William Hamlyn (c1824)

[JHamlyn]

Hello all,
 My 3rd great grandfather, William Hamlyn, moved from England to New Zealand with his wife Martha Moss (Moase?). So far I have not been able to find out anything about William's family from back in England, although from his name and his marriage record I can assume he was from Devon. I do have a baptism record of a William Hamlyn born illegitimate in West Woolfardisworthy in 1824 to a Susanna Hamlyn, and also a baptism record of a Susanna Hamlyn born 1800 in West Woolfardisworthy to Zachary and Martha Hamlyn. I haven't been able to find any marriage or death documents for Susanna.
 As I live in New Zealand, I cannot go looking through parish records or cemeteries that haven't been put online, and wanted to know if there was any way I could acquire more concrete evidence or other potential answers to William's heritage.

 Thanks,
James

[goldie61]

Welcome to Rootschat!

You haven't said what year and where William and Martha were married.
All information helps to paint the picture for further research.

What does it say on the marriage record about his age and parentage?

I see several children were born in Tasmania before they went to New Zealand.
The earliest, Mary Ann, in 1858.

Wills are always a good place to find information if you can find them.
You could look through the Devon wills database here -
https://www.devonfhs.org.uk/devon-wills/

Have you searched the Devon Record Office catalogue?
https://swheritage.org.uk/devon-archives/catalogues-and-indexes/

Added:
I see they were married in 1854 in Bideford (transcribed as Martha Moate), but I suspect you have the actual certificate giving ages, occupations etc.

Have you found them on the 1851 and 1841 Censuses prior to this marriage?
FreeCen here
https://www.freecen.org
and familysearch here
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/

Both free sites if you don't have a sub for findmypast or ancestry (I'd suggest findmypast if better for searching UK records if you do have to).

[goldie61]

Looks like William was a servant in the household of Richard Turner, a prosperous farmer at The Barton Abbotsham about 7 miles away from Woolfardisworthy. He has 6 children and 5 servants in 1851, including William, born Woolfardisworthy, aged 23.

[Neale1961]

William (age 27) and Martha (23) arrived in Hobart per “Donald McKay” in Sep 1855.
That puts his birth around 1828.

[Neale1961]

William had a second marriage in NZ in 1896 to Emily Clarkson.
What information is on that marriage certificate?

[goldie61]

Have you got William's death certificate?
New Zealand death certificates should give the name of the parents (if known).

[Neale1961]

This could be your William, but you need to view a marriage certificate for confirmed information re father’s name, etc.

(I note that William, named his first son "Thomas". Was this after his father?)

Baptism
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NXB-FGSN?lang=en

1841 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQTG-9CN?lang=en


1851 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGJX-8DL?lang=en


Thomas HAMYLN married Susanna ASHTON on 13 Apr 1811 in Clovelly, Devon

Children baptised in Clovelly:-
Mary HAMYLN 1812
Thomas HAMYLN 1814  (father – a farmer)
John HAMYLN 1816 (father – a farmer)
Johanna Ashton HAMYLN 1817 (abode Stitworthy, father – a farmer)
Catharine HAMYLN 1820 (abode Stitworthy, father – a labourer)
Charlotte HAMYLN 1822 (abode Stitworthy, father – a labourer)
Robert Aston HAMYLN 1823 (abode Stitworthy, father – a labourer)
William HAMYLN 25 Feb 1827 (abode Stitworthy, father – a servant)
Anne HAMYLN 1828 (abode Stitworthy, father – a servant)
William HAMYLN 1 Jan 1831 (abode Stitworthy, father – a servant)

Susanna Hamlyn (nee Ashton)  burial 22 Mar 1846 All Saints Clovelly 
Thomas Hamlyn died 1857 Bideford Union (age 73)