idea how long he lay there, but looking at the dates he was probably celebrating his birthday when he got drunk.