Jeremiah Rawlins (1755 - 1834)

52 Ancestor Challenge - Challenge 26

Blake, King, Coleman, Pearce, Farmer, Mary (unknown), Lambden, Sarah (unknown), Knight, Ellis, Knight, Vincent, Butt, O'Ford, Arnold, Molton, Cotterel, Bartlett, Alderman, Shepherd, Sherwood, Elizabeth (unknown), Happerfield, Collins, Rawlings, Tanner, Dove, Morgan, Lywood, Lanham, 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

Jeremiah (Jerome) Rawlins is another of my 4x great grandfathers. He has been known to me since the early part of my time in genealogy. I first met cousins online in 2006. From one of the cousins I received the fiche for Enford and I have imaged the records for the Rawlins family there. Jeremiah, unlike the rest of his siblings, was baptized at Netheravon instead of Enford. Fortunately my cousin had obtained that record as well and the priest has noted that Jeremiah was of Enford when he was baptized. Of note, the Rawlins family lived right at the edge of  the village of Enford close to Netheravon and perhaps on that day or at that time it was just more convenient to have Jeremiah baptized at Netheravon.

Jeremiah was married to Sarah Tanner at Tilshead 1 Nov 1780 and again the priest made a notation that Jeremiah was of Enford.

,

Note the spelling of Rawlins as Rallings. This Rawlins family did not begin to spell their name Rawlings until the early to mid 1800s. Some of my cousins still use the Rawlins spelling for their surname (particularly in Australia).

Jeremiah and Sarah baptized eight children at Enford, 1 baptism not found:

Elizabeth baptized 26 Aug 1781 and married to William Hurkett 10 Feb 1808 at Enford
Thomas baptized 20 Sep 1783 and married to Mary Dove 9 Dec 1807 at Woodford
Anne baptized 6 Dec 1785 and likely dead by 1793
John baptized 8 Oct 1786 (his only son William emigrated to Australia)
Jeremiah baptized 13 Feb 1790 (went to Australia)
Anne baptized 4 Apr 1793; buried 7 Dec 1793 at Enford
William baptized 5 Mar 1797
Anne baptized 5 Mar 1797
James born circa 1801 and married to Ruth Lay 24 Apr 1828 at Enford

My line descends down through Thomas married to Mary Dove and lately correspondence has indicated that my original thought that Thomas may have served in the Napoleonic Wars including being in Canada may be correct. There is a descendant of a child of a Thomas Rawlings born in North America. There is also a daughter Harriet born circa 1813 in Wiltshire but deceased likely by 1819. Thomas and Mary were married 9 Dec 1807 at Woodford. A search of this parish register does not show any Rawlins/Rawlings families there other than this marriage of Thomas and Mary. Mary was of the parish of Woodford although no baptism has been found for her there. They have six children known by me:

Harriet 1813
Isaac 1818
Harriet 1819
Jeremiah 1821
Jane 1823
William 1825 (and my ancestor)

William Rawlings married Elizabeth Lywood 22 Sep 1849 at Amesbury and they had seven children:

George born circa 1851 at Milston married Mary Ann Mead
Harriet born circa 1852 at Enford and married to Charles C Butler mar quarter 1869 at Devizes
Elizabeth born 19 Oct 1853 at Enford and married to William Taylor 11 Feb 1882 at Ludgershall
Mary Jane born circa 1856 at Enford
William born circa 1858 at Enford and married Jane Barlow jun quarter 1883 at Collingbourne Ducis
David born circa 1863 at Enford and married Hannah Elizabeth Broadhurst dec quarter 1891
Sidney Herbert born circa 1870 at Collingbourne Ducis and married Lily Sherwood 10 Oct 1892 at Abbots Ann

My ancestor was Elizabeth and she had a child before her marriage to William Taylor named Ada Bessie Cotteril Rawlings baptized 27 Aug 1876 at Kimpton, Hampshire. Bessie would marry Samuel George Blake 1 Jun 1903 at Kimpton and they were my paternal grandparents. On the 1881 census she is listed as Ada Rawlings living with her maternal grandparents at Collingbourne Ducis.

William Rawlings circa 1902













William and Elizabeth Rawlings get my vote for best grandparents ever as they took in their grand daughter at some point after her birth and baptism at Kimpton (her baptism was five months after her birth at Kimpton) and she perhaps remained with her grandparents until after her mother's marriage in 1882. On the 1891 census she is listed as Bessie Taylor living with her step father, mother and siblings. She then married as Edith Bessie Taylor and I have it on good reference that Ada pronounced by a Wiltshire resident could well sound like Edith by the time it is recorded as such in Kimpton. My father mentioned that he had three grandfathers although only met the one shortly before he came to Canada. My grandmother did know she was illegitimate as her step father signed as a witness on her marriage registration and the name of the father was blank. Perhaps the families decided that they would not marry. Such information did not pass down in my family or in the family of her step siblings.But it all worked out for the best for all parties it would appear as each went on to have their families and were content.

Back to Jeremiah my 4x great grandfather and he was a labourer. His father was William Rawlins and the marriage which another researcher (paid by my cousin) felt with a reasonable search was William Rawlins and Mary Ford 30 Sep 1741 at Wylye and I agree that this is the likely marriage for this couple. They had eight children and five of them were baptized at Enford. For the eldest Mary I have not yet found a baptism; I am missing one for Edward and the youngest, Jeremiah, was baptized at Netheravon.

Mary Rawlings born circa 1742 married Stephen Cotterel 28 Jan 1764 at Enford ( A grandchild of this couple would marry in Australia her second cousin William Rawlins (son of John).)
William baptized 17 Nov 1743 and married Mary Dyke 25 Sep 1766 at Enford
Edward born circa 1745 and married Ruth White 20 Jun 1766 at Enford
Elizabeth baptized 26 Jun 1747 and married Thomas Hillier 31 May 1772 at Enford
Thomas baptized 14 Jan 1748 and buried 11 Jul 1758 at Enford
Martha baptized 23 Jun 1751 and married Robert Matthews
John baptized 22 Oct 1752
Jeremiah baptized 13 Apr 1755 at Netheravon married Sarah Tanner 1 Nov 1780 at Tilshead

At this point William Rawlins and Mary Ford are elusive. Mary was buried 10 Mar 1789 at Enford. My object today is to learn more about William Rawlins and Mary Ford as I have not looked at this family for quite a long time. Solving the mystery of my grandmother happened back in 2006 following the purchase of eight birth/marriage/burial registrations that then permitted me to fit the family of Elizabeth Rawlins/William Taylor together with proofs. At that time I hypothesized a possible ancestry for William Rawlins which I put together from Family Search but discarded it. I have not yet found information for Mary Ford.

Searching for William Rawlins on Find My Past does verify the marriage at Wylye for a William Rawlins and Mary Ford. That this is my William and Mary is mostly based on the best fit - the only couple in the area that fits the description.

