Thursday, February 3, 2011

Elizabeth Blake daughter of Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell

Noted yesterday the death of an Elizabeth Blake in 1713 at Andover. If this was the daughter of Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell born in 1695 then she would have been 18 in 1713. Robert and Elizabeth were still baptizing children and they could have had another Elizabeth. Need to look for that possibility and still no baptism for Charles Blake who married Mary Prince at Abbots Ann in 1737. However, John Blake malster at Abbots Ann fits nicely into this family with his birth in 1714 (he was 82 when he died in 1796). A sister Mary married William Marshman (Marshmont) in 1727 and that fits into this family. The other researcher mentioned yesterday found a marriage with Edward Gilbert of a Mary Marshmont in 1752 at Abbots Ann. There is a Mary Gilbert mentioned in the will.

I still feel that the language of the will shows a closer relationship between Charles Blake and the testator than between my Blake family at Upper Clatford. Sorting through the data, this John is my 3x great grandfather Thomas Blake's uncle by marriage. His mother Joanna King and John's wife Mary King are sisters and daughters of Thomas King. This is a good find and collaborates my earlier thinking that the language of the will was that of an uncle towards his niece and nephews. Helpful but not a direct "blood" tie.

Unraveling the mysteries presented in John Blake's will may help to solve the mystery of the parentage of Charles Blake and it comes closer to fruition I rather think. Ever since I found the will at the Hampshire Record Office and transcribed it I felt it was a key to my family lines at Upper Clatford. Although I am still just back to 5x great grandfather Thomas King and his wife Mary Carter who married 10 Jan 1728 at Upper Clatford, I now have the link between this family and the Blake family at Abbots Ann. I now know that Joanna wife of Joseph Blake and Mary wife of John Blake were sisters. What other information will the will provide me personally? The mention of the Beaver family is interesting as well. It is a descendant of the Beaver family that marries Thomas Blake son of Joseph and Joanna Blake - Sarah Coleman whose grandmother was Dinah Bever. Is the notation in front of Beavers "The"? Very difficult to tell and her married name was Coleman - why would he have referred to the children of Dinah as "The Beavers"?  At this time there were three of them still living and he leaves three guineas! The father of Sarah had died in 1780. Why would John remember this family. The father of Dinah Beaver was Anthony Beaver and mother was Susanna Johnson. Likely the father of Susanna was Roger Johnson and this was an old family at Upper Clatford.

I continue working on the transcription of the Upper Clatford Parish Register 1 with the burials and I have completed to the beginning of 1708 with 600 burials from the beginning of the Registers (1570).  The same families continue at Upper Clatford that have been there from the beginning of the Register. The King family is very large but I have not yet located a Thomas that could be my ancestor. I have not yet located a Carter that could be my ancestor either. The only Carter on the Hearth Tax is Thomas. But there are more Carter families there baptizing children:  Henry and Elizabeth, John and Jane, William and Jone, and Thomas and Elizabeth. Perhaps they live closeby in a smaller village but baptize their children at Upper Clatford.

I am still trying to decide if I have accumulated enough evidence to say that the Thomas Blake who married Ann Carter at Penton Mewsey 8 Sep 1728 are my 5x great grandparents and the parents of Joseph Blake baptized at Andover 21 Oct 1730. The death of Anne Blake and her burial 20 Sep 1734 along with the burial of her son Thomas 22 Sep 1734 at Penton Mewsey is rather revealing. The baptism of Thomas 19 Sep 1734 at Andover (son of Thomas (Ann is not listed)) whereas Joseph is baptized as the son of Thomas and Ann also at Andover also leads one to think this is the same family. Also given that grandfather John was baptized at Penton Mewsey although the baptism is entered into the Andover Parish Register. I feel now that I can accept this marriage as correct between Thomas Blake and Ann Carter. The next mystery to solve for me is the Carter family. Are Mary Carter mother of Joanna King and Ann Carter mother of Joseph Blake related? Are Joanna and Joseph first cousins?

Are Richard Carter and Elizabeth Musprett the parents of Ann Carter?; they are baptizing an Ann 13 Nov 1713 at Andover. They baptize four daughters at Andover: Elizabeth (b 22 Apr 1702), Sarah (b 21 May 1703), Mary (b 27 Feb 1711), and Anne (b 13 Nov 1713) as well as Richard (b 13 Dec 1704), Thomas (b 15 Jun 1707), Josiah (b 21 Dec 1708),  John (b 26 Apr 1717). The names are interesting with respect to Mary Carter who married Thomas King and their children were named Mary, Elizabeth and Joanna. Ann Carter married to Thomas Blake did not have any daughters. Given that Ann died in 1734 you might have expected to see Mary (Carter) King call a child Ann but the next two girls are named Elizabeth and Joanna. Interesting though to look at names. Richard Carter and Elizabeth Musprett named their first son Richard and their first daughter Elizabeth. I will investigate to see if Richard might be the son of Thomas Carter though given that the second son is named Thomas. The second daughter was called Sarah so could investigate Elizabeth Musprett having Sarah as her mother. Interestingly there is an Elizabeth Musprat baptized 20 Feb 1682 at Andover the daughter of Thomas Musprat.

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