Surnames - LEADER and DICKERSON

[woowoo]

I am researching the Leader and Dickerson family from Bourn in Cambridge.  Any info would be gratefully received as I live in Essex and can't get to Cambridge.

[bedfordshire boy]

Can you be a bit more specific? Time period, christian names etc. I have the Bourn PR transcript (I live in France so non-access to Cambridge is not always a bar to research!) but need to know what you are looking for.

Then there's always the Cambs FHS website at http://www.cfhs.org.uk/Search.html
which is a mine of information

Regards

David

[woowoo]

I am back to John Leader and Sarah Male (who must be about early 1700's), they had William and John mid 1700's, these were from Cottenham.  William had Robert who was born in Chaterris, from Robert we have Anderson (1809) and Robert (1815) these were from Bourn.  Anderson had 5 children George (1847) who married a Mary Ann Dickerson (Caxton) The Dickersons I have back to 1821 and They were from Gamlingay (so sorry I misinformed you) these were William and his wife Ellen.  Sorry it does seem I am waffling and you prpobabbly haven't a clue what I am goping on about.  Please ask if you wish to know anything else.

[bedfordshire boy]

You're right, I'm still struggling, so I'll take them parish by parish where I can add something (but I'll warn you now that I think you have a major reconstruction job on your hands!):

Chatteris - I think you are wrong when you say Robert was the son of William Leader from Cottenham. Chatteris parish register has
11 May 1794 Robert Leader base born daughter of Ann,
                       born  1 March 1785
11 May 1794 John Leader base born daughter of Ann, born 
                          1 Aug 1787
11 May 1794 Samuel Leader base born daughter of Ann,
                          born  25 July 1789
  "The father of the above children William BARTHAM carpenter at Broad Alder"

Bourn Parish register has the following baptisms
15 Aug 1802 Ann Leeder or Leecher, dau of Robert & Sarah
21 June 1807 John Leader son of Robert & Sarah
21 June 1807 George Leader son of Robert & Sarah
31 Dec 1809 Anderson Leader son of Robert & Sarah

(I think John was a delayed christening as he was age 50 in 1851)


The IGI has a marriage of Robert Leader to Sarah Story on 13 March 1800 at Kingston, which is the next village to Bourn. But as the Chatteris Robert would have been only just 15 at the date of marriage I think you have the wrong Robert. (15 was legal at that time, but unlikely)

The 1841 census shows Robert and Sarah Leader in Kingston, both aged 60 which means they should have been born 1776-1781

I think you need to be looking in Kingston around 1780 for a baptism of your Robert. Unfortunately Kingston baptisms are not on the IGI, but perhaps someone has the PR transcript. (If necessary start another specific lookup request for his baptism in a couple of days, or ask Keith on the Cambs Look up offers board to check it next time he goes to the Records Office)

(I have a Susan Leader b 1859 at Kingston in my own tree.  She married my gg uncle William Surkitt - her first marriage was to John Bavister. I have just found she was the daughter of George chr 1807, so she was Anderson's niece!)

Whether Robert married in Kingston was connected to the Cottenham Leaders remains to be seen, but Chatteris is definitely a red herring.

I'll have a look at the Dickersons separately

Sorry if I've chopped down half your tree! You seem to have put your tree together from what you've found on the IGI - remember that Cambs coverage on the IGI is far from complete so you are running great risks of it being wrong, particularly when you seem to be jumping from one end of the county to the other and then half way back again. Reference to parish registers is vital.

Regards

David

[bedfordshire boy]

I assume from looking at censuses that the MaryAnn Dickerson to whom you refer was born c1848/9, the daughter of William and Ellen Dickerson who married at Gamlingay on 9 Apr 1841 (Ellen Ablett). The marriage cert or the entry from Gamlingay parish register will give father's names, but William may have been the son of Thomas and Hannah and was christened on 30 Oct 1821. MaryAnn appears to have been another delayed christening as the IGI has her as christened 13 Nov 1853

Not having the Gamlingay PR transcript I can't really add very much - I could check the IGI, which I'm sure you've done yourself, but the information from that needs to be checked with the PR.

Regards

David

[woowoo]

Hi David, many thanks for all that info, I think I will have to take this slowly and bit by bit.  I am totally confused and being early on a Sunday morning I can't quite take it all in.  I think I can see where I went wrong on Ann Leader and William.  On IGI it says son of Ann Leader and William B and I think I must have presumed that William B was William Leader.  But obviously that is William Bartham.  So who is Ann Leaders father??

I know Anderson Leader (1809) married Charlotte Custance and they had George (1847) who married Mary Ann Dickerson, Susan, Sarah, Mary and Emma.  I don't have any more info on the girls years of birth or where etc. That is as far as I can make out that moment.  Now I need a coffee break!!!!

[woowoo]

At a risk of sounding completely thick may I ask what PR is? 

[bedfordshire boy]

PR= Parish Register

Where you went wrong was assuming the Robert born in Chatteris was your Robert having children in Bourne, without any supporting evidence. You compounded the situation by assuming that William from Cottenham was the father of Robert in Chatteris. Ignore Chatteris. It's a red herring. It doesn't matter who Anne's father was! (at least for the moment until such time as you think she may have been part of your Leaders). Work backwards from what you know, one step at a time.

You know Anderson was baptised 1809 in Bourn, son of Robert and Sarah. The various Leaders born in Bourn start at about 1801 with John, who wasn't baptised until 1807, all children of Robert and Sarah. It looks to me as though Robert and Sarah were married in Kingston in 1800 - the marriage fits perfectly. Ideally you need to check the marriage entry to see if there is any extra information - it might say both of this parish; it might say Robert of the parish of xxxxx and Sarah of Bourn. (Ask Keith if he would kindly look this up for you at Cambridge Records Office) Then look for Robert's baptism, which may have been in Kingston (Perhaps Keith could check this at the same time!). There is a Sarah Story baptised in Bourn in 1781 which would establish a Bourn link.

In 1851 in Bourne
Anderson Leader head marr 40 ag lab b Bourn
Charlotte Leader wife 40 b Kingston
Susan dau 11 b Bourn
Sarah dau 9 b Bourn
Mary dau 6 b Bourn
George son 3 b Bourn
Emma dau 3mths b Bourn

In 1861 they also had Stephen son 6 born Bourn

Baptisms from the Bourn PR transcript are
20 May 1840 Susan
15 May 1842 Sarah
27 July 1845 Mary
26 Dec 1847 George
30 Mar 1851 Emma


The 1851 census shows William & Ellen Dickerson's family as
The Cross, Gamlingay
William Dickerson head marr 30 Labour
Ellen Dickerson wife 29 Domestic
Hannah dau 10 Straw plaiter
Ester dau 8 scholar
MaryAnn dau 2
Sarah dau 6
Thomas son 3mths
All born Gamlingay

In 1861 they also had
Caroline dau 8
Emma dau 6
Job son 3
All b Gamlingay

Regards

David

[woowoo]

Many thanks for all that David.  It was really kind of you to go to all that trouble.  I am having a new kitchen fitted this week so I will probably try and stay out of the way and concentrate on this tree.  I will get there eventually.

Thanks again Wendy