Author Topic: Staffordshire Travellers  (Read 18163 times)

Offline Trillian

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #9 on: Sunday 16 August 15 11:41 BST (UK) »
Hi Garen

Great to hear form someone else who's also trying to figure out this bunch! Looks like you're a lot further ahead than I am.

I clicked through to your website and realised that I have looked at it before but it was before I'd gotten very far so while I thought there might be some connection going some of the surnames on there, I hadn't yet made the links. Now there's some jumping out at me!

I haven't looked at this part of my tree in a while so I'm going to dig out my notes and go through it again. If I come across anything that I think may be of use to you, I'll let you know.
HUDSON - Derbyshire/Staffordshire; JOHNSON - Staffordshire; LEWIS - Lancashire/Staffordshire; HODGKINSON - Staffordshire
BOSTOCK - Derbyshire; DUNNING - Staffordshire; TATLOW - Derbyshire
GORRINGE - Sussex; GEARING - Sussex; WALTERS - Isle of Wight; WETHERICK - Isle of Wight

Travelling Through Family History - My family History Blog

Offline Garen

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #10 on: Sunday 16 August 15 12:18 BST (UK) »
Thanks for your reply :-)

If you looked at my webpage a while ago then it may not have chimed too many bells - it's only relatively recently that I finally discovered the Johnson surname of my ggg-grandmother (it was Hodgkinson on so many records), and for a long time I strongly suspected that my gg-grandfather, William Hodgkins, had been born William Nield. You know from your own family line how confusing it can be when these Gypsy families used different surnames so often!

I'm happy to share anything I can with you, so don't hesitate to contact me directly if you wish.

One thing I'd really like to find out if is Jane Johnson (nee Hodgkins/on, William's mother) and Elizabeth Hodgkins/on (Rachel's mother) are sisters. I think it quite likely.

Jane Johnson/Hodgkins/on is recorded on the census returns (51, 61, 71) consistently as being born in Tutbury abt. 1801. My search for Jane Hodgkins born about then has revealed:

Jane bapt. Tipton 1798 to William Hodgkins and Phoebe Whitehouse
Jane bapt. Lichfield 1805 to Rowland Hodgkins and Charlotte
Jane Taylor bapt. Tipton 1806 to Samuel Hodgkins and Sarah
Jane Maria bapt. Tutbury 1806 to James Hoskins and Constance Hoskins
Jane bapt. Uttoxeter 1806 to Thomas Hopkinson and Mary (prob. Mary Grinder)
Jane bapt. Shenstone 1807 to Joseph Hodgkins and Mary Newbold

Tipton is about 33 miles from Tutbury, Shenstone 18, Lichfield 16, and Uttoxeter 10 miles. Jane Maria 'Hoskins' looks the most appealing candidate, despite the distance in time between supposed birth and baptism. But with so many people in this family marrying cousins various times removed, I'm very tempted to think Jane and Elizabeth are indeed sisters, with James and Constance as parents.

An extra piece if evidence would be nice though!

Best wishes - Garen

Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80 - http://www.angloafghanwar.info
Family research - http://www.garenewing.co.uk/family/

Offline janicejo

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #11 on: Friday 21 August 15 03:25 BST (UK) »
 I just found out about my Romany roots from taking a DNA test, and matching 2 people with strong Romany heritage. The first match, related to the Stanley family in America, told me I must be gypsy, thru one of my ancestors named Cooper, Smith, or Riley, but I didn't see the connection because I am also East European, and thought my small amount of "South Indian" DNA came from there. But my next match was on my X chromosome to a gypsy lady in England, so that's when it fit perfectly to Riley, my grandmother's grandmother.
      So, my 3g grandparents were William Riley and Elizabeth (Meriden?), WIlliam was an "iron pedlar". Their kids were Henry Riley b. 1816 Alrewas, and Caroline Riley b.1820 Alrewas (my 2g grandmother). Caroline married Samuel Roberts (don't think he was Romany, but?), and their daughter Elizabeth Roberts, my great-grandmother, immigrated to Canada.
       Henry Riley continued to live the traveller life, he was also a pedlar, he married Charlotte Meacham and they had the following children: another Caroline Riley,  then William Henry Riley, Samuel Riley, and Clara Jane Riley. Caroline married Joseph Holyman and had 9 kids. One of her daughters, Harriet, married Samuel Egerton. Clara Jane Riley married Enoch Watson.
So, my Romany names are: RILEY, MERIDEN, maybe ROBERTS, MEACHAM, HOLYMAN, EGERTON, WATSON, so far.

