BALLARD / GODDARD Winterslow

[booksatskipton]

Have just received the marriage certificate of Charles Shears and Fanny Ballard "otherwise Goddard" - a spinster - daughter of John Ballard.
They married in 1851 in Winterslow.
On the birth certificate of their son John Shears she is described as Fanny Shears formerly Goddard.
can anyone throw any light on this?

[Ecneps]

Normally that would mean she had been married before, but in this case she is indexed under both names in GRO, so I wonder if they perhaps hadn't been sure of the spelling when the index was compiled.  I see Charles was indexed as Sheans so perhaps they were having trouble reading the writing that quarter!  Or, perhaps she was adopted and changed her name, or her mother remarried and she changed her name.

Will check census
Barbara

[Ecneps]

This may be her in 1851, as I can't see a Fanny Goddard:
HO107/1846 fol.10 p.13  Winterslow
Charles Noyce head mar 27 Ag. Lab  Winterslow
Jane          "     wife    "   29                      "
Fanny        "     dau          4                       "
William      "      son          2                       "
Charles     "        "       6 months               "
Mary Ballard mother.in.law to head, wid 73 Pauper  Ropley Hants
Fanny Ballard visitor  unm 27                 Winterslow

will look back to 1841 for her

[colinsorigins]

Hi Ecneps & booksatskipton

I am very interested that you show Mary Ballard as being in the household of Charles Noyce.   Can you confirm this to be the case.   The CD for the Wiltshire 1851 census shows these as two separate households, i.e. 1846 010 052 and 1846 010 053.

Being one household makes a lot of sense if allowance is made for errors in the ages of Jane Noyce and Fanny Ballard.   John and Mary Ballard had two daughters baptized in Winterslow, i.e. Sophia Jane 15 June 1817 and Fanny 18 Mar. 1821.   The explanation of the presence of Fanny Ballard as a visitor then becomes that she is staying with her mother Mary Ballard and her sister (Sophia) Jane Noyce nee Ballard before her marriage to my gr.gr. grandfather Charles Shears .

I think this now leads me to a solution of a puzzle that has bothered me for several years, why Fanny Goddard otherwise Ballard appears on her marriage certificate.   Although Fanny, Jane and Mary do not appear in the 1841 census under the name Ballard, I think I have found them with the name of Goddard.   Mary aged 60 and out of county and Sophia (Jane) Goddard aged 20 are living together in Winterslow, and there is a Fanny Goddard aged 16 and out of county working as a female servant in Broughton, Hants.   This leads to the conclusion that at some time Mary Ballard married or became the common law wife of a man named Goddard.

Although this explanation seems close to being convincing, there are two problems with it.   Why did Mary Ballard revert back from Goddard to Ballard if she had remarried?   There is no burial for John Ballard prior to 1837, and the date I have is 22 Aug 1843.   All suggestions welcome.

Regards

Colin

[Ecneps]

Hi Colin,
The family are spread over two pages on the 1851 census, Charles Noyce, Jane Fanny and William are at the bottom of page 12, then Charles 6months heads page 13, with a line drawn underneath but not going right across, only from his name to right hand side, then Mary Ballard and Fanny with a line drawn right across the page.  To me this indicates that they were all in the same house, as two families, but as Mary is shown as mother-in-law to head that means mother-in-law to Charles Noyce. If Mary and Fanny were in a completely separate household, Mary would have been shown as head of the family with Fanny as her daughter or whatever relationship she had to Mary. As she is shown as visitor I assume this relates to Charles Noyce's household.

As to Fanny reverting back to Ballard from Goddard, I have come across this several times in my own family tree, where the mother remarries and the children take the new husband's name while living with them, then later on, usually when they have left home, they have reverted to their original names. - but, I don't know why Mary would have reverted 

Just looked at the 1841 you mention, there are two other children living with Mary and Sophia - Sarah & Emma Porrett (?) have you traced them later? And if John Ballard didn't die til 1843, where is he in 1841?

Barbara

[colinsorigins]

Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your description of the census image, I have replied to your PM.   The household being spread over two pages may explain why it was transcribed as 2 households for the 1851 CD.

The rest of your letter demands further thought and research.   I was not aware of the Charles Noyce household until your first reply.

If John was buried in 1843[aged 73], Mary did not remarry.   Presumably John moved out and Mary may have become the common law wife of a man named Goddard who also is not in the household in 1841, or maybe her maiden name was Goddard and she reverted to it when John moved out.   There are various other options, some relating to there being Goddard and Ballard families living within a few yards of each other towards the eastern end of the village.

The Perret/Porret children were not baptized in Winterslow up to Dec 1837.   As John and Ballard do not appear in the village records until 1817, it is possible they had other children and these are resulting grand children.

I think I need to look at the Winterslow parish registeragain.   I shall also borrow the film for the parish register of Topley register which is where Mary was born.

Once again thank you for your help

Colin.

[booksatskipton]

Hi

Thanks for all the information about Fanny Ballard / Goddard - obviously I am not the first to get puzzled about the names!
I am interested in John and Mary Ballard and the names and any other children. From the dates given above John would have been 47 and Mary 36 when Sophia Jane was born - I wonder if there were other children before this or if it was second marriage for them?
I can understand Fanny's use of the names and swapping between them if she had a step father but Mary seems to have been Ballard in 1820ish Goddard in 1841 and Ballard 851 and Goddard again 1861 - RG9/1313; Folio: 11; Page: 20;
best wishes
jane

[colinsorigins]

Hi Jane

I looked for John and Mary Ballard several years ago, reaching dead-ends rather than a conclusion.   John was not baptized in Winterslow [nor in Idmiston].   There is a death for Mary Ballard aged 90 registered for Alderbury in 1867, I assume she is ours.

There is only one earlier entry than Sophia for Ballard in Winterslow PR and that is Jenney in 1778 with parents George and Elizabeth.   I have just tracked down the marriage of these two [I have also now found it in the IGI], which was in Idmiston between George Ballard of Winterslow and Elizabeth Goodfellow of Idmiston;  Elizabeth probably lived in The Shripple in Winterslow, which is a detached part of the parish of Idmiston - if so, she was 37 at the time of her marriage.   If John's burial is correct, these are not John's parents.   There are no burials for Ballard in Winterslow or Idmiston up to 1837.   The presence of George Ballard in Winterslow would explain why John turned up there.

The only possible marriages of a John Ballard to a Mary in the IGI are in Sussex, which at present seems unlikely. Ropley PR has not been extracted into the IGI, however, the PR is available on film, so I shall borrow it, but it will be at least a month before I get a chance to look at it.

I'll let you know what I find.

Best wishes

Colin

[colinsorigins]

Hi Jane

I think we have hit the buffers where John and Mary Ballard are concerned.

I have checked the LDS library catalogue for the films of Ropley parish register and bishops transcripts.   In each case there is a gap including the possible birth years for Mary.   I posted a request on the Hampshire board and received the reply that there are no Ballard marriages in Ropley.   There are no marriages for John Ballard and a Mary, or children with parents John and Mary, in the IGI for Hants. or Wilts.

Any further thoughts gratefully received

Cheers

Colin