Pollards in Norfolk - Thornham and beyond

[N1ck]

Hello all,

I am trying to trace my paternal grandmothers Pollard family tree and have hit the wall so to speak.

The earliest proven census record I have is the 1861 Census for Church Street, Thornham, Norfolk (RG9/1248/160/11/78) and it records:

Pollard Elizabeth, Head, age 45, Soldiers Widow, born Thornham, Norfolk.
Pollard Mary Ann, Daughter, age 8, Scholar, born Dorchester, Dorset. 
William, Son, age 6, Scholar, born Thornham, Norfolk.

Frustrating is the fact that Elizabeth is likely to be one of those named below, but which one?

Thornham Baptism Project – Individual Given Name Elizabeth 1815 -1819
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tinstaafl/Church_Pages/thornham.htm

Elizabeth Allen   Birth 31/1/1815     
Elizabeth Thompson   Birth 13/5/1815     
Elizabeth Rumbelow   Birth 25/5/1815     
Elizabeth Jickling Bunn   Baptised 9/7/1815
Elizabeth Evetts   Birth 31/7/1815     
Eliza Dodman   Birth 18/8/1815   
Elizabeth Johnson  Birth 28/8/1815    
Elizabeth Robinson   Birth 6/9/1815    
Mary Elizabeth Ivy   Baptised 31/3/1816
Elizabeth Colvey Howard   Birth 12/5/1816       
Elizabeth Spanton   Birth 9/10/1816   
Eliza Simmons   Baptised 22/6/1817
Elizabeth Platten   Birth 20/02/1818   
Elizabeth Auker   Birth 22/06/1818   
Elizabeth Brunnell   Birth 18/12/1818   
Elizabeth Dade   Birth 11/02/1819   
Elizabeth Cook   Birth 23/05/1819   

I believe that Mary Ann is recorded in Free BMD Births Jun 1852 as:
Name: Mary Ann Pollard   District: Dorchester   Vol 5a Page 344

I also have Williams baptism From FreeReg & Thornham Baptism Project but I can’t positively identify him in FreeBMD:
William Pollard   Baptised 27/8/1854 All Saints, Thornham, Norfolk.  Fathers Name: Abraham Occupation: Soldier Mothers name: Elizabeth.

And that is my lot!  I can find no birth that I can link directly to this Abraham and I can find no marriage for Abraham and Elizabeth? I can find no positive record in the 1841 or 1851 census.  Considering Elizabeths age I do not know if there were perhaps other children of this marriage or maybe a previous marriage? I can find no death record for Abraham who should have died between Nov 1853and 1861 and importantly, I do not know in which regiment he served.

So, if anyone has managed to stay with all the above and could expand on the information or give help towards tracing this couple and their families further back in time I would be very grateful indeed.

Regards to all,

Nick

[lizdb]

I have just answered this one! Must be a duplicate thread.
I will try and link.

[lizdb]

Yes

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,428467.msg2932305.html#msg2932305

Nick, welcome to Rootschat by the way!

It is not generally a good idea to post duplicate threads, as it can mean that different people are spending their time looking up exactly the same things, thus duplicating effort.

Dont worry - no one minds when you're new!

Hope you find what you are looking for. You will find lots and lots of help on here, it is a great site.

[Norfolk lass]

Hello Nick

I've only recently started tracing my family tree and had got stuck on finding anything out about my maternal grandfather - William Pollard - pre-1871, though have details from then on.  I finally discovered him and his parents today on the Thornham Baptism Project, so was really intrigued to then come across by chance your query on the same family posted only last week!  But like you I haven't been able to find out anything about Abraham and Elizabeth.

Will let you know if I find out anything more.

Best wishes
Norfolk lass

[johnblob]

Hi you can remove Elizabeth Acker Born 1818 from your list as she is related to my family.
Your best way to solve your problem is to visit the archives,
Norfolk Archive Centre in Norwich Norfolk has BMD records back to 1500.
I have visited All Saints Church Thornham and there late 2009 and there are not many graves for the 1800's.
As for your ref for William Pollard and there parents Abraham & Elizabeth, I think when people was born they was batised a few days later as to form a record.
I would think this may have been there first child and they was born in the 1830's, you could try St Mary's Church in Docking who are next village records.
John Eagle

[N1ck]

Just to close the loop should anyone else pass this way and I can help with their research, especially you Norfolk Lass .

I have obtained the birth certificate for Mary Ann Pollard which has the following information.

Where and When Born: 25 June 1852 - Grove Buildings, Fordington.
Name: Mary Ann.   Father: Abraham Pollard - Private Soldier First Royal Dragoons.
Mother: Elizabeth Pollard formerly Rumlow

From this I made a post on another forum and was kindly given further information on Abraham Pollard the most pertinent is below:

• Form 20 [55-3-20]: born in Warrington; enlisted 1 Jun 1833; prior occupation: laborer; died 26 Sep 1855; effects and credits: £3-16-7; account: 375010; no known will; next of kin: wife Elizabeth; last known residence: Norfolk County, Thornham Parish.

