This is a sad tale of a mining family living in Paulton Somerset. I could do with help in completing the saga by finding the relationship of the main characters.
On the evening of Christmas Day 1828 a young lad (most likely 18 year old Joseph Sims) fell into a quarry pond of about 9 foot deep. A group of on lookers watched and Joseph HEW decided to go after the lad even though the onlookers begged him not to take the risk. Joseph caught hold of the lad and bought him to the edge of the pool. Sadly the bank was too steep for him to get the boy out and the on lookers could not get to the spot. Exhausted Joseph and the boy lost the battle and were both drowned. Joseph HEW was 44, he and his wife had five young children three being under 10 and Betty was just a month off giving birth to their next child. The newspaper also says their oldest daughter has a white swelling on her knee and may have to have the leg amputated.Betty or Elizabeth was nee WINTER. She did not remarry and died in Paulton in 1871.
Just two years after this tragic event the local paper was reporting another tragic occurrence in Paulton. On 28 November 1830 a rope broke at the mine plunging four men and a boy to their death and leaving four more injured.
Killed in same accident
BAILEY John Age: 15
GREGORY George age 38 left widow and 6 children married to Harriet WINTER,
George WINTER age 48 Left a widow,Abigail nee WIDDOCK, and 5 children two of whom are young.
John GREGORY age 35 left a widow (son of John and Leah GREGORY)
Injured in the incident :
John GREGORY [25755]son of George broke leg,
H.SNELLING,
C.SIMS,
John WATTS
Among the dead the dead were brother's in law George GREGORY aged 38 and George WINTER aged 48.
George GREGORY was married to Harriet WINTER they had 6 children 4 under 10 the youngest being about 2. Harriet did not remarry and died in 1852
George WINTER was married to Abigail WIDDOCK they had 5 children still alive at the time the youngest being just 4 years old. Abigail died just one year after George.
In 1861 Betty Hew is living with Elijah WINTER and they are listed as brother and sister.
There are Newspaper reports on both incidents
So who are all these Winters we know that Harriet and George were siblings as were Elijah and Betty We are also told by a news paper that the brother in laws were “near” related to Betty and so by default to Elijah.
In Paulton there was also a couple William and Sarah WINTER having a family 1788-1804 and one of their sons married an Eleanor BARTLET in 1822 and had children in Paulton 1822-1833., and an unconnected Benjamin WINTER married a Rachel GREGORY in Paulton in 1822 ..who were they?
George and Abigail WINTER had a Frances (first daughter)
George and Harriet GREGORY also had Frances (first Daughter)
Joseph and Betty HEW had a daughter Frances (2nd daughter)
All three couples had Frances and both George s had an Elijah while Betty HEW was sister of an Elijah. William and Eleanor WINTER also had an Elijah while his parents had three daughters named Fanney.
Were Frances and Elijah simply popular names in Paulton or are they a useful clue to the next generation back?
Can anyone help to fix these folk to a common ancestor none seem to have been baptised in Somerset .What is meant by "nearly related"
Thank you for reading this long post hope you can help.
Trees
