Sarah Jane Simmon(d)s, born Q4 1867, looking for her/parents in 1871 census

[Tickettyboo]

I am currently tracing and documenting children of Taylor Harwood and his wife Jane (jury still out on her maiden name)

EDIT - sorry I am punch drunk with these folk)
In particular I was looking for Jane (born 1825) Martha  & Mary twins born 1828), George (born 1832)  and William (born 1832) all baptised in Whickham and the family lived at Swalwell. Have done ok with George and William but Jane and Martha are a bit smoke and mirrors.

1. In 1851 Piece 2389/ Folio 403/ Page 24 at Leadgate, there are two highly possible entries as lodgers (George and William Harwood) who are the right age, right birth place and certainly George's occupation ticks the box. They lodge with James Coxon and his wife Jane.
The transcript of the Coxon marriage at Medomsley has Jane's maiden name as 'Haywood' which , at a big stretch, could have been Harwood and her father as Taylor Haywood, she is the right age and birth place to be George and William's sister. I am hoping that I can see the marriage register at the FHC this week to see who the witnesses are. Unfortunately this couple do not seem to have had any children so the option of MMN on a birth registration to help verify her maiden name isn't available.

2. In 1881, Piece 4942/ Folio 65/ Page 16, James Coxon and Jane have a Sarah J Simmons aged 13, born Beamish and listed as a niece.
The transcription of Sarah's baptism on 12 Jan 1868  at Pelton Holy Trinity says she was the daughter of John Simmonds, a labourer, and Martha Simmonds of Beamish Flint Mill. The GRO database has a child of this name Q4 1867, Chester-le-Street, MMN Harwood.  so its 'possible' that she could be Jane's niece, daughter of her sister Martha Harwood.

Smoke and mirrors but its all in my 'quite possible' box.

What I can't find (so far), which may add further light, is any record of a Simmonds-Harwood marriage or any 1871 census return that lists Sarah Jane Simmonds with or without her parents.

If anyone can spot them I'd be grateful for the help.

Thanks
Boo





 

[CaroleW]

Freebmd has a marriage 1840 Newcastle - Taylor Harwood to Jane Heaton.  Any connection?

EDIT

Probably another son of Taylor snr - 1851 shows b 1822 Whickham

[Tickettyboo]

Thanks Carol, that is yet another sibling of the people I posted about.
Taylor Harwood (senior) and his wife Jane married in 1812 and had 9 children between 1813 and 1833.

Apart from the Jane (who may have married James Coxon) and her twin sister Martha (mother of the child who is the subject of the post) I have most of the others sorted.

Boo

[Ladyhawk]

There’s a public tree on Anc*y giving this detail - you would need to confirm

Baptism
12 Jan 1868 Holy Trinity, Pelton, Durham
Father just transcribed as John (Assumed to be John Brown).Mother Martha Simmonds..

1871 cPiece 4955 Folio76 Page number 46
East Stanley, Tanfield
John Brown 38 High Ford Sussex
Martha wife  40 Whickham Durham
Sarah J dau 3 Urpeth Durham
David Ridley boarder 16
Robert Harper lodger 27

EDITED to add

They have Sarah Jane SIMMONS marrying Frederick CLEMENT 1889 Tynemouth

1891c RG12 Piece 4225 Folio   23 Page   39
Stephensons Building, Brunswick Road, Chirton, Tynemouth, Northumberland
Fred   Clements   Head   28      Labourers Guard   Ely, Cambridgeshire
Sarah Jane   Wife   24   7   Dressmaker   Durham
Robert   Daughter   3 w/m?   North Shields, Northumberland

Rhoda CLEMENTS mmn SIMMONS
1890  D Quarter in TYNEMOUTH  Volume 10B  Page 210   

[Ladyhawk]

for info. 1901 c RG13 Piece 4800 Folio   204 Page   19

Sarah J CLEMENTS 1867 pob given as Beamish and with the family is father in law
John BROWN Widower 1831   Platelayer (Railway)   Ilford, Sussex

[Tickettyboo]

Thanks Ladyhawk.

