When I first searched for the baptism of Isaac Farmer (husband of Elizabeth Lambden) back at the beginning of my research days in 2003, I only found one entry that would fit because I have both his death date and burial dates at Andover and his listed age at death. Even expanding that for a couple years either way led me to the same baptism for an Isaac Farmer son of John Farmer. John is my next 4x great grandfather to be reviewed in this 52 Ancestor Challenge. Can I find anything that will permit me to positively identify John as one of my 4x great grandparents.
Working first with Isaac who himself is a bit of a mystery in terms of what he worked at and why he died relatively young. My first sight of him was signing the marriage registration with Elizabeth Lambden with a perfect hand. His letters neatly formed and his signature a work of art really. They married 16 Aug 1789 at Andover St Mary. Elizabeth lived at Woodhouse and her father also neatly signed the marriage registration although not with as perfect a hand as Isaac. This couple were to baptize six children at Andover St Mary:
William baptized 16 Aug 1789
Sarah baptized 27 May 1792
Mary baptized 21 |Jan 1795
Martha baptized 9 Feb 1798
John baptized 20 Sep 1801; buried 3 Apr 1814
Ann baptized 11 May 1804 (and my ancestor)
Ann married John Blake 4 Sep 1823 at Andover St Mary. However did John who was born at Upper Clatford meet Ann? Upper Clatford is just 1 mile to the south of Andover but still Andover was a large town even in those days. Questions I could have asked my grandfather had I been older or had he lived younger but at the age of eight when he died I have only retained so much of what he did tell me. His grandmother Ann (Farmer) Blake had lived right next door to him in Upper Clatford until she died when he was eighteen years of age.
Isaac was buried 18 Mar 1808 at Andover St Mary when Ann was just under four years of age. No cause of death was given in the death register but his age was said to be 44 years which brings one back to 1764 and the baptism 6 May 1764 at Collingbourne Kingston does seem like a good fit; a reasonable area in terms of Andover since these two places are just eleven miles apart.
Returning to the story of John Farmer having set the scene. A new search has revealed documents held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre:
Reference: 9/12/77
Description:
Lease and release in fee, (1) John Farmer of Collingbourne Kingston, husbandman, and Mary, his wife, (2) William Macham of Doctors' Commons, in the City of London, Ll.D. House, garden and mead plot (½ a.) in the tithing of Brunton, in the parish of Collingbourne Kingston.
Consideration: £50. Bond for performance enclosed.
Date: 8-9 October 1756
Held by: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, not available at The National Archives
There are just the two John Farmers at Collingbourne Kingston and in 1756 John Farmer junior was married to Mary (unknown) and they had two sons William and John at that time.
Children baptized by John and Mary at Collingbourne Kingston:
William baptized 19 Mar 1753
John baptized 12 Dec 1756
Joseph baptized 9 Sep 1759
Jacob baptized 3 Jan 1762; buried 14 Aug 1764
Isaac baptized 6 May 1764
John himself is likely the John Farmer baptized 31 Mar 1717 at Collingbourne Kingston the son of John Farmer and his wife Mary Acars who were married 3 Oct 1709 at Collingbourne Kingston.She is quite likely the Mary Acres baptized 12 Oct 1681 at Collingbourne Kingston daughter of Thomas and Mary Acres.
Another interesting set of documents from the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre:
Reference: 9/12/73
Description:
Mortgage for £35 by lease for 500 years, (1) John Farmer of Collingbourne Kingston, husbandman, (2) William Mist of Collingbourne Kingston, yeoman.
House, garden and mead plot (½ a.) lying in the tithing of Brunton in the parish of Collingbourne Kingston.
Bond enclosed.
Date: 2 November 1730
Reference: 9/12/70
Description:
Feoffment, (1) John Reeves of Collingbourne Kingston, husbandman and Joan, his wife, (2) John Farmer of Collingbourne Kingston, husbandman.
House, garden and mead plot (½ a.) lying in the tithing of Brunton, in the parish of Collingbourne Kingston.
Consideration: £40.
Date: 15 March 1718
Held by: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, not available at The National Archives
The baptisms of William and John had listed John Farmer, their father, as John junior but the next baptism, that of Joseph, had been simply John and Mary Farmer but perhaps was just an oversight on the part of the priest. Mary the wife of John Farmer the elder was buried 8 Feb 1761 and in 1771 is recorded the burial of John Farmer 15 Oct. Was this John Farmer the elder? Do these land records all pertain to John Farmer senior?
Were both John Farmers on the same plot of land and were both husbandmen. There are a few other Farmer records at Collingbourne Kingston and I suspect they are all one family. I did photograph some of them but not a sufficient number to really put this family together accurately other than this father and son relationship.
The image of John Farmer, likely 5x great grandfather, is one of a husbandman who in 1718 (just after the birth of his son John in 1717) had obtained in consideration of £40 a piece of property that was to be utilized by both father and son until 1771 likely when John senior died (the land assessments in 1780 show Andrews on this piece of property).
Other Farmer records at Collingbourne Kingston imaged by myself or from Family Search (italics):
Thomas son of Thomas Farmer baptized 30 Apr 1674
Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Farmer baptized 15 May 1677
William son of Thomas Farmer baptized 29 Dec 1679
John son of Thomas Farmer baptized 30 Oct 1682
Susanna daughter of Thomas Farmer baptized 27 Nov 1685
Jane daughter of Thomas Farmer baptized 25 Sep 1704
John son of William Farmer baptized 25 Sep 1705
William son of William Farmer baptized 2 Apr 1708
Mary daughter of John Farmer baptized 4 Sep 1714
Sara daughter of John Farmer baptized 4 Sep 1714
John Farmer son of John Farmer baptized 31 Mar 1716
Mary daughter of William Farmer, labourer, baptized 17 Nov 1727
Ann daughter of William Farmer, labourer, baptized 4 Oct 1730
William son of William Farmer, labourer, buried 29 Mar 1732
Elizabeth daughter of William Farmer, labourer, baptized 27 Jul 1733
Sarah daughter of William Farmer, labourer, baptized 11 Apr 1737
Mary wife of John Farmer senior buried 8 Feb 1761
From Find My Past:
There is a marriage of William Farmer and Jane Sheffeild at Collingbourne Kingston 20 Feb 1704.
Ancestry of John Farmer:
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. Edward Blake (b 2 Jan 1845) - Upper Clatford Hampshire England
5. Ann FARMER (b 19 Apr 1804) - Little London, Andover, Hampshire England
likely
6. Isaac FARMER (b 6 May 1764) - Collingbourne Kingston Wiltshire England
7. John FARMER (b 31 Mar 1717) - Collingbourne Kingston Wiltshire England
8. John FARMER (b 30 Oct 1682) - Collingbourne Kingston Wiltshire England
9. Thomas FARMER
Did I solve the mystery as to whether or not John is absolutely mine? I think likely can be applied given the wide search for possibilities for Isaac Farmer's baptism. I have looked at my images again and added in some material from Family Search that permits the separation of the two families found in the 1700s into sons of Thomas Farmer (John and William). The marriage for each of these sons is now known with John marrying Mary Acres (daughter of Thomas and Mary Acres also of Collingbourne Kingston). I shall have to share this work with my Farmer cousin in England although he may have also discovered this material.
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