There is a baptism of William Rawlings 5 Jun 1716 at Box son of William and Ann and there is a marriage in 1750 at Box of William Rawlings and Mary West which eliminates this William from consideration. There is also a burial in 1760 of a William Rawlings at Box but could be the father of this William. The other baptisms would be underage.

There is a burial in 1759 at Charlton near Pewsey (six miles from Enford) that could well be William Rawlins. The last child born was Jeremiah in 1755. Back in 2004, 2005, 2006 I did a search on the Rawlins family in Family Search and discovered a William Rawlins baptized 6 Apr 1722 at Steeple Ashton son of John Rawlins and Ann Carrington who had themselves been married 21 Dec 1722 at Trowbridge (3 miles from Steeple Ashton). I also found a Mary Ford baptized Nov 1722 in Edington daughter of William Ford and Sarah Harding who had themselves been married 14 Apr 1718 at Edington. These two places are only 2.7 miles apart and just 11 miles to Wylye. They are both underage at the marriage in 1741 but why did they chose Enford to live in. Since William was a labourer he could well have obtained a position in that area noting that Enford is just 14 miles from Edington and 15 miles from Steeple Ashton. At the time this seemed rather fanciful and I abandoned the thought until I decided to write up William Rawlins as my 4x great grandfather and revisited these possibilities.

Looking at Ann Carrington she was baptized 25 Mar 1690 at Holt (2.3 miles from Trowbridge) so a reasonable distance. She was the daughter of Thomas Carrington and Anne Drewett who were themselves married 1 Aug 1687 at Colerne. Colerne is just nine miles from Trowbridge so not too far away. Thomas Carrington was buried 22 Jan 1717 at Holt and Anne Drewett was buried 3 Jul 1722 at Holt.

Looking at William Ford  baptized 15 Jan 1698 at Edington and he was the son of George Ford.

There is a John Rawlings baptized 21 Sep 1696 at Colerne son of William. There is a William Rawlings baptized at Steeple Ashton 16 May 1669 son of William.

Also baptized at Colerne children of William and Ann Rawlings:

Ann Rawlings baptized 17 Nov 1686
William Rawlings baptized 9 Jan 1689
Elizabeth Rawlings baptized 12 Sep 1692
John Rawlings baptized 21 Sep 1696
Thomas Rawlings baptized 14 Jul 1700
 
John, William, Thomas, Henry, Joseph and Gifford Rawlings/Rawlins are all baptizing children in this time period at Colerne.However this is the only John that fits into the marriage of John and Ann.

Looking at the places and events in which I am interested, John Rawlings/Rawlins baptized at Colerne son of William would appear to be an interesting possibility. Then this William perhaps the William baptized at Steeple Ashton 16 May 1669 also son of William. There is a William Rawlings baptized 23 Jan 1624 at North Bradley son of James (North Bradley is just 3 miles from Steeple Ashton).

There are a couple of marriages at Collingbourne Kingston for a William Rawlins - 1684 and 1694 with Anne Farmer and Ann Piper (widower at the second marriage). But it is 24 miles away so reluctant to look at that one too enthusiastically. 

I think the scenario John Rawlings baptized at Colerne son of William baptized at Steeple Ashton son of William baptized at North Bradley son of James sounds like a more reasonable lineage than moving large distances.

Ancestry of Jeremiah Rawlins:

1. Elizabeth BLAKE
2. Ernest Edward George BLAKE (b 20 Aug 1904) - Eastleigh Hampshire England
3. Edith Bessie TAYLOR (b 1 Apr 1875) - Kimpton Hampshire England
4. Elizabeth RAWLINGS (b 19 Oct 1853) - Enford Wiltshire England
5. William RAWLINGS (b 1825) - Enford Wiltshire England
6. Thomas RAWLINS (b 20 Sep 1783) - Enford Wiltshire England
7. Jeremiah RAWLINS (b 13 Apr 1755) - Enford (Netheravon) Wiltshire England
On examination the following appears interesting
8. William RAWLINS  (b 6 Apr 1723) - Steeple Ashton Wiltshire England
9. John RAWLINGS  (b 12 Sep 1696) - Colerne Wiltshire England
10. William RAWLINGS (b 16 May 1669) - Steeple Ashton Wiltshire England
11. William RAWLINGS (b 23 Jan 1624) - North Bradley Wiltshire England
12. James RAWLINGS

This is exciting to look at Rawlins/Rawlings once again. The spelling appears to be somewhat interchangeable in the records with notations being made that it is Rawlins in the Register and Rawlings in the Bishops Transcripts for the same record.

Looking a little more at Mary Ford wife of William Rawlins and married at Wylye, I had found possible parents earlier and I rather think these parents work very well. I am always somewhat troubled when you do not see the forenames appearing later (Sarah does not appear but looking at the marriage of Jeremiah Rawlings to Sarah Tanner which is a solid paper trail and Sarah does not appear in descending families in my line).The parents of this Mary could be William Ford and Sarah Harding who married 14 Apr 1718 at Edington. William is baptized at Edington 15 Jan 1698 son of George. There is a George Ford baptized 8 Apr 1672 at Edington son of William Ford. No marriage for George Ford that is reasonable but there is a marriage for William Foarde and Anne Horte 27 Oct 1662 at Colerne (Colerne is 13 miles from Edington). Another day I must get back to the Ford family. I will also work on the Sarah Harding family. Another time I shall work on the Rawlings family to see if I can find siblings and spouses for the possible ancestors of William Rawlins baptized 1723 at Steeple Ashton..

Sarah Tanner (1758 - 1835)

52 Ancestor Challenge - Challenge 25

Blake, King, Coleman, Pearce, Farmer, Mary (unknown), Lambden, Sarah (unknown), Knight, Ellis, Knight, Vincent, Butt, O'Ford, Arnold, Molton, Cotterel, Bartlett, Alderman, Shepherd, Sherwood, Elizabeth (unknown), Happerfield, Collins, Rawlings, Tanner, Dove, Morgan, Lywood, Lanham, 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 Tanner is my next 4x great grandparent to be presented in this 52 Ancestor Challenge. She was baptized 31 Dec 1758 at Tilshead daughter of John Tanner and Ann Stratton who were themselves married  27 Jan 1752 at Little Cheverell. Sarah's parent were a brick wall for me for a number of years. A researcher for whom I did a transcription (three pages) spent a little time with the Little Cheverell records at the Wiltshire Record Office but did not find any records for John Tanner or Ann Stratton other than their marriage in this village. A stroke of good luck occurred when I uploaded a new tree to Find My Past and I received hints. There was a pointer to Joseph Stratton and Rachel Whitley as the parents of Ann Stratton and that she was baptized 8 Oct 1731 at Winterborne Stoke. I have been a long time utilizing the power of the search engines at Find My Past and can now say that they are terrific. I am slowly following through on the hints which number nearly 600!

