Wells of St Neots, basketmakers

[johnP-bedford]

TW1 and Eleanor's possible daughter ?
Eleanor Wells, prob b St Neots 1774, d 02.10.1831
and did she really marry William Dunkley 1770-1838 on 11.11.1791 when aged only 17?

How sure are you of these facts ? 

I've seen an Ancestry tree with Eleanor born Biggleswade ? & her death in Oct 1831 somewhere in England ?? & William's death in June 1838 in East Sussex ?? .... OK the marriage is correct in St.Neots in 1791 plus they have 6 children 1796 to 1812 which may be correct, but William's death index has him aged 33...

Also what about a burial, as per NBI, in St.Neots of Ellenor Dunkley on 8 Oct 1811 aged 39 - that'll make her born c 1772 - that's more likely

I've only found TW2 and Eleanor Wells as her children, though a treeholder on Ancestry gives her about 5 but marked Private: any clues as to who they might be would be welcome?

Suggest you contact this tree holder, tell them what you have & ask them about the children


Cheers John   

[eppleton]

Hi Ciderdrinker,
going to take me a while to digest all that but thank you so much, I can see it's useful stuff and it's really appreciated. Very good of you.
Mike

[eppleton]

Hi Ciderdrinker.
Working though your kind suggestions yesterday:

I find a data clash re Mary Marks 1772-1850:
A Mary Marks was bap Bedford St Mary 30.05.1772 as you say.
A ditto was bap Bedford St Paul 30.09.1772, father John Marks.
Bedford St Mary was where MM married Thomas Wells in 1794, so I think I’ll go with the first and dismiss the MM bap same year at St Paul as a coincidence.
That’s great to have all the Marks brood that you found for us.

Yes, there are a number of poll books showing Thomas Wells owning property and a vote in St Neots though resident Bedford.

C F Tebbutt “St Neots” (repr1984) shows various Wells in c18th/19th St Neots: our Thomas etc, a magistrates’ clerk/attorney, several pub landlords. I think your suggested parents and siblings for Thomas Wells 1 look likely, and will keep a note handy, but as you say the St Neots parish records are going to be needed to confirm them.

Best wishes,
Mike

[eppleton]

Hi John,
thank you for the useful data about Eleanor Wells.
I was getting muddled about her - the trees on Geni and Ancestry that I copied from were lacking in sources - but I think you've cleared it up with the NBI reference. There were lots of Biggleswade Wells and I think those other trees may have accidentally incorporated a Biggleswade Eleanor.
If she was b St Neots c1772 then a 1991 marriage is more feasible, and I'm sure your 1811 death for her would be right - no later references.
Best wishes,
Mike

[Skoosh]

The basket-making is still on the go!

https://richardheeps.co.uk/collections/oliver-meek-basket-maker

Skoosh.

[johnP-bedford]

I find a data clash re Mary Marks 1772-1850:
A Mary Marks was bap Bedford St Mary 30.05.1772 as you say.
A ditto was bap Bedford St Paul 30.09.1772, father John Marks.
Bedford St Mary was where MM married Thomas Wells in 1794, so I think I’ll go with the first and dismiss the MM bap same year at St Paul as a coincidence.

There is no baptism of Mary Marks in St.Mary's Bedford in May 1772 as per the PR transcript or even FamilySearch- where have you found this ?
I would go for the one baptised in St.Paul's on 30 Sept 1772 - as that's where John Marks married Mary Holms in 1758 & that's where their other 7 children were baptised 1759-1770 & 2 were buried there.  There is a burial of Mary Marks abode House of Industry, at St.Paul's on 13 July 1817 aged 83 (so birth = c1734). A John Marks was buried at St.Paul's on 2 Aug 1772, no age given, and may not be the father, but it would explain why no more baptisms after Mary

Cheers John   

[eppleton]

Thanks John, I plead guilty.
I see the Familysearch 30.05.1772 Bedford St Mary baptism of Mary Marks is attributed to me, and yes it's clearly wrong.
Only thing I can imagine is it came from doing the Merge process (there were dozens of these Merges to do for the Marks/Markes, because of the way FamilySearch transcribers create identities) and perhaps I Merged someone wrong and imported bad data? Or I copied unsourced data from Geni or Ancestry?
Anyway, looks like you've put it right now.
Looks like you're also right about deaths of MM's parents, I'll note those as possibles, but the House of Industry (workhouse?) is curious - I had an idea these Marks were reasonably prosperous, hence Thomas Wells shifting to Bedford from St Neots as business was better.
Mike

[eppleton]

Hi Ciderdrinker,
just wanted to let you know where your mention of Eleanor Lugsdin has led me - would not have found it without you:

Thomas Wells St Neots, married Eleanor Lugsdin of Little Staughton in 1764. In 1766 her brother and sisters were among the eight who founded Little Staughton's first Baptist church: a thousand people turned out to celebrate when it was refurbished in 1878.
But in 1944 a Lancaster struggling to take off from RAF Little Staughton smacked the roof with its undercarriage and it had to be demolished. The present Baptist church there was built with the Air Ministry's compensation.
A story my late father, a Lancaster pilot, might have been interested to hear. He was a PoW in Germany at the time, so definitely not guilty!
Mike

photo etc
http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Little-Staughton/Baptists-in-Little-Staughton.aspx
http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Little-Staughton/Registration-and-Early-References-in-Little-Staughton.aspx