SWAIN - Hertfordshire to Islington

[robertswain1970]

Wondered if anyone may be able to solve a puzzle for me? 

Trying to track down a 'Benjamin Swain' in or around Islington circa 1878.

We have found a marriage certificate/ bann for his son, James (B. abt. 1853 Herts) who married Eliza Bigg (B. abt. 1854 Weston, Herts).

James father is listed as Benjamin Swain, occupation - Lawyer.

Eliza Bigg has been pretty straight forward. Her family come from Weston, Herts. and we have found her and her family on the appropriate census returns.

Benjamin & James on the other hand have been a little more tricky.

We haven't been able to pin down James birth exactly. There are a few alternatives but other than ordering half a dozen birth certificates i wonder if anyone may have any other ideas.

James  & Eliza seem to have had at least 6 children :-

James B. 1882 Islington (My G GF)
Fanny B. 1886 St Pancras
John B. 1887 Islington
Lizzie B. 1892
Daisy B. 1895 Hitchin?
Rose B. 1897 Hitchin

Five of the six children (all but Daisy) were christened on the same day, 15/5/1897, a month after Rose's birth in Hitchin. It would seem that the family had moved to Hitchin at some point in the early 1890's.

By 1901 James is living with his Aunt & Uncle, Thomas & Fanny (nee Bigg) Bennett in Staveley Derbyshire.

Fanny is in the Hitchin Union Workhouse.

The others i haven't been able to pin down exactly, but there are possibilities in varoius workhouses and industrial schools.

I think the information we have found would suggest that it's a possibility that Eliza died during childbirth.

I hope someone might be able to help tie down a few loose ends or suggest the best plan of attack.

Many thanks

[Tati]

Hi Robert,

I had a look at the image of the marriage and think that Benjamin's occupation is actually Sawyer rather than Lawyer.

I'm looking at this and wondering ... 

1861
RG9/816 42 30
Baldock, Hertfordshire
Clarks Yard
Benjamin Lowin, head, mar, 34, Sawyer, b. Weston
Mary, wife, 42, b. do.
James, son, 8, scholar, b. do.

10 years later, this is Benjamin and Mary

1871
RG10/1364 47 21
Baldock, Hertfordshire
Clarks Yard
Mary Swain, head, mar, 49, Char woman, b. Weston
Benjamin Lowen, boarder, unm, 44, Sawyer, b. do.
Albert Swain, g son, 8, scholar, b. Baldock

By 1881, they're shown as married again, which they actually were by then:
Marriage 17 Dec 1880 Baldock
Benjamin Lowen age 56, Father Benjamin Lowen
Mary Swain age 63, Father William Worboys

Maybe James was the illegitimate son of Mary Swain and to hide his illegitimacy, he changed dad's (or stepdad's?) surname to match his own when he married? 

[robertswain1970]

Thanks for that

I'll have a look. It had occurred to me that James may be illegitimate.

I'll let you know

Thanks again

Robert

[matgeorges]

 
I have a Swain tree for Weston if it is any help.

[robertswain1970]

Thanks for the reply

A Swain tree would be great

[trish1120]

There is a possible James LOWEN Birth Reg September 1853, Edmonton, 3a 99

1851 census Mary appears to be with her Father William WARBY born c 1787, Weston, Herts
HO107/1709/185/21

Familysearch Pilot has this Marriage;
William SWAIN
Mary WARBY, 1835, Weston, Hertford, England
Submitted Record IGI has it as 24 Dec 1835

Marriage from F/S Pilot;
William WARBY
Sarah DEARMAN, 1812, Weston, Hertford, England

Christening/Baptism;
MARY Warby, 1815, Weston to WILLIAM/SARAH
Siblings;
WILLIAM 1813
ELIZABETH 1822

Trish

[matgeorges]

Robert
I put your family names into my computer and nothing matched. I do have Frederick Swain and His Wife Mary Ann Shepherd with some of the names your mentioned Rose & Daisy in the 1890's. They lived in Baldock. One of the posts mentioned a Mary Warby who married a William Swain. That is my line.

[robertswain1970]

Thanks for the replies

I've been trawling through the 'James Swain's' born in Herts in the 1850's and Middlesex aswell

I've accounted for all of the one's i have found apart from the James Swain living with Mary Swain (Warby) and Benjamin Lowen

It seems that Mary married William Swain. As suggested in Trish's message she is then living with her father in the 1851 census

She then has Benjamin Lowen living with her as a lodger aswell as a James Swain, who's name subsequently changes to James Lowen (It might be the other way around i haven't got the census sheets to hand)

Mary and Benjamin don't get married until the 1880's...........

I think i'll have a go at Trish's suggestion and order the Birth Certificate for the James Lowen born in Edmonton

What i really need to do is try and find out if James Swain & James Lowen are the same person

The James Swain i  am looking for married Eliza Bigg in Islington. Eliza and the Bigg family are from Weston, Herts. On the marriage certificate James father is named as Benjamin, a sawyer, which was suggested as Benjamin Lowen in  a previous message.

At some point in the late 1890's the family moved from the Islington Workhouse. Most of their children were christened in Hitchin on the same day and their abode was stated as the Hitchin Workhouse. James and Eliza's oldest son, James (My Great Grandfather) was sent to live with one of his Aunt and Uncles in Derbyshire, which must have been better than remaining in the Workhouse

Thanks again for the replies

[matgeorges]

Robert
I do have  a Warby tree with Mary Warby bap  8 Sept 1815 who married William Swain bap 29 Dec 1816
who married 24 Sept 1835. They had Mary, John and Ellen.