This is going to take some unravelling :-)
The transcription I have of the baptism is from Durham Records Online and it does indicate that the parents were John and Martha Simmonds (at that stage they just used both both parents forenames and the joint surname rather than 'John Simmonds and his wife Martha' kind of thing). I have sent for the baptism record to see what it actually says. Plus the GRO database gives a MNN of Harwood, so I also need to wait for the birth pdf (probably wont get that till the end of the week)

Its possible that John changed the name he used from Simmonds to Brown (all sorts of reasons why that happened), but why would the child retain the surname Simmonds?
he, he I am asking myself, not expecting you to know :-)

I can't find a John Simmonds- Martha Harwood marriage nor a John Brown-Martha Harwood marriage. Though maybe they didn't actually marry.

I'll try back tracking for this John Brown/Simmonds to see if I can suss him out.

thanks for your time and your help
Boo

[Tickettyboo]

I now have an image of Sarah Jane's baptism record from the Parish Register (take a bow Durham Records Office, the 'quick search' order was delivered to my inbox  an hour and a quarter after placing the order online)

and its the standard format, parents Christian names John and Martha one above the other in the same col/row and just one surname which is Simmonds, so any assumption gleaned from a transcript that he was known as John Brown (at least at the time of this record) seems to have been incorrect.

I have to agree that the 1871 census Ladyhawk posted is likely to be this girl but I am still struggling with the name change - especially as she seem to have used Simmonds and not Brown.

Lots more firkling needed, hopefully I'll come across something that will shed light on this.

Boo

[Tickettyboo]

Having firkled my fingers to the bone I have a 'possible' marriage for Martha Har(d)wood, who I believe is Sarah Jane Simmonds' mother, to an Eli 'Summans' whose Dad was called James

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFJ3-8T6

The father of the bride is recorded with a first name of Taylor, which got me doing the little happy dance.

and to see if there was a connection I went back to the John Brown who gave his birth place on census returns as 'High Ford, Sussex' and 'Ilford, Sussex' I tried Iford Sussex  and a birth year 1833+/- a few, as that seemed to be the most likely.

And curiously there is a baptism in the BTs on FS, at Iford Parish on 11 March 1832, Eli Simmons , parents James and Sarah.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6LZ3-PH?i=581&cat=584545

It looks like Eli Simmonds and John Brown may well be the same man, quite why he changed his name (and his daughter appears not to have done) is a mystery, but this is starting to look plausible? I think, maybe, could be, perhaps  . . :-)

Boo

[Annette7]

You are clearly correct in that Eli Summers and John Brown are the same person.

Martha Simmons bc.1829 death Mar.1878 Lanchester.

In 1881 John Brown now shown as married to an Elizabeth, clearly a widow as her children surname Swinburne.

Elizabeth Cawthorn had married William Swinburn in Sept.qtr.1865 Newcastle upon Tyne.   William Swinburn death Dec.1878 Lanchester.

'John Brown' then remarries to Elizabeth Swinburn Sept.1880 Newcastle upon Tyne BUT he marries her as Eli Simmons!!   After that he's back to being John Brown again in 1891 and 1901 census.

His second wife Elizabeth's death is registered as Elizabeth Swinburne Simmons in Mar.1899 Lanchester so he was indeed a widower in 1901.

So whilst both of his wives' - Martha and Elizabeth - death entries are with the correct surname of Simmons there is no death entry in his true name of Eli Simmons so looks like his death must have been registered as John Brown - there is a possible death entry June 1909 (bc.1832) Tynemouth (this being the registration area of where he was living in 1901).

One has to wonder why on a day to day basis he refers to himself as John Brown yet both marriages are in his correct name of Eli Simmons and his daughter Sarah Jane would obviously have known this.  That being so, with his family knowing his true name why would they register his death under his alias John Brown?

Annette