Goodman How/Howe

[cardplayer4]

I am searching for a Goodman How/Howe.

He registered the birth of his grandson James How in Brentford Essex  - 19th April 1730.
The register says that "the father is supposed to be dead".

Does anyone recognise the name?

Thankyou

[lizdb]

Brentford is west of London, in Middlesex
Brentwood is east of London, in Essex

Which is it you are wanting?

[cardplayer4]

Sorry about that - it is BRENTWOOD Essex

[lizdb]

Happens a lot!

Civil registration only began in 1837, so births would not have been registered in 1730.

I guess it is a Parish Register of a baptism you are referring to.

Essex Parish registers are online on the SEAX site - it is a subscription site but I believe you can sign up just for a day or week or whatever.

With the baby's name as How, either it was a child of a son of Goodman (in which case one would have thought he would have known if his son was dead or not, but you never know there may have been an estrangement) , or more likely, the child was an illegitimate child of a daughter of Goodman, in which case the identity of the father will never be known -  as the only record might have been if he was named on the baptism (which he wasn't) or if there was a bastardy bond against him for maintenance (which there wont be if he was believed dead).

[cardplayer4]

Thank you - I didn't consider the child might be illegitimate- just was surprised about the doubt of the father's death. Being illegitimate does make more sense.

 I have been on the SEAX website several times - I will have to have another go, it is annoying that the mother's name was seldom given.

Thank you for your help

[lizdb]

Brentwood wasn't a parish in its own right at that time
(see http://www.st-thomas.org.uk/history.html)
 but came under South Weald.   Indeed even today the parish area of Brentwood itself is very small, with many areas one would consider to be in the town of Brentwood actually being in the parish of South Weald, Great Warley, Shenfield, etc. So worth widening your search for anything on Goodman (great name!) to all neighbouring parishes.
Perhaps if you can establish what children he had, and what happened to them, it will narrow down who his baby's mother could be.

[cardplayer4]

Thank you for that information - I will have a good search - I am hoping the unusual name will be a help!