A mystery exists for me in George Lampman b. 1806 Dorsetshire

[Ellanon]

I descend from George Lampman, who was born 31 Aug. 1806 in Dorset - on his tombstone it reads as Dositshire, England. I cannot find any record in the OPR, or elsewhere matching my George. I know Lampman is not an English name, which is another mystery. Did he change his name? Was his mother married twice? Was he adopted? What I know, is that he had emigrated to Canada by 1836 (when he secured land in Dawn Twp., Lambton Co., Ontario, Canada). I also know that he married in Canada. Any suggestions would be appreciated...

[nanny jan]

Hi,

Do you have a copy of his marriage certificate?  If so, does it give any details about his parents or birthplace?

A good, free, site for Dorset research is  http://www.opcdorset.org/   but you need a few more details.


Nanny Jan

[Jules1066]

Lampman is probably a Jewish name...so the name may have changed.

There are a number of marriages for Lampman in Ontario, father George Lampman.

Do you have the information from 1838 to date?

[avm228]

He was a Methodist according to Canadian census returns.

I wonder what the source is for the Dorset birthplace (other than the gravestone - not an especially reliable source) and for a birthdate as precise as is suggested.  His age varies a bit in the available Canadian records (censuses and death record).

[Ellanon]

George Lampman secured land from the Crown Land Agents in 1836. He became involved in a dispute over his payments, which I have copies of from the Archives. The Eaton family also secured land in the area in the same year. And, by 1840, George had married Alvira Eaton.

As to the variation in the ages for census - 57 (1861), 64 (1871), and 86 (1881). I do not find the variation insurmountable. I have found many, many, improper ages on census records - the first two are within the range, and the third is 10 years out. The key is the fact that every census, and the death record all state England as the birthplace. As to the birthdate that was placed upon the tombstone, it was probably derived from a prayer book, or Bible. Usually family pulled a record for an exact date. While I do not have any other record, it makes sense that George indicated his birthplace was in Dorset. He probably had a strong accent that made them think it was Dositshire, and not Dorsetshire. You are right though, this is my only link to Dorset. But, I would think he knew where he was born, or at least the shire. But arguments from silence, are just that... 

Lampman is not a Dorset name - I have yet to figure out why he is Lampman, and not some variation like Lamson, Lamon, etc. He could write, as letters with his signature from the 1840s, and his signature from the 1838 militia paylists attest to... 

Anyway, glad to have some responses.

PS not sure why you would suggest that origins on tombstones are weak sources... I have a number of ancestors who have tombstones with origins on them, and they are accurate. For example: My 4th great grandfather, Hector MacLean had his birth date (exact), and place of birth (Tiree, Scotland). This is exactly where he was from... Another, example also McLean - my 4th great uncle, Gillean McLean, is indicated to be from Inverness-shire, Scotland on his tombstone - again accurate. One more - my 5th great grandparents tombstone (William Allen and Esther Armstrong) gives exact information (date of birth, place of birth, and even year of immigration, also date of settlement in Madoc, and finally death). This also corresponds to records - including a letter of recommendation he brought with him from Connor, Antrim, Ireland. So, my own interaction with tombstone information has been good. Yes, there are mistakes on some, especially if erected by later generations, and not the immediate.

[Ellanon]

I need to note that I have yet to find a marriage document for George Lampman and Alvira Eaton. However, George was living in Dawn Twp., Lambton Co., ON by 1836. His first child was born abt. 1840. So, he probably married Alvira around 1838-1839.

Thanks for the suggestions - I have used the OPC and really found it easy to utilize.

[Jules1066]

Do you have the name of the parish where he is buried?  Non-conformist records (baptisms) would be archived locally in Devon and you may need to get some help from a local researcher who can look up documents (only archived locally) on your behalf

http://www.dorsetfhs.org.uk/  Dorset Family History Society
e-mail contact@dorsetfhs.org.uk

They also have a booklet you can buy if your ancestors were Methodists (cost £6.95 plus postage)

Around the time of George Lampman's birth there were the Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists, an off-shoot. Non-Conformists had to marry in Anglican Churches (by licence). Civil registration didn't happen until 1837. The European version of Lampman is Lantman.

Jules

[Ellanon]

We discovered that George Lampman was really Stephen Hallett of Burton Bradstock, Dorset, England. Stephen Hallett chr. 2 Oct 1806 in Burton Bradstock, son of John Hallett and Elizabeth Gear left England and went to New York State. He "married" Deborah Ann Guernsey ca. 1825 and secured land in Monroe, Orange, New York and then Eaton, Madison, New York. He had a family of six children with Deborah Ann, but separated from her about 1835. He relocated to Augusta, Oneida, New York. According to Deborah Ann's testimony, Stephen went to Upper Canada in 1836. She then "heard" that he had died in 1837. Stephen had inherited some money from his mother in 1836 (not the first inheritance from England). This may have spurred him on in changing his identity. In Nov of 1836, George Lampman bursts on the scene and purchases land in Dawn Twp., Lambton Co., Ontario (Canada West). Abt 1838/1839 George Lampman "marries" Alvira Eaton daughter of John Eaton and Anna Steele.  Over the next 15 years he has another family of 7 children. The clue that really tied this together was DNA evidence. Through DNA a number of our lines all pointed to descent from John Hallett and Elizabeth Gear (both families - Hallett and Gear). So who could be the candidate. Then we realized something about George Lampman's death. On his tombstone it gave the date of death and the age. We had calculated this backwards to arrive at a birth of Aug 31 1806. Well, the year was right for Stephen, but the month was a bit out (maybe). However, the tombstone was made later - so, based upon memory. And, there was a discrepancy between the death date on the stone, and the registered death date that had been registered only days after the death. The Death register date calculated backwards from his age came out to a birth date of Oct. 1, 1806. Another clue. The fact that Stephen Hallett disappeared in 1836 to Upper Canada, and the DNA evidence has led us to conclude that George Lampman is really Stephen Hallett (a bigamist - lol).