Jack Rattenbury family

[david. austin]

there are many people inquiring about Jack Rattenbury of Beer Devon, as my family have a direct link to Jack and we have the full family tree dating back to Jacks grandfather. if any of you are trying to link back to Jack, I maybe able to help.

[barbarajoy]

Hi I have been researching a relative by marriage tree .Who believes by family story he is related to "Jack" I have got back to William Rattenbury born 1809-1811 in Luppitt Devon. What do you think ? I cant find a definite link.

[david. austin]

to help I would need dates of birth and where born, William Rattenbury of Luppit, Devon, would not be a direct link to Jack. there are many Rattenburys from all over Devon, and I am pretty confident that your William is not a direct line to Jacks decent.

[barbarajoy]

Thanks David
I haven't found a date of birth for my William just census results 1841 age 30 with Ann 30 William 5 James 1 at Monkton. 1851 age 42 Ag Lab born Luppitt with wife Ann 41 born Membury daughters Mary Ann 8, Betsy 5 both born Monkton at Braddicks Monkton, Honiton . he is dead before next census  I assume in 1864 Its not important to find if the family story is true .(would be nice) I did not think he was a direct descendent more on the lines of a nephew .There are interesting similarities in that a a grandchild takes his mothers surname as middle name I have found this before but only once.  Its been very interesting following the tree back to Devon as my relative was brought up in Walsall 

[david. austin]

as Jacks father was a Honiton man it could be that there is a connection! there were many Rattenburys around Honiton. we in the modern world find it hard to conceive how family's moved around, two of jacks sons lived and worked out of Scotland for a while. they moved to London where there is an account that Jack met up with them in London, one of his sons John Partridge Rattenbury had a son William, he came to live in Lyme Regis the hometown of his grandmother Hanna, on the death of his father. my wife is three times great granddaughter of smuggler Jack, and there are quite a few Rattenburys in Lyme Regis.

[barbarajoy]

I have been surprised at the movement of families around the country .Its wonderful what discoveries that you make ,I always believed my family came from Kent only to discover they were from Essex & Cambridge .Some questions will never be answered .I will tell my cousin its a possibility that the family story is true but I cant find a link .In the tree I am working on I have a James dob 1857 born in Devon who is a Horse Collar Maker  I assume in leather not so impossible to have descended from a shoe maker ?

[david. austin]

I have written several family trees, most of the common folk would only be able to trace back to around 1650 ish... that's when church records began to get better, it depends on the area where descendants come from. one tree I have written for a client dated back to lady Godiva, that had a couple of bishops in the line so the records were well kept. you can employ a professional researcher
who would be able to trace records for you, they charge by the hour so if your lucky it may only take a few hours! the web sites that we see advertised never seem to come up with the info you need, but that is my opinion! best of luck with your search. 

[barbarajoy]

Thanks for advice .I don't think its that important to prove the family story .I am a amateur who enjoys following ancestry .At a family do I met my cousin after many years ,Offered to have a go at her husbands tree .I will send her all the info I have ,then its up to them if they wish to go on with the tree.  you are right on sites the best one i use is Find my Past .I have found other free ones .but there are always unanswered questions .Not forgetting human nature to lie ,make mistakes ,and it surprises me when I have found people who have adopted whole trees without doing some basic checking BMD ect .I find the interest in following the lines its very useful to see others trees but I always check myself.

[david. austin]

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