Another BLEWETT Puzzle

[cornishpixie]

over the weekend my Dad recieved a letter through the post from one of the family, concerning somebody who had married into the family, who up until now we didnt even know how he was connected to the family. Eliza Jane Butter was his G Gran in his letter he has stated that when Eliza Jane died she was buried with a James Blewett Wilkins !!!!!!!!! I just dont get this atall .... she died in 1944 aged 77 and James died in 1925 aged 77 ....
The thing i dont get is that she married Stephen Blewett Wilkins he died and then she married James Blewett ! ... her sons to Stephen were stephen (who died young) and a william!!! so who is this James Blewett Wilkins ....??

also Gerry has been told that Eliza Blewetts daughter Annie Blewett had two children  Blewett Children .. and yet in the letter it states that she was married as was in fact a Nickolls !!!

I am so lost it doesnt add up ! any help would be brilliant as always Kirsty

[AMBLY]

Hi Kirsty

It's a bit confusing! Just trying to sort out  - what are the two tales - yours and then his?

Stephen Blewett WILKINS
Eliza Jane BUTTERS
married: Sep Qtr 1882 Penzance
Do you have this marriage record - ages of the couple, their father's names?

I imagine this is the son who died young:
Stephen Blewett WILKINS
born Sep Qtr 1882 Penzance
died Mar Qtr 1888 Penzance age 6

Another of your posts says son:
William John WILKINS was born 1885
Do you have this family in 1891?

When did Stephen Blewett WILKINS die?

James Blewett WILKINS chr 1848 Paul, Penzance
to parents Stephen Blewett WILKINS and Jane

Another of your posts says Eliza "married" or not, to James BLEWETT (not Blewett WILKINS???)  and they had:
James 1892, Annie1897, Gracie1899, John 1901

If you can provide first what you know.believe to be true with proof,  and then what your contact believes/knows to be true (what proof has he provided?) maybe we can start to fathom it out!


Cheers
AMBLY

[cornishpixie]

Hi Ambly thankyou for your reply.

Stephen Blewett WILKINS 21 (when married)
Eliza Jane BUTTERS 23 (when married)
they married Aug 8th 1882

Do you have this marriage record - ages of the couple, their father's names?
I think my dad has the paper work for this marraige but
Stephen Blewett Wilkins
Father was Richard Blewett Wilkins and his wife was Elizabeth jane (grenfall)
Eliza Jane Butters
parents were Benjamin and Mary Butters

I imagine this is the son who died young:
Stephen Blewett WILKINS
born Sep Qtr 1882 Penzance
died Mar Qtr 1888 Penzance age 6

When did Stephen Blewett WILKINS die?
Stephen also died in 1888 the same time as his son.

James Blewett Wilkins was Stephens father .....born around 1849ish

Another of your posts says Eliza "married" or not, to James BLEWETT (not Blewett WILKINS???)  and they had:
James 1892, Annie1897, Gracie1899, John 1901 Yes this is correct James was a Blewett and not a Blewett Wilkins ...

we believe the blewett wilkins family dropped the wilkins after so many years but not sure why ... Hope this helps

[AMBLY]

Hi Kirsty

James Blewett Wilkins was Stephens father .....born around 1849ish

Q: Is that a typo? As you say  Stephen Snr's father was Richard.......?

Q. Who do you say was buried with Eliza Jane? Do you have a burial register record and/or a headstone transcription?

Q. Who does your contact say is buried with Eliza Jane -  how old was he and when died and what proof has he? Or has he made an assumption that James BLEWETT is the same person as James Blewett WILKINS (and you do say yourself that you believe  the WILKINS was dropped and BLEWETT was promoted to a surname......)

Q: Is it correct you have no marriage record for Eliza Jane to James ? How conclusive is this - under what surnames/combinations have you searched and where?

In Census 1901:
James BLEWETT age 52, tin miner b Newlyn Cornwall - with Eliza and the children....at 23 Beriton Row, Penzance

In Census 1891:
Eliza J BLEWETT 30, widow, is with her son William J BLEWETT 6  and living with her mother Mary BUTTERS 69, wid,  and another of Mary's grandchildren, William J BUTTERS 10,  in St Just Cornwall.  So it is interesting to note that here - apparently before she 'married' James - Eliza was calling her self widow BLEWETT not widow WILKINS........Her first child with James came along when in 1892?  Would she have been expecting that child as early as the time of the 1891 Census?

It is also interesting to note that Eliza's first BLEWETT child James was born 1892, and the next was a Grace in 1899.. a big gap, unless there was an infant death in between.....

In Census 1891:
Where is James BLEWETT , Eliza's 2nd husband?
Is he: James BLEWETT 42, Tin Miner retired, b Newlyn Paul with wife Grace 56  b Redruth, and living on Chandlers Row?
And is that wife the same Grace BLEWETT died Penzance age 65 in 1898 -  years after Eliza's son James was born, and just before daughter Gracie.......?

