Assistance Please with the HARFFEY family from Chichester

[bryan5808]

I'm hoping you can help me. I am researching my family tree but have come up against a brick wall. The relevant family is the HARFFEY family from Chichester. The last confirmed entry I have is for Elizabeth HARFFEY born in Chichester in May 1778 and christened at St. Peter The Great Church. As far as I can ascertain she had 6 siblings all born in Chichester. They were William b 1773, Thomas 1774, Charles 1781, Harriott 1784, James 1785, Henry 1787. Firstly can you confirm if these details are correct. Some records show that the parents of these were William HARFFEY and Elizabeth. This is where I have stumbled to a stop. Can you please advise as to who they were and any facts that would put me back on track. Possibly the father of William was Thomas Harffey. Again any info would be greatly received. I seemed to have got myself in rather a muddle at this point. Please help. Thanks you in advance.

[mazi]

Family search has christenings for Elizabeth, Charles, Harriet, James and Henry, with parents William and Elizabeth Harffey at St. Peter in those years.

There are christenings for William and Thomas at St. Peter in 1773and 1774, but the name is spelled.  Harvey, parents William and Elizabeth Harvey.

Thomas and Elizabeth did christen a William in Cuckfield in 1779, but the name is spelled Harfy.

Does this help.

Mike

Edit Thomas and Elizabeth christened a Willm.

[bryan5808]

Mike Thanks for that. It looks like William and Elizebeth only had the 5 children as per your christening records. The name Harvey may not be connected. Is it possible for you to give me birth/marriage/death details for the father Wlliam and also full name/ditto for Elizebeth (mother). Thanks its a big help.  Bryan

[mazi]

Sussex is not my speciality, but I cannot see a marriage for William and Elizabeth Harffrey anywhere in england 1760- 1780, but there is a marriage in  East Lavant, for William Harvy to Elizabeth Richards 18 Dec 1772, no parents named.

Others may have access to more records than I do.

Mike

[bryan5808]

Thanks Mike. Can you suggest who I need to contact re this?

[mazi]

I now see from your other posts relating to this family that others have already tried 

There is no trace that I can find before the birth of Elizabeth in 1778 of the exact spelling Harffey,
After this  date all the family have this exact spelling of the name.
I can only think that a definite decision was made, possibly as a result of a question of inheritance, to spell the name in this most unusual way.

Prior to then the spelling would have been at the mercy of whichever cleric was writing up the register

There is a family in petersfield in Hampshire, not far from East Meon, who are  Harfy until the marriage of a child after 1778, when the spelling becomes Harffey.

It is possible you may have some luck searching for wills, but this is not an area I am familiar with


Good luck, mike

[artifis]

Not sure if this is going to help!

No marriage for a William Harvey/Harffey/Harfey to an Elizabeth in the SFHG Sussex Marriage Index for the period.

Baptisms at Chichester St Peter the Great from the SFHG parish records transcriptions:

William 02 Jan 1773 s/o William & Elizabeth Harvey - buried 20 Mar 1773 an infant
Thomas 09 Apr 1774 s/o William & Elizabeth Harvey
John 10 Oct 1775 s/o William & Elizabeth Harffey
Elizabeth 24 May 1778 d/o William & Elizabeth Harffey - possibly buried 18 Apr 1786
Charles 05 Aug 1781 s/o William & Elizabeth Harffey
Harriott 21 Apr 1784 d/o William & Elizabeth Harffey - buried 14 Jan 1785 an infant
James 25 Dec 1785 s/o William & Elizabeth Harffey
Henry 08 May 1787 s/o William & Elizabeth Harffey
Ann 10 Aug 1790 d/o William & Elizabeth Harffey

Looks like they had a bigger family than you thought!

[mazi]

William 02 Jan 1773 died as an infant, so he cannot be the William Harffey who married in London, nor the one who died in Chichester 1816 (see other topic on this family).

I am loosing track of who we are following 

Mike

[artifis]

The William who died in 1773 may not be the one born in 1773 as no father's name is given but it seems likely given that there were no other likely Williams baptised at St Peter the Great who could be described as an infant in 1773.  He might have course come from another parish in Chichester?  Wouldn't a time machines be useful!