WEBBER/STRONG marriage. Help on this one please.

[bennett]

Hi Peeps,
I guess I have been lucky up till now,all certs that I have sent off for have been the correct ones .phew!!!!!! how lucky is that.
This has completely baffled me,
I have asked for help on this family some time ago,
and it seems as if I have followed the wrong path.
How often we hear this,silly me.

To get to the story.

I have a William Webber b.1850.who married Louisa Strong b1854
in c1874.Married in St Decumans.
Saw this info on IGI.All the children listed match my family
 who come from
Watchet /Williton,Somerset,.

I was led to believe that William's
 parents were
William and Mary Ann Hobbs.
Having obtained the marriage cert
of William and Louisa Strong,
the only one stated on Freebmd,
sent off for the cert,
It came back as the right occupation for her father
Robert Strong (sailor),
but for him his father is listed as a
James Webber,carpenter,and not William,
Their address on the cert,is
Melody Buildings, Taunton.
Haven't heard of this place before.

Sorry this is so long winded,but where would I go from here?
The names of the witnesses have been no help either.
James Sharman,and Elizabeth Jones.
I guess there is always a first time for a mystery,
and this is mine.
Hope some kind soul can put me out of my misery.
Or a trip to Taunton Record Office, will be on the cards.

Bennett

[haliared]

Hi Bennett,
Have looked at the IGI-and it seems very shaky, and lots of varying information. If you have your grandmother Elizabeth's birth certificate, and it lists her mother as Louisa Webber nee Strong, then it would seem that YOU have the correct marriage details-so I would work from there. How did you get the age for William ? Have you found William & Louisa in the censuses when they were married (1881-1901) to confirm places and years of birth ?

[bennett]

Hi haliared,
Thanks for your prompt reply,
yes I do have my grandmothers birth cert,mother Louisa Webber, nee Strong.
My grandmothers father William Webber,was drowned when his ship went down,he was Captain William Webber on board the Kelso ship.
He died just three weeks before my grandmother was born, in January 1883.
This story is also documented in a book called
Tales of Watchet harbour.

I have the death entry from the Marine Register, it gives his age as 28,
on another death entry,it gives his age as 33.
So a difference of 5 years, that can happen,
so that could give his birth as either
1850 or 1855,
his age on the marriage cert is 21.
The date of the marr. is 1873.

I have found Louisa on the 1881 census,but not William he  must have been at sea.
But all the children are living with her in Watchet.

Now to find out about James,this is my first brick wall

[bennett]

Sorry forgot to add,
places of birth,
Watchet/Williton Somerset.

kind regards
Bennett

[haliared]

Hi Bennett,
That's a real shame about the age as I had a William born in Watchet to a James & Sarah Webber, and the family living in St Decuman in 1861-but he was born 1841 - oh well, will look again
So sad about his drowning, and your poor grandmother who never got to know her dad.

[haliared]

Hi again Bennett,
Could this be your William in 1871?
RG10/2461/104
Vessels - The Rose of Bristol
With a Captain and Mate and one other Boy-
William Webber, unmarried, male, age 16, rank-boy, born Bridgewater, Somerset

[bennett]

Hi haliared,
Haven't come across this one before?

Could you give me the names of the others on board please,
it might shed some light.

I have noted that this William was born in Bridgewater,and not Watchet though.
In this game anything is possible lol!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your time on this much appreciated.

regards
Bennett

[haliared]

Hi Bennett,
Joseph MAUL, married, male, age 22, Captain, born Wells, Somerset
Alfred John YAMACK (?), single, male, age 21, mate, born Weston Super Mare, Somerset
Edwin BAILEY, single, male, age 15, boy, born Weston Super Mare, Somerset
William WEBBER, single, male, age 16, boy, born Bridgewater, Somerset.
List of all aboard the Vessel named the Rose of Bristol.

In my family, ancestors often said that they came from the nearest big town, which is why I thought that this could just be a possibility for your William, especially as he was a Captain in 1883, which I guessed meant that he went to sea at a young age. Just an idea, if you can't find him elsewhere.
Best wishes, haliared

[bennett]

Hi haliared,
Thank you once again for the info on the others on board ship.
No name in particular,jumps out at me.

Sometimes shipmates follow each other from ship to ship,thats why I asked.
I come from a long line of seafarers,that is usually the case, but not in this instance

It's always the ones your really looking for.
As I said before this is my very lst brickwall
it had to happen sometime.

Not sure what road to go down now on this one,
will have to get my thinking cap on now, thats for sure

If you can think of anything,I would appreciate it,or if anyone else is reading this.
Thanks again.

Bennett