Trying to find c 1812 Marriage in East Anglia John ROLFE and bride Martha

[LizzieL]

Ipswich Journal 08 August 1857

23rd ult aged 77, John Rolfe for many years auctioneer and harness maker of Mildenhall.
So he died on 23rd July 1857.

[groom]

So all we have left to find is the elusive marriage!

[LizzieL]

Are we sure that Martha's maiden name is Whiting and that it took place in 1811/12?

[groom]

Are we sure that Martha's maiden name is Whiting and that it took place in 1811/12?

Not 100% I don't think. There are no marriages that I can see on Freereg that match.

[Annette7]

Looks like the marriage took place some 10 years earlier than thought (which would tie in with their respective ages).

According to some trees on ancestry John Rolfe married Martha Middleditch 16/6/1801 St. Mary, Bury St Edmunds.   They show all children being:

Thomas Eldred bp.29/5/1802 Mildenhall
Samuel bc.1804 Mildenhall
Susan bc.1806 Mildenhall
John bc.1811 Mildenhall
Martha bp.8/5/1814 Mildenhall
Charles bp.9/6/1816 Mildenhall
Marianne bp.23/10/1818 Mildenhall
Alice bc.1819 Mildenhall (I see bap.9/6/1816, same as Charles)
Eliza bp.4/1/1822, d.1839 Mildenhall

I can't see online baptisms for Mildenhall between 1801 and 1811.

Annette
 

[LizzieL]

FindMyPast has marriage of a John Rolfe to a Martha Middleditch at Bury St Edmunds on 16 July 1801.
John would be 22 and Martha 20, so not unreasonable

In 1841 John and Martha have a 30 year old John in household (assume son). In 1851 he is no longer with them, but there is a John who has married a Sarah and year of birth abt 1809. Occupation harness maker. So I think it is likely John jnr is their son and we are looking for a marriage at least before 1808/9.

If John snr was born in Brandon and married Martha born in Bury St Ed, then he might not have moved to Mildenhall until after his oldest children were born and they'd left home before 1841 census.


Just about to press post when I saw Annette's  message
had found same marriage

[groom]

I have the image of this page of marriages that shows them tying the knot, and John ROLFE is a widower.

Just noticed this from the first post. If you have the image, it must give her name or am I missing something?

[LizzieL]

Thomas Eldred Rolfe is a Collar and Saddlemaker in Soham in 1830 Pigot's directory. There is a transcript of his marriage to Jane Veall 16 Feb 1826 West Tofts Norfolk, but transcript doesn't show father.
There's also a Thomas Eldred Rolfe on criminal register 6 July 1842,

[Keith Sherwood]

Gosh!  Had to go out for a while, and in the meantime, not only has this thread on good advice been switched from the Common Room to the Suffolk boards (I only put it in the Common Room because of my query about that 1812 London marriage), but also some clever and industrious Rootschatters have been applying their skills to great effect. (Groom, the name of the bride in that London marriage is Martha TUBB, and I was looking at that as I simply could not find a marriage for a John ROLFE and a Martha at about the time I was looking at in the Suffolk area, that was all!)
But that earlier, 1801 marriage to a Martha MIDDLEDITCH looks entirely right, and well done Annette and Lizzie with that wonderful find - and everyone else who has been close on the scent.  Made the mistake of not realising that there had been other children to John and Martha born earlier than just the ones shown in the 1841 Census, and therefore with a much earlier marriage.
And all the extra quotations from the local papers of the time has really coloured in so much more vital detail about the ROLFE family then.  So happy and pleased and grateful for everyone's efforts on my behalf here...
Keith