It has always been a mystery to me that Jeremiah Rawlings and Sarah Tanner married at Tilshead. The priest noted in the register that Jeremiah was from Enford thus locating him very neatly in my Rawlings family there. Jeremiah is a rather unusual forename in the Rawlings family thus making it doubly easy to connect him with his birth family. But why was Jeremiah in Tilshead? That is a story for another 52 Ancestor Challenge as Jeremiah will be next.

Sarah had one known brother John who was baptized 10 Mar 1756 at Tilshead. These are the only two births that I have found for this couple and the researcher mentioned earlier had looked for births at Little Cheverell where the parents had married in 1752 as four years is a long gap before children in this time period. Ann, mother of John and Sarah, was buried at Tilshead 2 Oct 1779 so plenty of time for more children. I do not however have any information on John Tanner her husband. Although there are hints I can not separate my John Tanner from any of these hints with any sense of correctness. I do not know when or where he died.

This day will be spent looking at possibilities for John Tanner to see if I can locate his baptism and the names of his parents. Since this family moves about a great deal I shall set my checking over a larger area than I might in general.

Possibilities for John Tanner

John Tanner baptized 26 Feb 1726 at Chisledon (21 miles from Little Cheverell) son of John Tanner and Elizabeth King

John Tanner baptized 29 Jun 1729 at Kington Saint Michael (20 miles from Tilshead, 16 miles from Little Cheverell) son of John Tanner

John Tanner baptized 30 Jul 1718 at Kington Saint Michael son of Thomas Tanner

John Tanner baptized 20 Sep 1717 at Bemerton (17 miles from Little Cheverell) son of William Tanner and Mary

John Tanner baptized 17 Nov 1728 at Draycot Cerne (16 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Isaac Tanner and Mary

John Tanner baptized 29 Nov 1717 at Colerne (16 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Benjamin Tanner 

John Tanner baptized 18 Sep 1726 at South Burcombe (15 miles from Little Cheverell) son of John Tanner and Constant

John Tanner baptized 29 Nov 1717 at Box (14 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Gideon Tanner and Jane

John Tanner baptized 27 Nov 1729 at Downton (24 miles from Little Cheverell) son of George Tanner and Jane

John Tanner baptized 25 Jun 1727 at Clyffe Pypard (16 miles from Little Cheverell) son of William Tanner and Elizabeth

John Tanner baptized 23 Aug 1724 at North Bradley (9 miles from Little Cheverell) son of John Tanner and Jane

John Tanner baptized 8 Jul 1727 at Melksham (9 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Townsend Tanner

John Tanner baptized 21 Sep 1719 at Maddington (8 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Thomas Tanner and Christian

John Tanner baptized 20 Nov 1716 at Maddington son of William Tanner and Alice

John Tanner baptized 13 Apr 1725 at Southbroom St James (6 miles from Little Cheverell) son of Edmund Tanner and Susana

Fifteen possibilities for John Tanner who married Ann Stratton at Little Cheverell. One item of interest is the naming of their first child John. Ann's parents were Joseph and Rachel. The children were named John and Sarah. Only four of the baptisms above have John as the father. Sarah does not occur at all. It does seem somewhat strange that Ann would name her first daughter Sarah with her mother named Rachel. Little Cheverell is fifteen miles from Winterborne Stoke but only six miles from Tilshead.

Rachel Strotton was buried 22 Oct 1734 at Winterbourne Stoke. Ann would have been just three years old and would have only known Jane as her mother as a child. Her younger sister Mary must have died as two children are named Mary by Joseph and Jane. Joseph Strotton married  Jane Ganger at Winterborne Stoke 12 Jan 1734 and baptisms for children of Joseph and Jane Stratton at Winterbourne Stoke:

Mary baptized 28 Jan 1735
Mary baptized 31 Aug 1737
Rachel baptized 17 Mar 1746

The Tanner family is a large one just in Wiltshire and finding the correct John Tanner will need some other evidence. I do have the marriage registration for John Tanner and Ann Stratton married 27 Jan 1752 at Little Cheverell but it does not provide any further information. Interestingly enough there is a will written by a Nicholas Tanner of Little Cheverell in the year 1565 where he mentions his wife Alice Tanner, his son Thomas Tanner, his son Hugh Tanner. His overseers are friends or neighbours. No mention of other relatives in this will. There is a Thomas Tanner father of John Tanner baptized 21 Sep 1719 at Maddington just eight miles from Little Cheverell.

It would appear that I need to do more work in Little Cheverell in case the Tanner family is simply not showing up in this area in the FamilySearch or FindMyPast records. Looking at other wills for the Tanner family in this area there is a will for Hugh Tanner dated 1600 and for a Christopher Tanner, husbandman, circa 1639 but neither of these two wills have been scanned to date. There are no wills for the Stratton/Strotton family at Winterbourne Stoke on the Wiltshire Record Office Search. However there are over 200 on the National Archives site for Stratton with 17 from Wiltshire, none appear to be useful. There is one will for Strotton on the National Archives website but again not in a useful time frame.

It would appear that my brickwall continues for John Tanner the father of Sarah Tanner my 4x great grandmother.

Ancestry of Sarah Tanner:

1. Elizabeth BLAKE
2. Ernest Edward George BLAKE (b 20 Aug 1904) - Eastleigh Hampshire England
3. Edith Bessie TAYLOR (b 1 Apr 1875) - Kimpton Hampshire England
4. Elizabeth RAWLINGS (b 19 Oct 1853) - Enford Wiltshire England
5. William RAWLINGS (b 1825) - Enford Wiltshire England
6. Thomas RAWLINS (b 20 Sep 1783) - Enford Wiltshire England
7. Sarah TANNER (b 31 Dec 1758 - Tilshead Wiltshire England
8. John TANNER

Will of Samuel Blake, Surgeon, Chipping Sodbury - Diocese of Bristol Wills on Ancestry, administered 26 Mar 1744

This is the will of Samuel Blake, Surgeon, who died intestate. There is a will in 1763 for Anne Blake at Chipping Sodbury as well but I do not think this is his wife mentioned below.

