Monday, February 2, 2015

Sarah Ellis (1756 - 1844)

52 Ancestor Challenge - Challenge 5

Blake, King, Coleman, Pearce, Farmer, unknown, Lambden, Sarah (unknown), Knight, Ellis, Knight, Vincent, Butt, Durnford, Arnold, Molton, Cotterel, Bartlett, Alderman, Ann (unknown), Sherwood, unknown, Habberfield, Collings, Rawlings, Tanner, Dove, Morgan, Lywood, Canham, unknown, Peck, Pincombe, Charley, Rowcliffe, Pearse, Rew, Moggridge, Siderfin, Kent, Gray, Hilton, Cobb, Sproxton, Routledge, Tweddle, Routledge, Routledge, (unknown) Buller, unknown, Beard, Hemsley, Welch, Brockhouse, Cheatle, Woodcock, unknown Taylor, unknown, Harborne, Lewis, Roberts, Croxall, Lawley, unknown

Sarah Ellis is one of my people I found near the beginning of my research. I knew that their son Ellis Knight was my 3x great grandfather and although not known to my grandfather personally he knew of this family.  Ellis Knight married Eleanor Knight 29 May 1804 at Spetisbury and Spetisbury was a village name ingrained in my memory from earliest day. The name had a ring to it and just stuck in there. I knew that this couple had had 13 children (referred to as a baker's dozen!) and that my father's great grandfather Samuel Knight, known to him as a child and already mentioned earlier in my blogs, was their son. Samuel Knight married Louisa Butt and she was born at Spetisbury and so the name was known to me as my grandfather talked about his grandmother Louisa born at Spetisbury and that her mother Eleanor not quite known to him as she died five years before he was born was also born at Spetisbury.

I had a good handle on this Ellis family probably because the surname was used as a forename in the family. But back to Sarah and she was baptized 5 Aug 1756 at Winterborne Stickland. Sarah married William Knight 7 Aug 1775 at Winterborne Stickland and seven of their eight children were baptized at Winterborne Stickland, namely:

William baptized 21 Jul 1776 (born 15 Jul 1776)
Elias baptized 24 Feb 1779 (born 22 Feb 1779), buried there 24 Feb 1779
Ellis baptized 17 Jan 1783
George baptized 6 Mar 1785
Samuel baptized 4 May 1788
Sarah baptized 27 Dec 1792 (married George Morris 1 Mar 1824 at Winterborne Stickland)
Stephen baptized ?
Joseph baptized 9 May 1799

Stephen is somewhat of a mystery as I can not find his baptism but there appears to be enough proof that they indeed had a son Stephen.

Sarah Ellis died 9 Jun 1844 at Winterborne Stickland and was buried there 13 Jun 1844. Sarah was the daughter of Ellis Ellis and Sarah Wellspring. The name Ellis Ellis quite intrigued me and I could not find his baptism for a long time actually until the Dorset records came up on Ancestry. Then I found that he was baptized 22 Jul 1719 at Winterborne Stickland and married to Sarah Wellspring 7 Mar 1738 at Winterborne Stickland. This couple had seven children all baptized at Winterborne Stickland, namely:

William baptized 29 Jan 1739 (married Mary Arnold 23 Mar 1761 at Blandford St Mary)
Jane baptized 28 Sep 1742 (married Melchizedek Pitman 2 Jul 1762 at Winterborne Stickland)
Elizabeth baptized 3 Feb 1744 (married John Upshall 16 Apr 1770 at Winterborne Stickland)
John baptized 18 Jun 1745, buried 18 Jun 1745
John baptized 14 Jun 1747
Susanna baptized 8 Dec 1751 (married Thomas Cocks 16 Jul 1772 at Winterborne Stickland)
Sarah baptized 5 Aug 1756 (married William Knight 7 Aug 1775 at Winterborne Stickland)

 I have found 29 grandchildren thus far for this couple (I have not yet located any children for John).

Continuing to look at the Ellis family Ellis Ellis was the son of Thomas Ellis and Mary Bound and they married 27 Dec 1703 at Winterborne Stickland. This couple baptized 6 children at Winterborne Stickland, namely:

Elizabeth  baptized 12 Nov 1704 (born 16 Oct 1704), buried 2 Mar 1705 at Winterborne Stickland
Mary baptized 29 Jun 1706 (born 17 Jun 1706)
John baptized 20 Mar 1708 (born 18 Feb 1708)
Thomas baptized 27 Jul 1712 (born 9 Jul 1712), buried 29 Aug 1712 at Winterborne Stickland
William baptized 29 Aug 1715 (born 24 Aug 1715), buried 2 Apr 1721 at Winterborne Stickland
Ellis baptized 22 Jul 1719

Their story was certainly one of loss as only three children appear to have survived although I have not yet found any details for Mary and John beyond their baptisms as there are too many marriages for Mary Ellis/John Ellis and not close enough to Winterborne Stickland.

When we visited the valley of the Winterbourn in 2008 I found it to be rather a beautiful setting. There was a slight mist over the rolling hills although you could see for miles. All farmland and possibly that was what it looked like then as well. What did Thomas Ellis do at Winterborne Stickland and where did he live before Winterborne Stickland? Both are mysteries to me. There are baptisms for a Thomas Ellis in the right time frame but all are in the Dorchester area. Because he named his first son John could he be the Thomas Ellis baptized 11 Nov 1687 at Longbredy although would have only been 16 at marriage? Could he be the Thomas son of Thomas baptized 5 Dec 1662 at Rampisham? He named his second son Thomas. A mystery not yet solved.

Ancestry of Sarah Ellis (including my line down to me)

1. Elizabeth BLAKE
2. Ernest Edward George BLAKE (b 20 Aug 1904) - Eastleigh Hampshire England
3. Samuel George Blake (b 10 Feb 1875) - Upper Clatford Hampshire England
4. Maria Jane KNIGHT (b 27 Jan 1849) - Turnworth Dorset England
5. Samuel KNIGHT (b 25 May 1828) - Turnworth Dorset England
6. Ellis KNIGHT (b 17 Jan 1783) - Winterborne Stickland Dorset England
7. Sarah ELLIS (b 5 Aug 1756) - Winterborne Stickland Dorset England
8. Ellis ELLIS (b 22 Jul 1719) - Winterborne Stickland Dorset England
9. Thomas Ellis

It would be exciting to find more about Thomas and his grand daughter Sarah and perhaps in time that may happen.




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