POWELL & GREGORY families

[osprey]

Hi Rebecca,

I've just read apost about your family on the Forest of Dean site. Did you post it or was it another researcher? Good to see you've had a breakthrough!

Possible explanation for the late registration of Amelia Powell, probably not registered until after her parents married so they fibbed slightly about her date of birth to make her seem legitimate?

[RebeccaNZ]

Hi Osprey,

No that wasn't my post on the Forest of Dean website - it was the other person researching Philip Powell.

We think that Philip Powell was actually Philip Blunt born 1822, Hewelsfield (which is not far from Woolaston) to unamarried mother Ann Blunt. Philip's brother Christopher Blunt spent about 20 years living in Woolaston too.

Following on from Harriett having the additional surname Blunt in one census we tried looking for a Philip Blunt and found one which has alot of similarities to Philip Powell. It would explain why we can't find  a baptism record and why there is no trace of the same Philip Powell in 1851 or 41 census. 

In 1851 he is  a railway labourer and married to a Mary Ann Blunt - but I can't find a marriage reg for that marriage. There is a Mary and Philip Blunt to match the dates and places that Mary and Philip Powell would have been born but not an Elizabeth so we think that Philip might have changed his name sometime in the late 1850's.

We ordered Charles Mason Powell's death certificate and Philip Powell had died before Charles in 1867 so that narrows the date of his death down.

At the moment we are trying to find a reason for Philip to have changed his name. It was obviously a well kept secret though because if it wasn't for Harriett Powell having Blunt added onto her name in one census then I don't think that we would have ever made the connection!

Thanks to everyone for helping to find Harriett Powell because if we didn't find her in 1871 census then we wouldn't have found a connection between Philip Powell and Philip Blunt.

Rebecca

[RebeccaNZ]

I just thought that I would add -

This afternoon I searched the last name Blunt on the Gloucester Genealogical Archives Database ( http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/genealogy/Search.aspx ) and found ......

Philip Blunt from Hewelsfield in Gaol in 1842!!!

Perhaps that's the reason he changed his name. I'm not sure what for or for how long he was in there .... but it answers some questions.

It looks his brother Christopher was a non-conformist too.

It's very interesting ....

Rebecca

[osprey]

It certainly looks to be coming together. And helps explain the addition of Blunt to Harriett's name as that didn't seem to make much sense.

It may be worth asking on the Gloucestershire board about Philip's time in gaol. There's at least one person who goes to the archives regularly so may be able to look up for you.

    

[osprey]

well, I've just found a reference to the case in 1842 and Phillip Blunt was sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing bread & wheat in Hewelsfield. So is it the same man? Unfortunately, there's no age given for him as there is for some of the other people convicted. There's an Alexander Blunt named in the list of people acquitted at the end of the report, but no way of knowing if it's for the same offence.

 

[RebeccaNZ]

well, I've just found a reference to the case in 1842 and Phillip Blunt was sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing bread & wheat in Hewelsfield. So is it the same man? Unfortunately, there's no age given for him as there is for some of the other people convicted. There's an Alexander Blunt named in the list of people acquitted at the end of the report, but no way of knowing if it's for the same offence.

 

Thanks heaps for that Osprey.

That's a bit sad 7 years for stealing bread and wheat ...  Do you know what Transportation was though? Does it mean he had to go and work in another country like Australia .... 

I think that it must have been the same Philip Blunt - it would explain why he didn't marry until about 1850 when he was 29. I have only found one Philip Blunt born in Hewelsfield so far ...

I did notice that there are a few other Blunt's connected with the Gaol in Hewelsfield in 1842.

Can I ask where you found that reference?

Rebecca 

[osprey]

It was on the Gale database of newspapers - think the actual paper was the Bristol Mercury. Transportation would have meant Australia at that time, and although some people did return, I don't think it was very common. Perhaps the sentence was reduced. A look-up at the record office might settle it.

I had a look at the baptisms on the Forest of Dean site again, and I think Alexander is a cousin, the son of Ann's brother Edward. 

 

[winston]

HI


Fascinating!  Not sure if this is the same family of Blunt but on Ancestry's latest database I found that on trial date of  1st March 1842 in Glouc'

Edward Blunt age 51 having being tried for larceny Alexander Blunt age 31        ""                      ""

both were found not guilty

And then to match for what you have for Philip Blunt same date and also for larceny but he was as you also found was found guilty and was noted for transportation 7 years.






Wendy

[RebeccaNZ]

It was on the Gale database of newspapers - think the actual paper was the Bristol Mercury. Transportation would have meant Australia at that time, and although some people did return, I don't think it was very common. Perhaps the sentence was reduced. A look-up at the record office might settle it.

I had a look at the baptisms on the Forest of Dean site again, and I think Alexander is a cousin, the son of Ann's brother Edward. 

 

It is fascinating ... and frustrating at the same time.

If Philip Blunt is not Philip Powell then I have no idea who Philip Powell really is   

I don't think that it is very likely for Philip Blunt to have returned to the UK after being sent to Australia.

Do any of you know of where I find transportation records - of people leaving to go to Australia and the people who returned?

If Philip Blunt was transported and did not return then that will rule him out as being Philip Powell and then I will be back to square one .... 

Rebecca