Where to start? Bridging a 2-generation gap in 18th century Northumberland

[brooksburns]

Censuses for James Clarke d1851

1851, age 107 in Liverpool with unmarried dau Mary age 60.  James b Ireland.

Only candidate found in 1841, James Clarke age 95 is living in Lincs and b Lincs, doesn't seem to be the same guy.  With Elizabeth Clark age 35.

I guess the guy only arrived from Ireland in the 1840s?  Would that be something you do age 100-odd?  Famine or no famine, I'd be tempted to say I'd had a good innings and stay put.

Newspaper report of his death (Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser 22 July 1851):
Born Co Down; came to Liverpool age 21; went around the world, taken prisoner by the French, usual stuff...!  ; returned home and worked for many years for Mr Holdgraves; outlived all his 8 children except Mary who lives with him (as seen in census).

Not sure where this takes me unless I find his other 7 kids and trace all their children


Time to call it a day, for now!

[brooksburns]

Progress update!

John BURNS d 1848, Chatton, Northumberland, age 63.
Ann BURNS nee CLARK d 1870 Dec 25, Sheepwash, Northumberland, age 85.

The 106-year-old is one of their 4 grandfathers.

Birthdates of abt 1786 for John and Ann mean the earlier mentioned James Clarke d1851 is still a (narrower) possibility - 20.5 years per generation.  The Patrick Clark d1868 is NOT possible - 12 years per generation.  Most likely it's neither of them.

Ann's birthplace on censuses is Old Bewick, Northumberland, so I think this is her and her parents:


BAPTISM

1786 Feb 13
Northumberland, Branton
Anne CLARKE
born 1786 Feb 01
parents William CLARKE, Jane


? MARRIAGE     (I would really welcome findings of any siblings of Ann to help confirm this marriage.)

1767 Jun 18
Northumberland, Eglingham
William CLARK
Jane STANERS



So the 106-year-old might be the father of William CLARK or Jane STANERS, or the grandfather of John BURNS.

[Gibel]

West Chapel Presbyterian Wooler
John Clarke son of William and Jane
Bn 8 sept 1769
Bap 12 Set 1769

Same chapel
Margaret d of Wm and Jane
Bn 15 Jan 1772
Bap 24 Jane 1772

Same chapel
Jane d of William and Jane
Bn 30 Nov 1773
Bap 6 Dec 1773

Branton Presbyterian Ch
Anne d Wm and Jane
Bn 1 Feb 1786
Bap 13 Feb 1786

It’s a large gap with no other baptisms.

Presbyterian Chapels were non conformist chapels. They joined with the Congregational chapels in 1972 to form the United Reform Church.

Marriage to be legal would have had to be in the Established Church ie Church of England until 1837.

The above was on Ancestry but there may be more available on Family Search.

[Gibel]

Found on Family Search
William Watson Clerk s of William and Jane Clerk
Bn 15 August 1884
Bap 26 Sept 1884 at United Cheviot St Non Conformist Wooler

Robert son of William and Jane
Bn 15 Aug 1786
Bap 10 Sept 1786 at Wooler West Chapel

Thomas son of William and Jane
Bn 23 Oct 1788
Bap 19 Nov 1788 at Glanton NC could this beGranton

Anne Clarke
Bn 1 Feb 1886
Bap 13 Feb 1786 Granton NC

This Anne Clark is unlikely to be a sibling of the William and Jane Clarke  baptising children at Wooler as the gap between Anne and Robert seems rather unlikely however she could be a sibling of the Thomas baptised in Glanton or Granton above.

Could there be 2 Williams and Jane Clarke families in the area?

[brooksburns]

Thanks for these, I've just been looking for them on Ancestry and couldn't find the same results - can you show me what search you did?  I've looked for John Clarke born in 1769 in Northumberland and nothing comes up.

[brooksburns]

This Anne Clark is unlikely to be a sibling of the William and Jane Clarke  baptising children at Wooler as the gap between Anne and Robert seems rather unlikely however she could be a sibling of the Thomas baptised in Glanton or Granton above.

Could there be 2 Williams and Jane Clarke families in the area?

I'm with you on that - Feb to Aug is too much of a stretch to be a premature baby I'd say (especially as there was no hurry to baptise him), especially at that time in medical history; plus the change of location - it'll be two families.  So I need to find a different marriage.  Thanks for all this!

[brooksburns]

Glanton is the next village from Branton.

[Gibel]

On Ancestry I searched for Clarke in Northumberland born 1769 father William and mother Jane.

[Tickettyboo]

The only place I could find those records on Ancestry was in the database labelled
England, Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975
and the source for these records is
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

As these are all non-conformist you probably wont find images online -  none of these churches seem to have deposited registers that were included in the RG4 collection- though if you check each placename  in the FS catalogue you can see if the images are available to view if you visit an LDS Family History Centre (though most are still closed at the moment).

There are a few Rootschatters who have transcripts for some Northumberland Non Conformist registers so a specific request to ask for a look up in case there is any further info in the record may produce some clues.

Boo