Offline Garen

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #12 on: Friday 21 August 15 16:31 BST (UK) »
How interesting, janicejo! I want to do a DNA test at some point.

I only have one of your surnames on my tree, and only making a single appearance, though it is within the Romani branches:

Mary Riley married a distant cousin of mine, Jeremiah Boswell (b. 1835, Wellington, Shropshire). This branch of the Boswells (the children of Tom and Ambretty) ended up in Wales, and Mary was born in Glamorganishire about 1852, so I guess they married there. Her father was William, described on the 1871 census as a 'gipsey tinker' and born in Dorset c.1784.

Best - Garen

Edit: from my previous post - strike out Jane bapt. Tipton 1798 to William Hodgkins and Phoebe Whitehouse - the IGI says Jane but I've now seen the original baptism record and it's James!
Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80 - http://www.angloafghanwar.info
Family research - http://www.garenewing.co.uk/family/


Offline janicejo

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #13 on: Friday 21 August 15 17:31 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the info Garen!  My Caroline's father was also named William Riley, he was born around 1778, don't know where. William's occupation in the 1841 census was Ag. Lab., where he was living (Mill end), he had neighbors who were basket makers.  Don't know much about him before that.

Offline Garen

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #14 on: Friday 21 August 15 17:47 BST (UK) »
Interestingly, William Riley (b. Dorset) also had a daughter Caroline, though b. about 1840 - she was born in Gloucestershire and married a Lee (surname).

Best - G
Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80 - http://www.angloafghanwar.info
Family research - http://www.garenewing.co.uk/family/

Offline janicejo

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #15 on: Tuesday 25 August 15 20:24 BST (UK) »
More Romany names in my family!  My 2g grandmother's niece, Caroline Riley b. 1844 Wolverhampton, Staff.), married Joseph Holyman. His parents were Thomas Holyman and Esther Ball. One of their daughter, Esther Holyman b.1872, married William Henry Bladon. They had several children; one of their daughter Harriet Bladon b. 1896 married Harold Ball, b. 1900. Another one of their daughter Caroline Bladon, b. 1909, married John Samuel Price, b. 1903!  I have asked my Roberts cousin, and he is pretty sure that my Roberts were not Romany.  So, my Romany names are:

RILEY, MERIDEN, MEACHAM, EGERTON, HOLYMAN, BLADON, BALL, PRICE.

Offline janicejo

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #16 on: Monday 22 February 16 21:50 GMT (UK) »
Found out something really interesting about my 3g grandmother Elizabeth "Meriden".  It turns out that her baptismal records is on "Find my past", and it lists her as being born to John Swagg of Meriden.  The "of" is a little small, I think the transcriber may have missed it.
   If you look up people named "Swagg" in the English records, you will find that there are hardly any, that they pop up all over, and that they are impossible to trace as they don't seem to get recorded with any consistency.  Also I found out that in Australia, "Swagman" or "Swaggie" is an old term for someone who moves about and lives on the edges of society.

Offline JasminSara

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Re: Staffordshire Travellers
« Reply #17 on: Thursday 03 March 16 00:28 GMT (UK) »
I'm currently doing some research on the Boswell's family in relation to the Burslem Witch Molly Leigh, does anyone have any relationship on these two families and their connection to one another?
 
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Gipsy-clan-heart-community/story-12490129-detail/story.html