Elusive Anna Maria BATSON - Where is she???

[noo]

Ok, this is the story. When I started this family history lark, my mum got me all intrested with exotic talk of the 'spanish' in our family.
She said that her great grandmother Rawlins was the Spanish lady, and barely spoke a word of English.

So, when researching the Rawlins, I found that her great grandmother was Anna Maria Batson who married her great grandfather, William Rawlins. To my surprise she was registered on the 1891 census as being from,,,, wait for it,,,, NORWICH.
So a bit confused I followed it further back, they married in 1872 and she put her father as James Batson a cabinet maker. I found the Batsons living in Norwich in 51, by 1861 they had moved to Bethnal Green. In most census returns Anna Maria's age suggests she was born around 1853 although her marriage cert shows that she would have been born in 1851. She is not with the family in 1851, but in 1861 she is just called Maria and she is aged 10. Her father James Batson, had married an Ann Mathews so Anna Maria's mother is Ann Mathews, although because I havent got her birth certficate this cant be confirmed.

So, Im convinced that the spanish story is nothing but rubbish, the family were from Norwich not Spain, but the mystery is why is Anna Maria Batson not on the Birth registers.
I did find an Anna Maria Batson march 1851 but when I received the certificate, the father is Potter Batson and not a cabinet maker, so that is not my Anna.
In some census returns she is Maria, rather than Anna Maria and some others Anna M.
The other children of James and Ann Batson are on the registers where they 'should' be but not Anna Maria.

Has anyone got any advice? The family came from St James Pockthorpe until they moved to Bethnal Green.

I have got a photo of Anna Maria somewhere, and she does look very Spanish, god knows where this rumour came from, my mum is convinced that my research is mistaken somehow because it hasnt confirmed the family tale!

[CaroleW]

Hi

Although civil reg was introduced in 1837 - it was not compulsory to register a birth until 1875

[noo]

yes I wondered whether for some reason, they didnt register her, those pesky Batsons have ruined everything for me...

[Ruskie]

Though I'm not advocating that you try to prove this Spanish link, a couple of things came to mind when reading your post -:

Perhaps the Spanish connection is a generation further back - the forename Anna Maria does sound Spanish.

The surname Batson may be an anglised version of a Spanish name. When searching for the birth of Anna Maria have you been "flexible" with the surname and tried just searcing for an Anna Maria?

Do you have the marriage certificate of Ann and James? Might the Spanish connection be with Ann? Might they have married in Spain and had Anna Maria there before moving to England? Is Anna Maria their oldest child?

 

[noo]

Hi Ruskie, believe you me, I have tried to prove the Spanish link, because I love tapas and would love to have a bit of exotic in me. HOwever, the marriage cert for James and Ann states that Ann's father is John Matthews, wheelwright. They married in 1845, 2 years after the brth of their first child, George. James' father is James Batson, silk weaver.
The other kids that I have found so far for James and Ann, so Anna Maria's siblings, are William, Ann ,George, Charles and John. Ann and George appear to have been born before they married.
So I agree, suddenly there is this child called Anna Maria, doesnt seem to fit with the other names. I wonder if she was adopted then by the Batsons, what would be my next step to try and delve further. I cant even find a baptism for her though?
She went on to be a babys shoemaker later on, not sure that would give me any clues though?

[noo]

ive just remembered and searched again, that the first 'ann' of james and ann's children is also nowhere to be found. i wonder if this is 'my' ann. Thing is, this ann was 6 in 1851, making her born around 1845, the year that her parents got married. yet in 1861, my anna maria was 10 on the census return, meaning a huge error with the ages, or 2 separate children??

[lizdb]

FreeBMD

Anna Maria Batson
Jan/Feb/MAr 1851
Norwich
ref 13 304

[lizdb]

Pres that was the one you sent for - with father Potter Batson
What was mother?

Here is Potter in 1861 - but there is no dtr Anna Maria age 10 ish with them. I wouldnt be at all surprised if she isnt the one with your family - perhaps they adopted her, Potter would only have been about 17 when she was born. Maybe her mum died or something and James and Ann (rellies of some sort) took her on, and then when Potter married Sarah and had another family they didnt uproot her.

1861
RG9 1210 9 12
Edward Batson Miller
Charlotte
Potter Batson son 27 Miller
Sarah 33 dtr in law
Richard 4
Anna 1

I'll see if I can find Potter in 1851 about the time the Anna Maria was born

[lizdb]

In 1851

hO107 1813 222 2

Potter (age 26, so 1861 prob should have been 37) and wife Sarah age 23 have 2 day old Ann M with them

That is the one you have the birth for

but it is the one that is later with James and Ann?