At this time I think I will leave him as being unrelated to the other Blake families at Chipping Sodbury until I am working on the family trees in this area.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 5 Nov 2014
Source: Ancestry – Diocese of Bristol Wills
Testator:  Samuel Blake, Surgeon
Place: Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England
Type of Record: Probate
Date of document:19 Mar 1743/44, administered 26 Mar 1744
Condition: 18th century English, legible copy


1    Know all Men by these Presents that We Anne
2    Blake of Chipping Sodbury in the County of Gloucester
3    Widow Thomas Blanchard of the same Taylor and Abraham
4    Tanner of the same Brickmaker
5    are held and firmly bound unto Martin Lord Bishop of
6    the Diocese of Gloucester
7    in the penal sum of five hundred pounds
8    of good and lawful Money of Great Britain to be paid unto the said Lord
9    Bishop or his Successors or to his Attorney his Executors Adminstrators or Assigns
10    To which Payment well and truly to be made We oblige ourselves
11    and every of us by himself for
12    the whole our and every of our Heirs Executors and Administrators firmly by
13    these Presents Sealed with our Seals dated the nineteenth day of
14    March in the seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign
15    Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain
16    France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so
17    forth And in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and fourty four
18    The Condition of this Obligation is such That if the above bounden Anne
19    Blake Relict and Administrator of all and singular the Goods
20    Chattles and Credits of Samuel Blake late of Chipping Sodbury aboves[ai]d deceased do
21    make or cause to be made a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods
22    Chattles and Credits of the said deceased which have or shall come to the Hands
23    Possession or Knowledge of her the said Anne Blake
24    or into the Hands and Possession of any Person or Persons for
25    her and the same so made do exhibit or cause to be exhibited into the Registry
26    of the Bishop  of Gloucester at or before the
27    last day of March next ensuing and the same Goods
28    Chattles and Credits and all other the Goods Chattles and Credits of the said deceased
29    at the time of his death which at anytime after shall come to the hands or Possession
30    of the said Anne Blake or into the hands
31    and Possession of any other Person or Persons for her do well and truly administer
32    according to Law And further do make or cause to be made a true and just Accompt
33    of her said Administration at or before the last day of January next
34    and all the Rest and Residue of the said Goods Chattles and Credits which shall be
35    found remaining upon the said Administrators Accompt the same being first
36    examined and allowed of by the Judge or Judges for the time being of the said
37    Court shall deliver and pay unto such Person or Persons respectively as the said
38    Judge or Judges by his or their Decree or Sentence pursuant to the true Intent and
39    Meaning of a late Act of Parliament made in the two and twentieth and three and
40    twentieth Years of the Reign of our late Sovereign Lord King Charles the Second
41    Intituled an Act for the better settling of Intestates Estates which limit and appoint
42    And if it shall hereafter appear that any last Will and Testament was made by the
43    said deceased and the Executor or Executors therein named do exhibit the same into
44    the said Court making Request to have it allowed and approved accordingly if the
45    said Anne Blake
46    above bounden being thereunto required do render and deliver the said Letters of
47    Administration (Approbation of such Testament being first had and made) in the
48    said Court then this Obligation to be void or else to remain in full Force and Virtue.
49    Anne Blake
50    Signed and delivered (being first
51    duly stamped) in the presence of
52    Francis Gold                              Thomas Blanchard
53    Samuell Hoptkins                       Abraham Tanner
    [Page 2]
55   
56    Sir Henry Penrice Knight Doctor of Laws Vicar General in Spirituals of
57    The Right Rev and Father in God Martin by Divine permission Lord Bishop of the
58    Diocese of Gloucester and of his Episcopal CVonsistory Official principal (lawfully
60    constituted To William Hughes Francis Gold and Henry Sharp Clerks Greeting We
61    do by these presents commit our power and authority to you in whose fidelity
62    we can confide to receive the Corporal Oath of Ann Blake widow and relict of
63    Samuel Blake late of Chipping Sodbury in the Diocese of Gloucester Chirurgeon
64    deceased well and truly to administer all and Singular the Goods rights and
65    Credits of the said Deceased and to exhibit an Inventory and render an Account
66    according to the Tenor of this underwritten Oath and moreover to see the Bond
67    annexed to these presents Signed Sealed and delivered by the said Ann Blake
68    together with two more good and sufficient Bondsmen and what ye Shall do in
69    the promises ye are to rectifie it to us our Surrogate or other competent Judge
70    in this behalf together with these presents on or before the eighth Day of
71    March next ensuing Given under the Seal of our Office this 21st Day of
72    February 1743
73    W: Mount Register
74    [Margin] Mrs Ann Blake
75    The Oath
76    You Shall Swear that you believe your late Husband died intestate that you
77    will well and faithfully administer his goods by paying his Debts so far as
78    his Goods will extend and the Law bind you that you will exhibit unto the
79    Registry of the Bishop of Gloucester a true and perfect Inventory of the
80    Goods Rights and Credits of the said Deceased and moreover render a true
81    just Account when you Shall be Swore to lawfully required So help you God
    Kiss the Book
83    The twenty sixth Day of March 1744
84    The above named Ann Blake was duly Sworn
85    according to the tenor of the above Commission
86    Before me
87    Francis Gold Clerk

Tanner family research

My Tanner family is virtually unknown to me and as mentioned yesterday Sarah Tanner (baptized 31 Dec 1758 at Tilshead) married Jeremiah Rawlings 1 Nov 1780 at Tilshead.

She was the daughter of John Tanner and Ann Stratton who were themselves married 27 Jan 1751 at Little Cheverell. A search through the parish registers at Little Cheverell did not add to any information on John Tanner and Ann Stratton. Ann was buried 2 Oct 1779 at tilshead. They had one other child at Tilshead John baptized 10 Mar 1756 also at Tilshead. But were they really married five years before they had children? None were baptized at Little Cheverell.

On the 1841 Census at Great Somerford (District 3, page 12) I find John Tanner 30 years of age and a cordwainer with his wife Kezia also 30, daughter Sarah 3 and son Jacob 1. John was thus born circa 1811.

Also on the 1841 census at Westbury (District 1, page 5) I find George Tanner 46 years of age with wife Fanny 48 years of age and daughter Elizabeth 12 and son Robert 9 and on page 6 John age 6 and Charlotte age 4.

In general the entries are for Great Somerford but also Chippenham, Westbury, St Thomas and Corsham. Is it possible that my Tanner family came down from north western Wiltshire to the Little Cheverell area and got married and then moved on to Tilshead just for this generation? No ideas on that but will pursue on the next Tanner Research Day.

Rawlin[g]s Family of Enford, Wiltshire

Depending upon which cousin I write to the spelling of this surname varies between Rawlings and Rawlins. My 3x great grandfather Thomas spelled his name Rawlins but his son William (my 2x great grandfather) spelled his name Rawlings. Elizabeth, the daughter of William and my great grandmother, spelled her name Rawlings.


Elizabeth Rawlings was born 19 October 1853 at Enford, Wiltshire the daughter of William Rawlings and Elizabeth Lywood who were themselves married 22 Sep 1849 at Amesbury, Wiltshire which is seven miles south of Enford or 3 miles south of Milston where Elizabeth lived. I suspect that they ran away to be married. William and Elizabeth had seven children: George, Harriet, Elizabeth, Mary Jane, William, David, and Sidney Herbert. Harriet married  Charles Butler and died in childbirth although her son Thomas Butler survived. Charles remarried. Mary Jane does not appear to have married but the four brothers all married. I have met several of their descendants online at Genes Reunited.

