The BALEs or BEALs of Finmere

[Greaves]

I have hit a number of problems with researching the above family and would welcome some help. The major problems are:

1. Edward and Elizabeth BEAL are the parents of the family. I believe that Edward BEAL (c1768-1852) married Elizabeth FRENCH (c1772-1855) on the 27 Dec 1791 at Winslow in Buckinghamshire, though it is difficult to confirm that this marriage is for the couple who later went on to give birth to 11 children in Finmere. If this is the right couple, I need to find a baptism for Edward, who I believe was born in Finmere. I have a tentative baptism for Elizabeth in Winslow on 10 May 1772. I would love to seem images of both baptisms and their marriage, but can't find anything online, so would probably need to order copies from the archives.

2. The couple had two daughters soon after their marriage, Hannah in 1794 and Ann in 1796, both born in Finmere. I have baptism records for both, but then lose track of them. They probably died as infants, but I can find no appropriate records.

3. On 07 Mar 1798 another daughter Maria was baptised at Finmere. The record shows no date of birth, though I have a note in my records that she was born 25 Feb 1798. I have no idea where I got this piece of information. I don't think I conjured it out of this air, so would welcome any ideas where this might have come from.

4. Yet another daughter Mary (1800-1875) married a Thomas BEDDING (1798-1868). I have found BMD registrations for their deaths, both in Brackley, but can't find appropriate burials in the Finmere region.

5. A son John (1802-1874) married Ann BUCKINGHAM on 12 Sep 1825 at Tingewick according to the Tingewick People website. However, I can find no record elsewhere for this marriage in Parish Records. Nor can I find a baptism for Ann, who according to the same website was born in Tingewick c1805.

6. Another son Daniel (1811-1890) married Mary HANDLEY (1801-1879). The couple lived in Atherstone in Warwickshire, until Mary's death in 1879, as census records clearly show. However, in the 1881 census  Daniel is living with a woman named Sarah (b1811) who is recorded as his wife. This suggests he re-married shortly after the death of his first wife, though I can find no record of any marriage.

7. Finally another son George (1813-1890) re-married in 1855, after the death of his first wife, to Sarah Ann Russell, née TAPP. Sarah Ann was born c1821 in Lillingstone Lovell, but I can't find a baptism record.

I'm not sure why I am having so many problems with this family, but it is proving difficult. I think partly it is because the area they lived in crosses several county lines and the records of none of these counties are well represented online. Also the variety of spellings of surnames doesn't help. Anyway, I would welcome some new insight.

[StefanD99]

Hi,
With regards to Daniel and Sarah.

In 1881, Polesworth, Sarah born Netherton, Staffs. 1810. This could be Nethertown, Staffs.

In 1861, Warton, near Polesworth (2 miles), there is a Sarah Hull, with  husband Henry, born c.1810. Sarah born c.1806 Abbotts Bromley, Staffs, near Nethertown (6 miles).

Henry Hull dies Atherstone, 1878, born c. 1809.

Haven't found a marriage.

Stefan

Added:
Sarah Hull died Atherstone Q3/1881 age 73 born c.1808

[Greaves]

Many thanks, I have also been digging.

There is a marriage on 13 Feb 1881 at Cannock in Staffordshire between Daniel BALE and a Sarah CROW. A little more research reveals that Sarah CROW was the wife of Michael CROW, a coal miner who died in Atherstone in 1862. Michael had married a Sarah DAY back in December 1830 at Baddesley Ensor in Warwickshire.

I still haven't found a baptism for Sarah in Netherton or elsewhere. Several trees on Ancestry seem to think she was baptised in 1805 at Baddesley Ensor, even though most of them have her being born in Netherton in 1809. But then the poor research and blatant copying without checking that accompanies so many Ancestry trees never fails to surprise.

ADD: Having found an actual image of the 1830 marriage, which took place on 25 Dec 1830, it appears that the witnesses were Thomas DAY and Ann DAY. This is interesting as there was a Sarah DAY baptised at BREWOOD in Staffordshire on 03 Jun 1811 to Thomas and Ann DAY.

My geography of the Midlands is rather dodgy. Would Brewed be a possible place for the baptism of a child born in Nether(w)n?

[StefanD99]

Hi,
this link should give you the relative locations of the places, courtesy of Google Maps:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01rjy/

Netherton to Brewood is 15 miles

Stefan

[StefanD99]

Hi,
just discovered that Netherton near Dudley was in Worcestershire until 1966, not Staffordshire.
Stefan

[P-Bedding]

Hi there.  Re Edward & Elizabeth (Thurs 19 May 22).  Edward Beal was born in Finmere, according to the 1851 census for there.  He appears as Edward Beale, age 83 (b.1768), living with Elizabeth Beale wife. He was buried on 11 Aug 1852 in Finmere (parish register). Ancestry has a record for Edward Beal baptised 24 Dec 1768 in Barton Hartshorn, which is 2 miles from Finmere (but no image or source).
Elizabeth appears in the 1851 census as age 77 (b.1774) in Winslow. She is bur 22 Oct 1855 (age 80): Finmere PR.
The first child of Edward and Elizabeth that appears in the Finmere register is John, bapt. 13 May 1792.
This all fits pretty much perfectly with your bapt of Eliz French in Winslow 10 May 1772 and marriage between Edward and Elizabeth there on 27 Dec 1791.
If you have an image of the baptism and marriage record, I'd be very grateful. I can give you details of the later lives of Mary Beal and Thomas Bedding, if you wish. (Being my main interest, of course!)

[P-Bedding]

Sorry, my previous post should have made clear that Elizabeth appears in the 1851 census for Finmere, birthplace given as Winslow. 
John bapt 13 May 1792 was bur 23 May 1793.
Thomas and Mary Bedding appear (sub nom "Bedden") in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses for Westbury, Bucks. (The surname is spelled variously as Bedding, Beddin, Bedden and others.)  Death entries in Brackley, Northants, in 1868 and 1875 - Brackley is 3 miles from Westbury.  I presume that Thomas and Mary are buried in Westbury - the parish registers are not online but available from Bucks FHS.