Thomas Mepham abt 1791

[andytim1967]

I am looking to verify the parents of Thomas Mepham born 1791 in Battle, Sussex (according to the 1861 census). Several people on Ancestry have his parents as Thomas Mepham and Mary Quaife but I have not been able to verify this. I don't want to go down the wrong path.

Could anyone look up this birth for me please.

[Jane Masri]

A marriage did take place between Thomas & Mary;

 Battle, East Sussex,  14 Oct 1784:
 Thomas MEPHAM, bach
 Mary QUAIFE, sp botp (lic)

Family search has this extracted record which is fairly reliable.

THOMAS MEPHAM 
    Birth:  19 JUN 1790   Great Meeting-Presbyterian Or Unitarian, Battle, Sussex,
  Father:  THOMAS MEPHAM
  Mother:  MARY 

jane

 

[andytim1967]

Thanks for that Jane. I had found those entries in Family Search. My concern is that there are 2 children (Ruth and William) born to Thomas Mepham and Mary Quaife but not baptised at the Presbyterian Church. Thomas would have been born between these 2 children so I was a bit suspect.

[Jane Masri]

The marriage information was from the Sussex Marriage Index & I didn't spot another marriage between a Thomas Mepham & a Mary in the right time-frame.  I know that's not conclusive as he could have married outside of Sussex.  Try the Sussex Online Parish Clerks site (OPC) Google & ye shall find    I had a look myself but the person covering Battle didn't seem to have any parish registers but have a look around as they now have much of their information online & you might spot something.  Looking for a will of Thomas snr.  might also confirm that he was your Thomas's father.  East Sussex RO have their catalogue at Access to Archives (A2A) which can be found on the National Archives site.  Doing a search on there with the name of Mepham might reveal something,

jane

[andytim1967]

Thank you for the advice. I guess if he is the only Thomas Mepham to have married in the area it has to be right. I struggled with A2A and the only Mary Quaife I found married John Hollands on Sussex OPC. I'll stick with Family Search findings and go with the flo. Thanks so much for your help. It is much appreciated.

[daveymax]

Hi...I have just chanced upon your Rootschat entry. I am a direct descendant of Thomas Mepham b 1790. I too had the same predicament as you, not being certain that his parents were Thomas Mepham who married Mary Quaife on 14th October 1784 in Battle, Sussex.
Thomas b 1790 married Susannah Avis (from Withyham, Sussex) on 8th June 1820 in Withyham. His son William Mepham who married Ellen Harrigan had a son Henry Mepham b 1866 who was my great grandfather.
Thomas and Susannah moved from Sussex to Poplar East London fairly soon after their marriage and had a large family.
It is possible to find the family of Thomas Mepham b 1790 in both 1841 and 1851 censuses, but poor transcriptions do not help.... transcribed as "Thos Mephin" in the 1841 census and "Thos Nepham" in the 1851 census.
Thomas died on 19th January 1866 in Poplar of "violent suffocation by drowning how not proven" aged 75).
Wife Susannah died in 1863.
Good Luck with your research.

[andytim1967]

Thanks for your post and for the intersesting information. My elderly aunt is the granddaughter of Richard Mepham, Henry's brother so also descended through William and Ellen Harrigan. She has the family bible with lots of entries in it. I can't remember how far it goes back.I had found most of what you had told me except the interesting facts on Thomas's death. I wonder if there is a newspaper article somewhere. Have you ever searched British newspapers? I have but you have access for such a short time and some times no results which can prove expensive.My family tree is on Ancestry and I have the same user name.

Thanks for the interest

[daveymax]

Thanks for this. I will checkout your family tree at the weekend.
Do you by any chance have connections with South Wales, Gavin&Stacey Land?
Because I do!

[andytim1967]

Yes. Pontypridd and Barry. Mephams lived in Barry.