William Rawlings was born circa 1825 at Enford but I have not yet found his baptism. He died 10 Sep 1902 at Ludgershall after being paralyzed for three years from a stroke. A picture I have of him is below. William's parents were Thomas Rawlins and Mary Dove who were likely married 9 Dec 1807 at Woodford, Wiltshire. However my proof for this is rather weak. They had six children Harriet born circa 1813, Isaac born circa 1818, Harriet born circa 1819, Jeremiah born circa 1821, Jane born circa 1823 and William born circa 1825.

As I will mention later with the Lywood family where George was in the 23rd Regiment of Foot and served in the Peninsular Wars and at Waterloo, I wonder if Thomas was also in the military but have not yet found any record of that. The birth of Harriet in 1813 and then Isaac in 1818 as the first children is quite suspect for someone being away in the military. The first Harriet must have died as the second Harriet arrives in 1819. I do know that Thomas Rawlins was baptized 20 Sep 1783 at Enford and that his wife Mary died sep quarter 1849 at Enford. Thomas died march quarter 1866 in Pewsey Registration District (Enford is in Pewsey). I do have the parish records for Enford Baptisms 1635 - 1813, Burials 1722 - 1813, and Marriages 1722 - 1837. I know that Thomas was not married at Enford. According to the 1841 census Thomas and Mary were born in Enford and circa 1786 but this age was rounded up or down depending on their actual age in this case the implied age is rounded to 55 years so somewhere around that mark and I know that Thomas was born around 1783 so he was rounded down to 55 years when he was actually 58 years of age. Mary did not survive to the next census so do not have any record of where she was born. On the 1851 census Thomas states that he was born at Enford. Living with him in 1851 is William and Elizabeth Rawlins (spelled that way but in the 1861 spelled Rawlings). They do not have any children in 1851 as George was born after the census was taken (their eldest child).

But continuing with the Rawlins family and Thomas was the son of  Jeremiah Rawlins and Sarah Tanner who were married 1 Nov 1780 at Tilshead (image acquired at Salt Lake City). The priest having kindly recorded that Jeremiah was from Enford although he spelled his surname Rallings and indeed he was baptized 13 Apr 1755 at Netheravon (just two miles away) although all the rest of his siblings were baptized at Enford.

The Church at Tilshead is a Grade I listed building dating back to the 1100s
 http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-319876-church-of-st-thomas-a-becket-tilshead-

I acquired an interesting list of the Vicars at Tilshead whilst at Salt Lake City in 2008:

1317  Adam de Newenham
13..    Henry de Rowde
1348  John Scoter de Mershton
1361  William de Mershton
1393  William Baroun or Brown
1399   Roger Mey
1403   John Bulwere
14 . .   William Penne
1422   William Frye
1423    Thomas Pule
14 . .    William Francombe
1443   John Lorde
1448   John Hyllynge
1456   William Grove
1460   John Putwell
1462   Richard Belle
1469   Thomas Philippes
1475   Thomas Lorde
14 . .    John Holes
1495   William Okey
1522   Robert Counetable
15 . .    William Merchaunt
1529   John Hobbes
1575   Edward Colthurst
1598   Henry Moore
1623   Richard Foote
16 . .   John Thornborough
1661   Henry Hoskins
1663   Anthony de la Court
1711   Thomas Higgons
1722   George Jacques
1772   John Edwards
1783   Lewis Jones
1803 3 Aug   David Williams
1836   Joseph Holden Johnson
1884 27 May   Horace Vere Thompson
1899   Hugh Corrie Frere
1903   3 Mar   Bernard Barton
1905   10 Nov   Henry Emery
1939   24 Dec  Wilford Gordon Griffin
1945   20 Dec   William John Freeman
1954   8 Dec Arthur Samuel Berry
1959   1 Jun   Cecil Ayshford Duke Baker
1963   12 Mar   Frederick George Chamberlain

I know that Jeremiah was the son of William and Mary Rawlins who lived at Enford but searching back through the Enford Parish Registers William and Mary were not married at Enford nor were they baptized there. They may be the William Rawlins and Mary Foord married at Wylye 30 Sep 1741. Mary was buried at Enford 10 Mar 1789. I did not find a burial for William at Enford. They had eight children:

Mary (not baptized at Enford) married Stephen Cotterel 28 Jan 1764 at Enford, one son Stephen Cotterel.

William baptized 17 Nov 1743 at Enford and married Mary Dyke 25 Sep 1766 at Enford and they had three children Anne, Charlotte and William

Edward was not baptized at Enford but he married Ruth White 20 Jun 1766 at Enford and they had five children: Mary, Anne, Elizabeth, Mary and John

Elizabeth was baptized 26 Jun 1747 at Enford and married thomas Hillier 31 May 1772 at Enford and they had nine children: Elizabeth, William, John, Jeremiah, Letticia, Rebecca, Sarah, David and Rosanna of whom only five survived past infancy

Thomas was baptized 14 Jan 1747 at Enford and buried there 11 Jul 1758

Martha was baptized 23 Jun 1751 at Enford and had a son Jeremiah Rawlins (reputed father Robert Matthews)

John was baptized 22 Oct 1752 at Enford

Jeremiah was baptized 13 Apr 1755 at Netheravon and married Sarah Tanner 1 Nov 1780 at Tilshead. They had nine children Elizabeth, Thomas, Anne (died as an infant), John, Jeremiah, Anne (died as an infant), William, Anne and James. I have been able to trace down the families of Elizabeth, Thomas, John and James.

The next research day I shall have a look at Find My Past for the Rawlins/Rawlings family. I could consider transcribing the Enford Parish Registers or the Protestation Returns for this area as I have images for both of these.

Will of Rebecka Blake widow of Hampstead, Middlesex - National Archives PROB 11/369/314, probated 18 Mar 1682

A valuable will for the family of Rebecka Blake but I couldn't find any information on a marriage of a Rebecka Tanner and unknown Blake. Her sisters Rachell married to Ambrose Beaton, Elizabeth married to unknown Howard, Susanna married to unknown Gumbleton and Hannah Tanner and her brother Thomas Tanner are all legatees as well as her mother Susanna.