Update 24 May 10 More information is in the Armed Forces forum of this site under the "Enquiry on a Muster Roll entry" thread.

[N1ck]

In Addition I gratefully received this information from a kind member of this and the other forum.

“......Rumbelow is likely to be pronounced Rumblow, and if there is no stress on the letter 'b' this would sound like Rumlow,”

Thornham All Saints baptisms

Children of Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILDS.   Thomas is shown, variously, as shoemaker, fisherman and carter.

1809 John      son of  Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILD - buried Thornham 1841 aged 31
1811 Robert    son of  Thomas RUMBELLOW and Charlotte CHILDS - possibly the 68 year old buried Thornham 1873
1813 Thomas    son of  Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILDS
1815 Elizabeth  dau of  Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILDS
1817 Mary Ann  dau of  Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILDS - buried Thornham 1825 aged 8
1819 William    son of  Thomas RUMBLE and Charlotte CHILDS - buried Thornham 1850 aged 31 - of Brancaster
1821 Ellen      dau of  Thomas RUMBELOW and Charlotte CHILDS
1824 James      son of  Thomas RUMBALL and Charlotte CHILDS - twin
1824 Joseph    Son of  Thomas RUMBALL and Charlotte CHILDS - twin - buried Thornham 1825 - infant
1828 Sheals    child of Thomas RUMBELLOW and Charlotte CHILDS - gender not shown - buried Thornham 1900 aged 72

Also found:

Elizabeth Rumbelow's parents married at Thornham on 4 October 1808, as Thomas RUMBLE and Charlotte CHILD.

Thomas appears to have been the son of the Robert RUMBELLOW of Sedgeford, and Ellen MUNIE of Thornham, who married at Thornham on 17 June 1768. Thos Son of Robert and Ellen RUMBAL baptised Thornham 22 February 1778.

68 year old Robert RUMBELOW, married man, buried at Thornham in 1804.   
64 year old Eleanor RUMBALA was buried, at Thornham, in 1811

61 year old Thomas RUMBELLOW buried at Thornham in 1838.   
76 year old Charlotte RUMBELOW, of Middleton, buried at Thornham, in 1857

I believe Abraham and Elizabeth may have married in Dublin as per the familysearch.org marriage record below.  Dragoon Guards were regularly stationed in Ireland.

Date: 27 August 1849, St Peter-340 Dublin.    Abraham Pollard – Father Robert.    Elizabeth Rumlow – Father Thomas

Norfolk Lass.   The reason why you could not trace William Pollard prior to 1871 is because the 1861 census records the surname as Pollett and this is available transcribed on FreeCEN.  I myself have not as yet found any entries in the 1851 or 1841 census for Abraham or Elizabeth but I think this could easily be explained  if  they were moving with the army, especially if  in Ireland where many records were destroyed or lost.  Neither can I find as yet any information on Abraham Pollard save that above and that he was born in Warrington.

I wonder how we are related?  I trace myself from Abraham to William born 1854 to Horace born 1879 to Thelma (my Granny) born 1904

[johnblob]

The following Birth/Baptism records All saints church Thornham Norfolk.

Thomas: Rumbelow Born: 20/07/1813 Baptised: 27/07/1813
Father Thomas Rumbelow ( Shoemaker) Mother: Charlotte Childs

Elizabeth Rumbelow Born: 25/05/1815 Baptised: 28/05/1815
Father: Thomas Rumbelow Mother: Charlotte Childs

Mary Ann Rumbelow Born: 15/04/1817: Baptised: 20/04/1817
Father: Thomas Rumbelow ( Fisherman & Shoe Maker) Mother: Charlotte Childs

William Rumble Born: 30/05/1819 Baptised: 06/06/1819
Father: Thomas Rumble, Mother: Charlotte Childs

Ellen Rumbelow Born: 26/11/1821 Baptised: 02/12/1821
Father: Thomas Rumbelow (Tailor) Mother: Charlotte Childs

James & Joseph Rumball Born: 18/06/1824 Baptised: 11/07/1824 Father Thomas Rumball Mother Charlottr Childs

Sheales Rumbelow Born: 26/01/1828 Bapised: 27/01/1828 Father Thomas Rumbelow (Labourer) Mother Charlotte Childs.

I have visited All Saints Church Thornham Norfolk in late 2009 there are not many graves for the 1800's.
I hope this information helps your research.

John Eagle

[Norfolk lass]

Hello Nick

What an amazing amount of information you've discovered! Thank you so much. I had thought that Abraham was killed in the Crimea but haven't found out anything more about him and Elizabeth.  I've been concentrating on trying to find out about William's wife's family who came from Harpley.  As Abraham was from Warrington, I wonder how he and Elizabeth met - perhaps the Dragoons might have had a Norfolk posting at some point? 

My connection with Abraham is through William and Horace's brother Frederick (born 1890), who was my grandfather.  So I guess that makes us cousins several times removed?

Best wishes
Norfolk lass