Churchyard? Wightman - Chesterfield

[SpareBott]

I am currently looking into the Wightman family, of Chesterfiled and, earlier, Suffolk and Essex-
Particularly Annie Wightman (later Smith) - 1908 - 1987 - Chesterfield
Her father Harry Wightman - 1879 -1948 - Suffolk, later Chesterfiled
His father "Churchyard Wightman" - 1829 - 1907 - Essex, later Suffolk

I've managed to find a photo of Harry and his daughter Doris (I think) on Ancestry, and a photo of Annie

I am struggling with anything else about them

I have two census for this "Churchyard" which I have tried to attach - I hope they are a decent size image - I just can't get my head around why the name would be "Churchyard"
Is that a thing? On the latter one, someone has typed it out in the description as Church Guard but it looks to be written as Churchyard

[bbart]

Given his name, perhaps one or both of these are your fellow:

Framlingham Weekly News 25 September 1875
Article discussing various old headstones:
Caroline, wife of Churchyard Wightman, died April 15, 1857 aged 28 years, also her infant 7 months
(followed by a poem, assumably carved on the headstone)

Framlingham Weekly News 03 December 1904
Deaths
Wightman - On November 24th, at Easton, Anna Marie, wife of Churchyard Wightman, aged 70 years.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

There's a suggestion he might be Clement Churchyard Wightman. There's a marriage for a Clement Churchyad Wightman and Caroline Durrant in 1847 - see name of first son, using mother's maiden name as a forename. A baptism suggests that child was actually called Churchyard Durrant Wightman

it could well be that Churchyard's name came from the same practice

This is Churchyard in 1871

Chinchyard Whiteman    46    Head b Essex
Maria Whiteman   32    Wife
Clara Whiteman   16    
Durrant Whiteman   12    
Houace Whiteman   10     [Horace]
Caroline Whiteman   8    
Edward Whiteman   6    
Frederick Whiteman   4    
Jesse Whiteman   2    

And 1861 in Dennington

Clement C Wightman    37    Head b Essex
Mariah Wightman   26    Wife
Clara Wightman   5    
Doveranl Wightman   2    [Durrant]
Horrace Wightman   1    

[bbart]

Suffolk and Essex Free Press 17 May 1893
Deaths
Wightman - May 8, suddenly, at Avenue Le G--s,[smudged], Chantilly, France, Frederick Churchyard, son of Churchyard Wightman, Easton, aged 27 years.

Mabel's post mentions Dennington, which is where the 1857 grave of Caroline and infant was (Reply#1)

[bbart]

Mabel is spot on about the Clement.

Clement Churchyard Wightman was the beneficiary in the will of Caroline Wightman, who died 1857.

He may be a bit older than you thought;  there is a baptism for a Clement Churchyard Wightman in Saxtead, All Saints, Suffollk in 1828 that shows his actual birth date as 4 Jul 1824.  Parents Clement and Elizabeth.

[bbart]

There is an 1822 marriage of Clement Wightman to Elizabeth Churchyard, Little Burstead, Essex on    09 Jul 1822.

[SpareBott]

Hmm, I may be on the wrong track then..
I have a wife for him called Maria - 1837 - 1904

She was linked from the census' where the snippets are from

None of the names in the posts in this thread seem to match up, apart from "Churchyards" - so I may be drifting in the wrong direction (I am new to this)

Annie Wightman (later Smith) - 1908 - 1987 - Chesterfield is a 100% verified relative, as is Harry Wightman

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Think we're with the right person. Maria (or Anna Marie) is wife no 2 - from 1861 census onwards

Her maiden name, from births of the younger children, is Huggins

Looks like he married fairly quickly after Caroline died. that wasn't unusual when a man had a number of yuong children to be cared for

Marriages Q4 1857 
Hoxne   Vol 4a p1088   
Huggins    Maria   
Wightman    Churchyard Clement         

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Just to make the match

Here's 1881 with Churchyard, Maria and Harry. They're living in Easton

Churchyard Wightman    52 - gardener,b Essex
Maria Wightman    40
Jesse Wightman    13
Anne Wightman    11
Cornelius Wightman    8
Harry Wightman    2

If you look at  1871 that I posted in reply no 3, you'll see the son Jesse, plus siblings Durrant and Clara. Parents Churchyard and Maria.  The same post has 1861, with the same children and parents

Here's 1851 - from Dennington

Clemt Cha Wightman    25 b Billericay
Caroline Wightman    21 b Dennington
Rachel Wightman    21 - relation, b Saxted
James Miller    24 - servant
Hannah Runacles    18 - servant

There are two sons called Churchyard Durrant -  the first one dies Q4 1857

Churchyard Durrant Wightman
Christening     6 Apr 1857    Dennington, Suffolk,
Father:    Clement Churchyard Wightman
Mother:    Caroline Durrant

Durrant Churchyard Wightman
Christening     15 May 1858    Dennington,
Father:    Clement Churchyard Wightman
Mother:    Maria Huggins