Burial of Ambrose Beaton 6 Dec 1694 at St John at Hampstead, Camden could be one of the executors.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded:  19 Nov 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/369/314
Testator: Rebecka Blake widow of Hampstead
Place: Middlesex, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated:4 May 1681, probated 18 Mar 1682
Read: Electronic copy images
Condition: middle English writing legible, copy blotched for the first few lines and then clear

[Margin] T[esta]m[ent] Rebecka Blake

1    In the Name of God Amen I Rebecka Blake
2    of hampstead in the county of Middlesex widdow being weake in body but of
3    sound and perfect mind and memory (thanckes bee God Almightye)___regardeing the
4    certainity of death and the uncertainety of the time thereof (revokeing all former
5    Wills Legacies and bequests by mee made and given doe make and declare
6    this my present last Will and Testament in manner and forme following
7    (that is to say) First and principally I commend my soule into the hands of
8    Almighty God my Creator and of Jesus Christ my only Saviour and
9    Redeemer hopeing and stedfastly beleeveing through the meritts death and
10    passion of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to obtene free pardon and
11    forgiveness of all my sinnes and to inheritt life eternall in the Kingdome of
12    heaven with other the elect Children of God, My Body I comitt to the earth
13    in decewnt manner to bee buried at the discretion of my Executors hereinafter named
14    And for such Temporall lands goods and estate as it hath pleased God to blesse mee
15    with (my debts and funerall expences being thereon first paid and discharged) I
16    give and dispose of the same in manner and forme following (that is to say) Imprimis
17    I give and bequeath my brother Thomas Tanner the summe of threescore pounds
18    hee paying the Interest of it to my deare and loveing mother Susanna Tanner
19    so long as shee liveth Item I give and bequeath to my sister Rachell Beaton
20    the summe of Thirty pounds the Interest whereof I give to my mother dureing
21    her naturall life Item I give and bequeath to my sister Elizabeth Howard the
22    summe of Thirty pounds shee paying the Interest of it to my mother dureing her
23    naturall life Item I give and bequeath to my sister Susanna Gumbleton
24    the summe of Thirty pounds shee paying the itnerest of it to my mother dureing
25    her naturall life Item I give to my sister Hannah Tanner the summer of Thirty
26    pounds shee paying the interest of it to my mother dureing her naturall life
27    Item I give and bequeath to all my sisters Tenne children the summe of Tenne
28    shillings a peece then I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Gould Widdow the summe
29    of Tenne shillings Item I give and bequeath to Katherine Fisher at my sister
30    Beatons the summe of Twenty shillings Item I give and bequeath to my four sisters
31    and my brother Thomas Tanner All my plate Linnen and wearing
32    Apparell to bee equally divided among them five Item I leave the summe of
33    Twenty pounds to bee laid out upon my funerall and other charges and I ordaine
34    and make my brother Ambrose Beaton and Daniel Beare Executors of this my
35    present last Will and Testament hopeing they will fullfill it according to my
36    mind intent and meaning herein before expressed In witnesse whereof I have
37    hereunto sett my hand and seale the Fourth day of May Anno Domini One
38    Thousand six hundred eighty one etc the marke of Rebecka Blake Signed sealed
39    published declared and delivered by the Testator for and as her last Will and
40    Testament the day of the date in the presence of The mark of Eliza: Beare
41    the mark of Samuel Kent the mark of Katherine Derby Thomas Middleton

Dove Family at Woodford

The Dove Family at Woodford is one of my finds at Salt Lake City back in October/November 2008 and I am a long time getting back to looking at them and why I felt the evidence pointed to Mary Dove being the wife of Thomas Rawlins. Thomas Rawlins was baptized 20 September 1783 at Enford, Wiltshire. The Rawlins family had been at Enford since 1743 when their eldest son was baptized there. Thomas was a grandson of the couple that are first at Enford. I need to actually transcribe the Parish Registers for Enford to determine if there were Rawlin(g)s there prior to 1743 - visually I have not found any.

Jeremiah Rawlins (baptized 13 Apr 1755 at Netheravon, Wiltshire) was the father of Thomas above and he had married Sarah Tanner at Tilshead, Wiltshire 1 Nov 1780. When I found the marriage of William Rawlings and Mary Ford at Wylye I was not overly surprised at the distance as this family seemed to move about marrying. However, now that I have worked on French Canadian Parish Registers I need a little more now when I find these records although this was the only marriage that would work in the IGI and BVRI II for William Rawlins/Rawlings. However, as I mentioned in the Rawlings writeup I will continue hunting out more evidence for this marriage. The Jeremiah Rawlins and Sarah Tanner marriage is correct (Jeremiah is identified as of Enford). That brings me back to Thomas Rawlins and marrying Mary Dove at Woodford, Wiltshire 9 Dec 1807. Enter the 1841 Census where Thomas Rawlins is found with his wife Mary and two sons Isaac 25 years and William 15 years and at Enford, Wiltshire. The age of Thomas works (55 years and actual would be 58 so rounded down as per the instructions given to the enumerators) and the age of Mary is also 55. They are listed as being at Netheravon and I believe this family lived on the outskirts of Enford close to the outskirts of Netheravon so it is the enumerator's call likely as to where they are listed. I am lucky with this family as the 1861 census lists Thomas a widower, William and Elizabeth Rawlins (my 2x great grandparents) are living with him along with two of his sons and I am now realizing that Jeremiah is still there so he was not transported after all - the Jeremiah transported was sent in the 1840s to Australia. Always good to go back and check material.

But back to the Dove family and I found a marriage between William Dove and Jane Morgan 1 Jan 1783 at SaintThomas, Salisbury, Wiltshire. This William  Dove is perhaps the William Dove baptized 4 May 1755 at Woodford and the son of William and Mary Dove who baptized four children at Woodford and Mary was buried there 4 Jun 1787.

Children of William and Mary Dove

William (as above)
Samuel baptized 27 Mar 1757; buried 29 Nov 1758 at Woodford
Ann buried 30 Apr 1764 at Woodford
Robert baptized 30 Apr 1763; buried 30 Jul 1679 at Woodford

I did not find a marriage for William Dove and Mary at Woodford but this was at Salt Lake City and I did not spend a great deal of time reading back through the Parish Registers. There was a Mary Dove buried 30 Oct 1733 at Woodford as well. There was a Susanna Dove daughter of Mary Dove (widow) buried 14 May 1717 at Woodford.

I did not find a baptism for a Mary Dove between 1783 and 1798 at Woodford but I did find Robert Dove baptized there 14 Apr 1793 and buried 6 Aug 1793 at Woodford. No other children appeared to have been born to this couple.The beta site of the IGI lists a Mary Dove as buried 12 Jun 1787 at Woodford (no further information given). I would anticipate that her baptism/birth was likely in the 1780s because she married in 1807 at Woodford.

I need to further investigate the Dove family and purchasing the Woodford Parish Registers might be a good step. I shall investigate doing so for the next Dove day.

I also want to get back to working on our son-in-law's French Canadian Ancestry (Bédard, Dumoulin etc) and will now set up an hour each day to look at particular families. This process works very well for me and leaves me free in the morning to work on Blake and Pincombe or other material that comes to light. I also want to get back to entering books into Library Thing to complete that project.

