Westhall lookup please - SIMMONS

[Ruskie]

MORE!  .... Plus his mother!!!!! 
1891
Mill Common
Westhall
RG12/1485/51/9

Mary Ann Seamans head wid 62 b Wamford(?) Suffolk
Henry son single 23 agricul-labourer b Westhall
James son single 19 ag lab b Westhall
Anna daur single 18 b Westhall

[Ruskie]

And yet M O R E!!   

1881 Lord Waveneys Cottages,
Westhall
RG11/1894/55/4

John Semans head mar 46 ag lab b Blyford Suffolk
Mary Ann wife mar 47 b Wangford
Henry son unmar 17 non b Westhall
Anna Maria daur 14 b Westhall
James son 10 b Westhall
Alfred George son 6 b Westhall

 

[Ruskie]

 

1871
No address given but previous page has "The Race Horse Inn" with loads of families listed (perhaps an error?)
Westhall

John Semans head mar 34 farm lab (all family born Westhall, which does not tie in with other census)
Mary Ann wife 36
Eliza daur 12
Henry son 7
Hannah daur 4
James son 4 months!

As the census was taken on the 2nd April 1871, we can estimate that James was born either December 1870 or January 1871.

[Ruskie]

Wonder if this might be James birth:
Births registered March quarter 1871 (therefore born Jan, Feb or Mar)
Seamanns/Seamans James
district: Blything
volume: 4a
page: 730
There are two entries giving both spellings of the surname - all other details are the same.

This is on Freebmd. If you purchase this certificate you can specify you want John to be the father, to be sure you have the correct one. Then you will find out Mary Ann's maiden name!

[Ruskie]

1861
no road or street name
Westhall

John Semmons head mar 26 ag lab b Suffolk Blyford
Mary Ann wife 27 b Wangford
charity daur 9
William son 5
Ellen daur 2
All children born Wangford
If this is the same family, I wonder if Ellen is Eliza in the 1871 census?

[Ruskie]

Right, I've now found your James's grandparents! Here is James's father John, with HIS parents! 

1851
Mill p....st(?)
Halesworth
RG107/1803/641/15

James Semmons head mar 49 ag lab b Suffolk Raydon
Elizabeth wife mar 48 b Wissett
William son unmar 22 ag lab b Blyford
Henry son 17 ag lab b Blyford
John son 15 ag lab b Blyford
Maryann daur 11 b Holton
Eliza daur 9 b Westhall
Emma daur 6 b Westhall

[Ruskie]

OK, lucky last!
1841
Upper Holton
Holton
HO107/1015/4/2

James Semmons 35 ag lab
Elizabeth 35
David 15
Martha 10
William 10
Robert 8
Henry 6
John 4
Mary 1

All born in county

[Ruskie]

IGI coverage for dates and areas has lots of gaps, so have had trouble trying to follow the family up on the IGI, but I didn't look too thoroughly  .

It looks like your Westall IGI baptism find is correct though! 

[Ruskie]

One of the first things I do when I discover an ancestor's place of birth is find the place on a map, then I find a picture of the church where they may have been christened, married or buried.

This is a fabulous site for Suffolk and Norflk churches:
http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Alist.htm
(Your Westhall church is stunning!)