What happened to the Barefoots?

[Keitht]

Hi all,

Just working my way through the Barefoot family tree and it seems that an inordinately large number of family members died in or near Bradfield at some point in 1848. They included siblings Mary, Rachel and William, as well as William's wife, Mary. Please can anypne tell me whether these deaths happpened as the result of some terrible accident, possibly a fire or whether there was some form of epidemic in the area in 1848?

Keith

[Vicwinann]

Are you sure that these deaths were in Bradfield itself, or in Bradfield Reg District which covers quite a wide area.
For example an elderly  William and a Mary Jane Barefoot were buried in 1848 in Stratfield Mortimer but I cannot find a Rachel anywhere in 1841 or in the BBI.
Vicwinann

[KGarrad]

Just working my way through the Barefoot family tree and it seems that an inordinately large number of family members died in or near Bradfield at some point in 1848.

FreeBMD is showing just 3 Barefoot deaths, in Bradfield Registration District around 1848?

March qtr 1847, Ann Maria Barefoot
June qtr 1848, Mary Jane Barefoot
September qtr 1849, William Barefoot

I checked deaths from 1847, 1848 and 1849?

[Keitht]

Hi folks,

Thanks for your interest.

I'm a long way from Berkshire and have little idea of the geography so I can't be certain exactly where any of the deaths took place and it does seem that some of the information I've picked up may be incorrect. For example, I had accepted the inclusion of Rachel in several A******y trees because they appear to offer precise dates for her birth and death, 30 May 1771, Stratfield Mortimer to 17 April 1848, location unspecified. However, having checked more records after reading these posts I must confess I can see no historical evidence to support her existence.

I'm equally unsure of the status of Mary, possible wife of William (1766-1848). He appears to have fathered one child, George (1800-1879) by her whilst having fathered four other children between 1794 and 1814 with Sarah (1769 - 1821). As yet I have np surname for either of his partners.

Any help to unravel all of this would be greatly appreciated.

Keith

[flipflops]

There is a short publication by the late Michael Barefoot titled "Barefoot Family of the Lower Thames Valley" which might shed some light on your question.

I understand that there is a copy with the Berkshire FHS as well as some members of the Barefoot family and probably the British Library  It might be worth asking if it covers the people that interest you.

 I was able to have a couple of pages dealing with a different branch of the family copied, but not more due to copyright.

Chrissie

[Keitht]

Hi Chrissie,

Thank you very much for your post. That book sound like exactly what I need. I'll get onto the British Library to determine publication details and then see whether I can get hold of a copy.

Once again my thanks.

Keith

[flipflops]

I'm pretty sure the book is out of print - and if the BL has it, they may limit you to a few pages as the National Library of Wales did with me, so you would need to ask for the pages about the particular branch you are interested in. Another idea might be to google people named Barefoot in or around Berksire and see if they have it and can share information?

[Keitht]

I agree that the book is probably long out of print but out of print books are not always impossible to get hold of. I did find a second hand copy on Amazon but my interest doesn't really stretch t $397.

I think you're right about searching for a member of the current family who may have a copy. Good idea. Thanks.

Keith

[IMBER]

There are two editions of this book - the first dating from 1986 and a later one supposed to be much revised and enlarged published in 1995.  That is not really that long ago and so it would make sense to approach your public library and ask them to attempt to borrow a copy for you through the inter-library loan scheme. I have used this to gain access to many books for researching, some from the nineteenth century.  Might make sense to specify the later edition.