Also regarding Annie BLEWETT (daughter of Eliza Jane WILKINS nee BUTTERS,  and James BLEWETT).   Your contact says: she had 2 children named BLEWETT 'yet' she  married to a NICKOLLS (and you do also know she was married to NICKOLLS?).

This  would seem to me to possibly be a case of the children coming along before the mother married - and either the eventual husband was the biological father too, or else he was not!! The age old scenario.....  But it would depend on dates (of the births and of the NICKOLLS marriage). Is the new contact in a position to know better (ie I wonder aloud if is he a direct descendant of one of them?)  If I were you, however, I would be wary of posting anything more on those 2 children here as it's getting rather a bit too close people very possibly still living - and to other living folk who may or may not know about the origins of those 2 children... perhaps you might want to consider 'modify'ing your post to remove the forenames and just leave it as "2 BLEWETT children" .... or something?

Cheers 
AMBLY

[krisesjoint]

Hi Kirsty,

I thought throughout your Blewett posts that we had worked out James was also born James Blewett Wilkins with the Wilkins seeming to have been dropped as it was also with Stephen. Do you think this James Blewett Wilkins Eliza was buried with may have been someone other than her "husband"? .............Kris 

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,186584.0.html

[AMBLY]

Hi Kris
Just read that older post - facinating - and saved a lot of time as I was heading down the same road  It seems quite clear there is no mystery and:
James BLEWETT is same James Blewett WILKINS.
He was related to Eliza's first husband but was not a brother.
He is the James BLEWETT found on earlier Census with his mother Jane and father Stephen......

Here is James BLEWETT and wife Grace in 1881- they had wondered off from Cornwall for a bit  (Actually a lot of Cornish miners were in the same area)

1881: Egremont, Cumberland
REF: RG11 - 5193 / F86 / Pg 82
ADDRESS: Moor Roe
Head: James BLEWATT 34, Iron Miner b Newlyn Cornwall
Wife: Grace BLEWATT 45, Dressmaker, b Rodruth Cornwall

The IGI seems to have christenings for James and his siblings (which include 2 Lavinia's)  up to abt 1848/50 under the name WILKINS. And there was a batch christening in 1850 of 3 of them at ages 4, 6 and 8....I wonder if this was the time things changed from WILKINS to BLEWETT....

My main question now is: How conclusive is it that a marriage for Eliza Jane to James doesn't exist?   If his wife Grace did not die until 1898 it may likely be after that time.....

Cheers
AMBLY

[cornishpixie]

  took me ages to post and i lost connection! ... trying again

we dont have any proof of a marriage between James and Eliza so could just be hearsay! They had 4 children together
James 1892  Annie 1897  Gracie 1899  John 1901  also she had a son to Stephen (William James Blewett)

and in the 1891 census she is living with her mother in Morvah with William Blewett aged 10 and William j Butters aged 6 (Butters was Elizas Maiden)name!

I think the James she was buried with was her partner .. (or am i thinking in the wrong way)

The Nickolls thing i have no idea about aparently the chap who sent the letter said that his g grandfather (annies brother) had spoken of Nickolls and annies two children being called Nickolls yet my dad has the birth cert for the daughter (my dads mum) as being Blewett born Penzance July 22nd 1915

I really hope this has made some sence as somtimes i think i just walk round in circles before getting the point |LOL

[AMBLY]

Hi Kirsty

It doesn't help that your WILKINS dropped the surname and adopted a middle name as a surname either! They do seem rather a confusing bunch to follow 

So whether or not she eventually married or partnered a NICKOLLS man - it looks like your  Dad's granny Annie BLEWETT had children before she was married, since your Dad has proof that his Mum, Annie's daughter, was registered under the BLEWETT maiden name of the mother.  I assume there was no father's name on this certificate. 

What intrigues me - is that this is your Dad's Mum - and he had no knowledge of her ever being known as a NICKOLLS, or of his Granny eventually  marrying one.....?  And this new cousin of yours (whom I presume is descended from one of the 4 children of Eliza's by James?)  has also offered no proof of the NICKOLLS connection,  only hearsay from his side of the family...

And yes, it does seem likely the man buried with Eliza is the same man with whom she had 4 children - and that this man was born as  James Blewett WILKINS  - but only sytematic investigation and collection of documents, or maybe a conveniently worded Headstone or burial record,  would ever prove this.

Have you the birth records of the 4 children she had with James BLEWETT?
What do they say for the father's name? What does the new cousin have on this?

Have you searched the complete Indexes for a marriage of Eliza Jane WILKINS nee BUTTERS (and maybe under BLEWETT) to a Henry BLEWETT or Henry Blewett WILKINS ?

I think it's exciting this new cousin had emerged for you - even though there are clearly still pieces missing 

Cheers
AMBLY