Rawlin(g)s Family of Enford, Wiltshire and Blake One Name Study

As usual, I worked at the beginning of the day on my Blake One Name Study. I managed to find the correct partner for a number of the marriages in the 1911 census of England. I will continue working on the Hampshire Blake marriages to complete the time period from 1901 to 1911 in as much as possible. After that it gets easier as I have access to both FindMyPast and Ancestry for the UK Census from 1841 to 1901 (1911 for enumerator books). I may yet expand my FindMyPast membership to include the 1911 census - still thinking about that.

I also commented on the I2a2 DNA study which now has a Wiki. My Blake line is I2a2b with only one "match" which is only 8/12 but rather interesting because we are both so far away from everyone else to make us look like matches :) I was curious if anyone out there would comment and indeed I had a comment back from a member of the group who lives in Galway, Ireland. That was amazing and I commented how great it would be for a Blake to test who can paper trail himself back to the Blake family of 16th/17th century Galway. Who knows; it might happen and that would clearly establish whether or not these two Blake families are related - I do not think so but these days I wait for the results before actually deciding!

The family for me to look at today is the Rawlings family. This is my paternal grandmother's family line. Her mother was Elizabeth Rawlings daughter of William Rawlings and Elizabeth Lywood who married 22 Sep 1849 in Amesbury RD, Wiltshire which includes Milston (parish of Elizabeth Lywood). I have a picture of William Rawlings if anyone reads this and thinks they are related.

This picture was taken in the late 1800s and William is 75 years old. His death registration shows date of death as 10 September 1902.  William was possibly born at Enford or closeby but I have not located his baptism. I have not located the baptisms of his siblings either which makes me suspicious that they were perhaps baptized elsewhere and the records for elsewhere are not yet available on FindMyPast. My great grandmother was born at Enford according to her birth registration and the father of William was baptized at Enford thus leading to my suspicion that he was born at Enford. He is always on the census at Enford from 1841 to 1861. The second youngest child was born at Enford in 1863 and the last child was born at Collingbourne Ducis in 1870. I do have the fiche for Enford and did not find a baptism for William at Enford but they lived on the far end of Enford and could have readily baptized children at Netheravon (his grandfather Jeremiah was baptized at Netheravon) and I do not have those parish registers yet.

The children of William Rawlings and Elizabeth Lywood were

George born 1851 at Milston and married Mary Ann Mead by 1872 possibly at Ludgershall
Harriet born 1852 at Enford; died in childbirth 1874 at Devizes
Elizabeth (my great grandmother) born 19 Oct 1853 at Enford and married William Taylor 11 Feb 1882 at Ludgershall
Mary Jane born 1856 at Enford
William born 1858 at Enford and married Jane Barlow June quarter 1883 at Collingbourne Ducis
David born 1863 at Enford and married Hannah Elizabeth Broadhurst Dec quarter 1891 at Collingbourne Ducis
Sidney Herbert Rawlings born 1870 at Collingbourne Ducis in 1870 and married Lily Sherwood 10 Oct 1892 at Abbotts Ann, Hampshire

 Other than finding baptisms for William Rawlings and his siblings I have a fair amount of information on them. The parents of William Rawlings were Thomas Rawlins baptized 20 Sep 1783 at Enford and Mary Dove (younger sibling of Mary Dove was baptized at Woodford but when I checked the baptisms there is a gap. However her parents were married at Saint Thomas Parish in Salisbury 1 January 1783 so it is possible that she was baptized elsewhere. A quick check of FindMyPast with all the new Wiltshire records might reveal new information but I found nothing.

Children of Thomas Rawlins and Mary Dove and these children do not have baptisms at Enford. Why the surname now is spelled Rawlings is a mystery to me.

Harriet Rawlins born 1813
Isaac Rawlins born 1818
Harriet Rawlins born 1819
Jeremiah Rawlins born 1821
Jane Rawlins born 1823
William Rawlin(g)s (as above)

 I assume that Harriet (1) died before 1819. I am curious if Thomas was in the British Army and need to check that out. The marriage of Thomas Rawlins and Mary Dove was 9 Dec 1807 at Woodford. I do not find any other children born to this couple. I can not find many details on the siblings - Isaac never married, Jeremiah went to Australia I think.

Thomas Rawlins was the son of Jeremiah (Jerome) Rawlins and Sarah Tanner. The priest at Tilshead wrote that Jeremiah Rawlins was of Enford on the marriage registration dated 1 Nov 1780. Jeremiah was baptized 13 April 1755 at Netheravon and the priest recorded that his parents William and Mary Rawlins were from Enford. Sarah Tanner was baptized 31 Dec 1758 at Tilshead and the daughter of John Tanner and Ann Stratton. John and Ann had only two children, John was baptized 10 Mar 1756 at Tilshead and John Tanner and Ann Stratton had married 27 Jan 1752 at Little Cheverell. To date I have not discovered anything further on this family. Returning to Jeremiah he was the last child baptized in the William Rawlins and Mary Ford marriage. Mary Rawlins was buried 10 Mar 1789 at Enford; no burial date yet found for William Rawlins. If this is the correct marriage and I am still working on that they married 30 Sep 1741 at Wylye

Children of Jeremiah Rawlins and Sarah Tanner all baptized at Enford

Elizabeth baptized 26 Aug 1781 at Enford and married William Hurkett 10 Feb 1808 at Enford with children Rachel born 1816 and Charity born 1826 (census)

Thomas (as above) and died March quarter 1866 in Pewsey RD (need to purchase this death registration)

Anne baptized 6 Dec 1785 at Enford; likely died by 1793

John baptized 8 Oct 1786 at Enford and married to unknown with son William born 1814 at Enford (from this line many of the Australian Rawlins are descended and they have retained the Rawlins spelling)

Jeremiah baptized 13 Feb 1790 at Enford (he may have emigrated to Australia as well)

Anne baptized 4 Apr 1793; buried 7 Dec 1793 at Enford

William baptized 5 Mar 1797 at Enford

Anne baptized 5 Mar 1797 at Enford

James born 1801 and married Ruth Lay 24 Apr 1828 at Enford with sons George born 1829 and Thomas born 1840 (census)

The children of William Rawlins and Mary Ford were not all baptized at Enford; I need to investigate to see if I can find a baptisms for them at Wylye or closeby

Mary born 1742 and married Stephen Cotterel 28 Jan 1764 at Enford with son Stephen whose daughter Mary married her 2nd cousin William Rawlins (b 1814 Enford) and they lived in Australia.

William baptized 17 Nov 1743 at Enford married Mary Dyke 25 Sep 1766 at Enford and their children Anne baptized 3 Mar 1767 ; buried 9 Sep 1767 at Enford, Charlotte baptized 25 Aug 1771 at Chisenbury and William 5 Apr 1778 at Enford.

