Nathaniel NEWSTEAD BOYCE & Jane Elizabeth SHEARING

[caliope]

Hello!

I believe I solved the mystery of my Norfolk NEWSTEAD roots, at least as far as I can.  So thought I'd post it up here for other researchers.

My Nathaniel NEWSTEAD, was AKA Nathaniel NEWSTEAD BOYCE, a Merchant Mariner.  He was the son of James NEWSTEAD BOYCE and Jemima WOODCOCK, born 11 April 1813 in Horsey, Norfolk.  He was Christened twice, the day he was born as NEWSTEAD, and again 1 September, 1828 at St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, as BOYCE.

Nathaniel's father, James NEWSTEAD BOYCE, was the illigitimate child of Mary NEWSTEAD.  He was born in Cromer, Norfolk, and christened 4 Dec 1785.  At some point, Mary must have married a BOYCE, and James took on that surname.

Nathaniel married  Jane Elizabeth SHEARING (not Sharing as it has been transcribed).  The were married 19 October 1856 in Gorleston Parish Church, Suffolk.  Jane is the daughter of James SHEARING and Mary DAWSON.  She was born about 1822, Limpenhoe (I'll be posting a look up for that baptism).

When Nathaniel and Jane married, he used the surname of NEWSTEAD only.  At the time of their marriage, Jane already had one son, William Nelson Sharmon (might be Shearing, Sharing, Shamin, won't know for sure until I get the birth record).  He was born 14 June 1851.  On the 16 Feb 1857

[caliope]

Sorry about that!!!  I meant to click spell check...

ANYwho...

On the 16th of February, 1857, Jane gave birth to John George NEWSTEAD (born at the Davey's Buildings), s/o Nathaniel and Jane NEWSTEAD.  Both John and William were then christened together on 16 Mar 1857 at St. Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

They also had another son, Charles NEWSTEAD, in 1859.  The surname of BOYCE was not used.

Sadly, Nathaniel died 31 May 1859 of "Disease of Heart"

In 1861, I found Jane living back home with her father and family in Reedham, Norfolk.  She is listed as Jane NEWSTED, widow.

However, in 1871 I found her living with a Samuel GOBBITT (a "roomer"), and she is listed as Jane BOYCE.  When I saw this, it all clicked together.  It would seem that Nathaniel used the BOYCE surname for his Merchant Mariner career, and NEWSTEAD for his private life.  I don't know if there was some sort of widow's benefit or pension involved that would require her to use the BOYCE surname, or what.

Jane married Samuel GOBBETT 19 Sept 1872 at St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.  On the 1881 census, she is mistakenly listed as "Ann".  She and Samuel were living in Ellingham, Norfolk.  By the 1891 census, she is listed as "head".  Jane died 22 July 1902, Ellington Road, Lodden, Norfolk.

Evidently, changing names, or using an alias, was perfectly acceptable back then as John George NEWSTEAD changed his name to George John NEWSTEAD.  This is evident by  his birth certificate and christening record listing him as John George.  Also on the 1861 census he is John.  However, by 1871, he is listed as George, working as a Currier Apprentice.  George joined the Coast Guard in 1873.  When George died, 15 Nov 1926, his death certificate listed his name as George John NEWSTEAD.  He is my great-grandfather.

Well, that's all I have so far...

[gobbitt]

Thanks very much for sharing your findings. Since the mysterious Mr BOYCE was none other than Nathaniel NEWSTEAD, I can now stop seeking another husband for Jane!

Any idea where they were in 1851? I couldn't locate either of them. Although they didn't marry until 1856, William Shearing BOYCE, whose birth was registered at Gt Yarmouth in 1851 Q2, looks suspiciously like Jane's 9-year-old son, William S NEWSTED (as he was called in 1861) and presumably the William born on 14 June 1851 and baptized in 1857. Did you get his birth certificate?

You've probably found the baptisms of Samuel GOBBETT (c.1832-1901) and his siblings in the FreeREG database (Geldeston NFK 1828-1836). I'm still looking for those of Daniel (c.1825-1887) and George (1838-c.1927), who were also reputedly born at Geldeston. Their grandparents, Robert GOBBETT and Mary HANSER or HANSEY, were married at Rumburgh SFK in 1786 and moved from there to Gillingham (next to Geldeston) between 1792 and 1795. I'm not sure I can claim them as kin but Rumburgh is very close to my ancestors' villages in northern Suffolk, so we could be related.

David Gobbitt

[caliope]

Also, BTW, Jane was christened Jane Elizabeth SHEARING on 30 Nov, 1823 at St. Botolph, Limpenhoe.

When I first started digging into my NEWSTEAD line, and found the marriage for Nathaniel and Jane, a researched made the comment that Nathaniel seemed a bit too old for a 1st marriage.  Duly noted, I did find a Nathaniel and Margaret (c1821) BOYCE with two daughters:  Margaret (c1836) and Francis (c1839) in Great Yarmouth on the 1841 census.  I haven't yet found a marriage for Nathaniel and Margaret (haven't really looked much either), but I am quite suspicious that this may be a first family for my Nathaniel.

