Francis Peaks ca 1740-1813, Hunts, Beds, Cambs

[mick cooper]

Hi,

I am searching for information about Francis Peaks who married Mary Blacklee in Bluntisham 28/10/1766.     I understand he was buried in Bluntisham 22/1/1813 although I have no further details on that (like his age!).  I am aware of four children all christened in Bluntisham - William 28/2/1768, Alice 27/10/1771, Lettice 22/5/1774 & Francis 29/11/1778.

The only record I can see on LDS for his birth is the christening of 25/11/1739 in Houghton Conquest, Bedford to parents William Peaks & Ann (Pearson).     This is a lot further way (ca 30 miles by crow) than I would have thought, although obviously it is not wholly unreasonable.   

Has anyone got any thoughts on this or perhaps can see my Francis nearer home in Hunts, especially Bluntisham or thereabouts or even Cambs?

Be grateful for any input - thanks, Mick

[bedfordshire boy]

Francis Peaks burials in Bluntisham
22 Jan 1813 age 71
18 Sept 1847 age 69

+ at Somersham
16 Oct 1861 age 23

Francis Pake burial in Houghton Conquest 8 Jul 1742

There's no baptism on the BVRI c 1741 in Hunts. But as I've mentioned before there are many parishes in Hunts which haven't been extracted onto the IGI or BVRI, nor filmed by the LDS

You simply cannot look at the IGI and assume that because there's no baptism the person must have come from elsewhere. The chances are that they came from Hunts but the baptism isn't online or transcribed

My ancestors thought it was an adventure to move two villages away, let alone 30+ miles

BB

[bedfordshire boy]

Other Peaks burials in Bluntisham:
13 March 1778 Latitia
12 Feb 1817 Alice age 45

There are no Peaks burials which would fit as Francis' parents.

Marriages at Bluntisham:

Mary and William Whittlesea 1760 (this appears to be the first Peaks entry at Bluntisham)
William and Sarah Furlow 1788
William widower and Sarah Rogers 1799
Francis jun and Elizabeth Gale 1801

[bedfordshire boy]

There were earlier Peak burials in Bluntisham, who may be connected, or not

4 Jan 1725 Thomas Peaks
29 Nov 1733 Daniel Peak
21 Apr 1740 Daniel Peek

I can't see any Daniel Peak baptism in Bluntisham. Perhaps the family was non-conformist. You need to consult the parish register microfilm to see if there is any additional information on the burials eg son of ......

[mick cooper]

Thanks for your recent replies on this.    The Francis who died in 1813 appears to have been born in 1741 & he is the one I am still looking for.     The Francis who died in 1847 is his son.  I do not know who the 1838  Francis was but the Somersham location is interesting - has to be a connection somewhere.   I do not know who the Francis Pake in Houghton C was either - he was the 1739 child or even his grandfather (I dont know about uncles).  I guess there was no age given.   

I agree with your thoughts that, on the whole, there was often not so very much movement in those days.  The single people moved a bit looking for work.  Whole families sometimes emigrated to find a better life in America, the colonies or London.   However, I was not really looking for Francis even 30 miles away.   It may be that those elusive Somersham and area baptisms have a lot to answer for. 

The Letitia seems to be my Lettice and it looks as if she died only three.    This looks to be my Alice too with a 1771 YOB - thank you for these.

I do not know who is the Mary Peaks who married in 1760 but there is a good chance she was related to my Francis, may even have been a sister.   William Peaks & Sarah Furlow are mine - Sarah, christened in Bluntisham in 1768 was his first wife of three.   Her father was Zachariah Furlow who was the shepherd of Coxe Feary (he set up a new independent church in Bluntisham ca 1786 because he was fed up with the Anglicans and because he had heard the preaching of Henry Venn in Yelling.  Venn had come down from Huddersfield having been influenced by John Wesley & George Whitefield).   A little side-track for your interest.   Of course none of this has helped me uncover Zachariah's ancestry although he was possibly from Houghton and the son of Robert Forley & Elizabeth Boyer.  Nor Sarah's mother whose name was apparently Valuer & about whom I have not got a clue!!    Sarah Rogers was his second wife.  His third was Ann Minson who he married in 1842 less than 5 months before he died.    The Francis Peaks who married Elizabeth Gale is the one who died in 1847.

I do not know who Thomas or either of the Daniels were.   That they were in the area at that time does imply that they were probably related.    Some of the possibilities for some of the unknowns here include some Peaks presence in the St Neots area - more than halfway to Houghton Conquest.  hmm....

Thanks again, regards  Mick