Edward born 1745 (baptism not found at Enford (I have the fiche)) married Ruth White 20 Jun 1766 at Enford and they had five children Mary baptized 2 Aug 1766; buried 21 Aug 1766 at Enford, Anne baptized 13 Jun 1767 at Enford, Elizabeth baptized 19 Sep 1768 at Enford, Mary baptized 8 Feb 1770 at Enford and John baptized 24 Sep 1776 at Enford.

Elizabeth baptized 26 Jun 1747, married 31 May 1772 Thomas Hillier at Enford and they had nine children all baptized at Enford (details available to anyone looking for this information)

Thomas baptized 14 Jan 1748; buried 11 Jul 1758 at Enford

Martha baptized 23 Jun 1751 at Enford married Robert Matthews with son Jeremiah baptized 12 Oct 1777 at Enford

John baptized 22 Oct 1752 at Enford

Jeremiah baptized 13 Apr 1755 at Netheravon

I can not move back from William Rawlins and Mary Ford until I can prove that this marriage is correct. I looked at the marriage at Wylye but only a typed transcript was available and this couple were married by banns. At some point I need to order the Wylye parish register fiche and will consider that for my next research day. Definitely the Rawlins were not at Enford before the 1740s - I have read the Parish Registers well back into the 1600s. Where were they before the 1740s is a mystery although it is interesting the Jeremiah (my 5x great grandfather) married at Tilshead. One is left to ponder if this is a family that lived permanently in another parish or moved about somewhat; certainly they spent the time from 1742 until the 1860s at Enford.

Finding an apartment

We, my daughter and I, spent yesterday looking at apartments via the internet. We found two very interesting ones and just have to wait now and see if they are available. It is fascinating hunting for an apartment one thousand miles away from your location on the web. You can go into Google Maps and trace the streets to locations and see the store fronts, the library and where you are going to work. The only thing you do not get is the real feel for distance although you can estimate just from the size of the houses/apartment buildings/etc.

We also went out shopping and found yet another pot of flowers (on sale) that will look great on the porch. We are going to have the engagement party for our daughter and future son in law in August and I want some plant pots to put around the back yard (hoping for a non rainy day!) since we will have a "tea" in the backyard for the announcement. We will be about 30 people so should be able to manage that fairly well plus there will be people dropping in probably during the two hours. Our gardens will just be at their best by August so should be quite lovely. Ed has put in a lot of bedding plants as per usual and more flowers this year than vegetables. We need fewer and fewer vegetables for just the two of us.

Hence I did not touch the Timberscombe Bishop Transcripts. I shall try to get in some time on them today but it looks to be another busy one so may not put in a lot of hours. I did spend some time looking at the Mecklenburg 1819 census for my husband's Schulz/Passow/Naumann ancestors. These records are totally in German but actually are fairly searchable on Ancestry. We know the birthplace for his great grandparents - Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Schulz was born at Brohm and Fredericka Rachell Naumann was born at Staven. We have parents for both and I hunted for them on the 1819 census but it will require extracting all the Schulz entries in the area and translating the entries to determine which one since there are many many Johann Schulz and also the second and third name entries. The same with the entries for Charles Naumann. He and Sophia may or may not have been married and it would be neat to determine that. We need to borrow the parish registers from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

An online friend has kindly said that he will check the Little Cheverell registers for a marriage between John Tanner and Ann Stratton which I have from the IGI 27 Jan 1752 at Little Cheverell. Although they marry at Little Cheverell both of their children Sarah (baptized 31 Dec 1758) and John (baptized 10 Mar 1756) were baptized at Tilshead where they appeared to have lived and I found a burial for Ann Stratton Tanner 2 Oct 1779 at Tilshead but no burial for John. I checked these records when we were at Salt Lake City in the Tilshead parish registers where I also found the gratifying confirmation that Jeremiah Rawlings who married Sarah Tanner at Tilshead 1 Nov 1780 was indeed Jeremiah Rawlings from Enford (hence my ancestor). Jeremiah and Sarah Rawlings were my four x great grandparents. Since it is 1752 I do not expect to find a lot in the entry but I may be lucky with the priest recording home parish if not Little Cheverell.

Tomorrow I want to work on the Bishop Transcripts as the day doesn't have anything scheduled yet!It will be nice when I am caught up to the Parish Register fiche so that I have that second check on the transcripts. They are a derived document from the original registers which, in this case, are missing for the 1600s up to 1656 although these Bishop Transcripts exist from 1599 to 1655 but have breaks (I am moving from 1611 to 1621 in this first large break).

Results of Research at Salt Lake City - 10 Nov 2008

Today was a sorting day looking at the various items that I brought back and deciding an orderly manner in which to transcribe or otherwise interpret them. My excel file of all the images includes the picture number, the area that was being researched (usually the village/town/city but sometimes the county only), the item that was being photographed and the date. That way I can sort it by image number, area, item or date. In retrospect it will be a workable system. Setting it up initially was a quandry as I didn't know at the beginning how many pictures I would take.

I decided to update my Legacy file as I never do that when I am on the road or away from my main computer researching. I always record all the changes in a word file although might actually enter them into the legacy file on my portable computer. I want to maintain the integrity of my Legacy file though and avoid making quick changes that haven't had time to "gel" in my mind. I had obtained a number of baptism, marriage and burial entries and that resulted in my deciding to update my webpage with five new family lines since I had acquired what I consider to be a sufficient number of details. This time it was the Durnford, Ellis, Hemsley, Hilton and Tanner family names that were added. I now have 39 surnames traced back in varying degrees on my webpage. I also have an *.pdf file associated with many of them (still remaining to do for the new additions today) which includes the marriage partner and date for each generation if known. I can extract the Relationship to me chart from Legacy and put it into an *.pdf file for ftp to my webpage. I have found this to be a very worthwhile use of my webspace as I have been receiving the occasional email from people asking about some of my information or whether I know where their family line fits in.

I believe I shall now split my effort a little between the land tax assessments for Devon and Protestation Returns into a table (I copied the originals) for use with my one name studies on Pincombe and Siderfin. I am considering putting my Lambden study in hibernation simply because I haven't had enough time to really get into the study and perhaps someone else will pick up this study if it isn't being worked on by me. Two studies appear to be sufficient work for me at the moment. I have entered four of the twelve charts that I received from the Pincombe one name study that existed before I took the task on and for the Siderfin I have managed to locate and put into family lines most of the Siderfin individuals that I have found in parish and civil records up to 1900 and these I have added to the excellent family chart made by James Hooper Saunders in 1910.

I am also planning to spend some time each day now on the Genuki Hampshire webpages. I wanted to go to England and see Hampshire myself before I put too much more effort into the pages. I am now satisfied that I can continue with this project and do it justice - not as much as a native Hampshire person but the best that I can do from afar.