[caliope]

AND:  on the IGI I found a marriage for Francis Newstead Boyce to a James Adam Bultitude on 15 Oct 1859 at St Nicholas, Great Yarmouth.

coinkie-dink?

[gobbitt]

Interesting ... and no coinkie-dink ...

The BIVRI (see below) confirms that "Francis" Newstead BOYCE (m. 1859) was a daughter of Nathaniel Newstead BOYCE. She was only "37" in 1881 but 21 in 1861 (at 18 Row 142, Yarmouth: RG 9/1191 f.45v. p.34) and 32 in 1871 (with her husband's parents at 2 Row 87, Yarmouth: RG 10/1784 f.39v. p.36) - making her more than likely to be the 2-year-old you found in 1841 (birth not registered?).

The lack of later records of any suitable Margaret BOYCE suggests that the 1841 enumerator should have written Mary Ann as the name of Frances's mother and sister, who then become apparent in 1851 at Laughing Image Square, Yarmouth (HO 107/1806 f.459 p.60) with Thomas and Mary Ann SOUTHGATE (parents of Mrs Mary Ann BOICE) as well as their daughter Fanny SOUTHGATE (26?) and another granddaughter, Sophia BOICE (6). In 1861, Sophia BOYCE (17) was with her aunt Frances STEVENS (38?) at 27 Well Street, Yarmouth (RG 9/1192 f.192 p.17). Sophia's birth was registered at Yarmouth in 1844 Q1.

So, although Nathaniel Newstead BOYCE is still missing in 1851 (along with Jane Elizabeth SHEARING and now Frances or perhaps Fanny BOYCE too!), I think he was probably the Nathaniel who married Mary Ann SOUTHGATE in 1835 (see below). Had she left him by 1851 or was he simply away at sea while she was visiting her parents? If Jane was the mother of William Shearing BOYCE, they may have had to wait a while before Nathaniel was free to marry again, but the most appropriate Yarmouth death registration seems to be for a Mary BOYCE, as early as 1853 Q3 (age not indexed). Was he recorded as a widower in 1856?

Here are some extracts from the BIVRI (the LDS's British Isles Vital Records Index), which gives more information than the IGI after 1837 and is not blighted by the infamous "Earsdon By North Shields, Northumberland" entries that actually relate to Yarmouth St Nicholas, as do all of these:

Baptisms

1817 Dec 15   Mary Ann SOUTHGATE daur of Thomas & Mary
1820 Dec 11   Sophia SOUTHGATE daur of Thomas & Mary
1823 Apr 5   Frances SOUTHGATE daur of Thomas & Mary

Marriages

1767 Jan 13   Thomas NEWSTEAD m. Elizabeth BOYCE
1788 Apr 13   Simonds Woodcock BOYCE m. Ann DRAPER
1809 Sep 13   James BOYCE m. Jamima WOODCOCK
1819 Oct 19   Nathaniel BOYCE m. Mary GOWEN
1835 Oct 18   Nathaniel BOYCE m. Mary Ann SOUTHGATE
1859 Oct 15   James Adam BULTITUDE, son of James BULTITUDE, m. Francis Newstead BOYCE, daur of Nathaniel Newstead BOYCE [indexed as Frances by GRO]

The BIVRI contains more than 80 of the BOYCE (etc.) marriages at Yarmouth, dating from 1757 to 1899, but there's a significant gap between 1851 and 1857, when Frances SOUTHGATE married Edward Philip STEVENS (1856 Q1, Yarmouth).

Mary Ann BOYCE and her sisters Frances (c.1839) and Sophia (c.1844) were born too late to get their baptisms in the BIVRI. However, Mary Ann found her way into the IGI:

1836 Jan 6   Mary Ann BOYCE daur of Nathaniel & Mary Ann, Great Yarmouth

I hope you will be able to throw more light on the parents someday.

[caliope]

LOL!  Parents of whom?

[gobbitt]

Sorry: I meant the parents of Mary Ann, Frances and Sophia BOYCE, assuming that they were Nathaniel Newstead BOYCE (1813-1859) and Mary Ann, née SOUTHGATE (c.1817-?).

In particular, I'd like to know when Mrs Mary Ann BOYCE died and where Nathaniel was in 1851. Even if he was not then living with Jane Elizabeth SHEARING, any addresses given in the birth certificate of William Shearing BOYCE (Jane's son?) would surely be worth checking in the census, just a few weeks earlier.

[caliope]

I don't know if you have this already, but Sophia's birth is registered March qtr of 1844, Yarmouth, v13 page 391.

Jane & Nathaniel were married at Gorleston Parish in Suffolk.  On the actual marriage certificate I received from the GRO it states his condition as Bachelor and Jane's as Spinster.  Of course, they might have stretched the truth ;-)  Also, his surname is Newstead, not Boyce on the marriage certificate.  It's as if he is walking away from the Boyce name, perhaps leaving the past behind?