Baptism of SARAH BURFIELD, Horsted Keynes, abt. 1790

[Alberta_Dianne]

Hi I am new to this list and am hoping that someone can help me.  My great x 4 grandmother was Sarah Burfield.  I found her in 1841 married and living in Stepney.  Her age on that census makes her birth around 1792.  On her marriage one of the witnesses was Nathaneal Burfield (so I am making a leap and assuming that he was probably either a brother or a cousin).  The only other info I have on Sarah is that she was not born in Middlesex and that she named one of her children Samuel Burfield Knight.

I have managed to locate Nathaneal on the IGI - he was baptised in Horsted Keynes on Jul 1st 1798 - the son of Benjamin and Susannah Burfield.  I also came across a Samuel Burfield baptised again in Horsted Keynes on May 20 1787 - son of Samuel and Susannah Burfield. 

From that info I am wondering if Sarah might well have also come from the same parish and am hoping that someone might be able to do a look-up for me.  Thanks so much for any help.

Dianne in Alberta, Canada

[sillgen]

Welcome to rootschat.       
There is a marriage on the Sussex Marriage Index for Samuel Burfield and Susannah Coppard in Lindfield May 30 1785.  That is very close to Horsted Keynes.   There is a later marriage 10 Sep 1820 for a Benjamin Burfield to Mary Short in Lewes, St John sub Castro.  There isn't a marriage for a Benjamin to a Susannah so that means it is unlikely they married in Sussex as it is very compehensive coverage.
Ages in 1841 were usually rounded down to the nearest 5 so you need to bear that in mind.   Horsted Keynes records for that time are on the IGI.   Have a look at www.wealdofkent.org.uk which has some Susex records for HK on it.
You can get the films of most parish registers to search at your local LDS centre - they are worldwide.
Andrea

[sillgen]

Me again!   I tried to look for her in 1841 to see if it held any clues.  There were so many Sarah Knights of that age it was hard to decide.  Is she the one married to Robert, a rope maker?     If so, one of the sons seems to have a very odd name so that might be a clue.  Merick?
Can you quote the census reference so we can look at the right one?    Had she died before 1851?   Do you have the death certificate?
Andrea

[Alberta_Dianne]

Hi there - sorry for the long delay in getting back to you but I have been out of town for a few days.   You are looking at the right census record with Robert Knight as a ropemaker.  I haven't come across a son with that name in any records and had wondered if it was their son William who was born about 1826/1827. 

Unfortunately I haven'able to pin down the right Sarah Knight death certificate yet and so cannot say for sure when she died or any information on the death certificate.  I also have not been able to find her in the 1851 census though she is probably there somewhere. 

I will keep tracking and try to find her.  Thanks for all your help

Dianne

[sillgen]

Hi
I have looked again at the census and the date for Merick?  is right for William as he is age 14.   I must say I find it hard to see it as William!   What other children did they have and how do you know?   I cannot find a Sarah born in Sussex in 1851 who fits the bill but as Sussex is only a guess there are plenty of others from different counties who may fit the bill so it might be a good idea to trace all the kids and see where they went as I am sure Sarah would have stayed near them.
Have you got marriage certificates for any of the kids and do they show whether Robert is alive or dead?   
Andrea

[Alberta_Dianne]

Hi again Andrea - thank you so much for your persistence in trying to help me with Sarah Burfield.  I have the death certificate for her husband - he died in Ratcliff in 1845.  Sarah died in 1869 in Shadwell at the age of 77.  There are no clues to her identity in the death certificates.  I have managed to pin down some of her children but she was not with them in 1851.  She had I think 5 daughters so she might have been wrongly recorded under one of their married names on the census - or missed altogether.

In the 1861 census I found a likely looking record: 

Sarah Knight aged 68 born Maidstone Kent (which surprised me).  Living in Newington Surrey with two sons: John age 34 and George age 24.  These two fit exactly with the ages of her sons John and George.  It also reports that they were both born in Stepney which is correct for her sons.  What I don't understand though is why she was in Surrey and why she went to Shadwell sometime before her death.  Soooo, not many more answers and the plot thickens.  Now I have to try and track down Burfields in Maidstone. 

Anyway thanks for all your help, your patience and your advice.

Dianne