In the previous post (Selway of Somerset - part 1) I pointed to a Find a Grave memorial which says about Mary Selway, daughter of James and Eliza (formerly Maidment): "James and daughter, Mary, went back to England to settle an estate when
James became sick and died in Somersetshire. Mary stayed in England." The source is quoted as "Beaverhead Co. History Book, Vol. II".
Elsewhere (Tribune-Examiner, September 03, 1980, Page 19), the same details and more are found. I read in that Centennial Edition of the newspaper about the children of James and Eliza in Beaverhead County, Montana, "The four boys took up homesteads in the county. [...] The girls married local ranchers except for daughter Mary who remained in England after her father's death and married Tom Porch in Somersetshire. When her two sons, Henry and Tom Porch, were grown they came to Dillon to ranch".
A family memoir available on the internet (by Florence Carter Backus, 1952) says much the same, "James Sr. and daughter Mary (oldest child) returned to England to visit. James died there. Mary stayed there and raised a family."
All these sources, and some others, suggest that Mary Selway returned to England, remained in England, married in England and had children in England.
However, although parish records show that Thomas Porch was baptised in North Wootton, Somerset, England, civil records in the USA show a marriage between Mary Selway and Thomas Porch in Wisconsin, in 1849, a few years after the Selway family emigrated. Then in the same place four children were born to Mary and Thomas Porch.
All things considered, the return trip to England seems not to have been James Selway and an unmarried daughter Mary Selway. It was James Selway, his married daughter Mary Porch plus Mary's husband Thomas and their children. The long journey included three generations of a family across an age range of under 5 years old up to about 75 years old.
Thursday 27 June 2019
Wednesday 19 June 2019
Selway of Somerset - part 1
Puzzle pieces and solutions come in all shapes and sizes. James Selway, my great-great-great-great-uncle, was baptised, married and buried in the same church - St Mary Magdalene, Chewton Mendip, Somerset, England. All of his brothers and sisters were baptised in the same church across a period of more than 20 years.
Their father before them, also James Selway, was baptised (1755) and buried (1816) in the same village, although he had married Mary Porch (1781) in her parish church of St Peter North Wootton nearly 10 miles away. These were my great-great-great-great-grandparents.
James Selway, son of James and Mary, was married in 1829 to Eliza Maidment and they were recorded in the 1841 census with seven children living at Double House, East End (note: map drawn in 1884). An eighth child was born the following year. Then the whole of this family disappeared from Chewton Mendip until 26 years later when James was buried there in 1868, noted as age 78. I will not list the unsuccessful approaches which I tried to find them in the intervening years ...
Then I came across the Find A Grave memorial entry for Eliza. The record matches her first name, maiden name and married surname, as well as mentioning Chewton Mendip. It told me that she died only two years after her husband James but more than 4,500 miles away!
Wonderfully, that database includes a biography for Eliza which says, "James and daughter, Mary, went back to England to settle an estate when James became sick and died in Somersetshire." In fact many people have recorded information about this pioneer family, which included another child who was born in the USA. The sources are rather varied, such as:
Their father before them, also James Selway, was baptised (1755) and buried (1816) in the same village, although he had married Mary Porch (1781) in her parish church of St Peter North Wootton nearly 10 miles away. These were my great-great-great-great-grandparents.
James Selway, son of James and Mary, was married in 1829 to Eliza Maidment and they were recorded in the 1841 census with seven children living at Double House, East End (note: map drawn in 1884). An eighth child was born the following year. Then the whole of this family disappeared from Chewton Mendip until 26 years later when James was buried there in 1868, noted as age 78. I will not list the unsuccessful approaches which I tried to find them in the intervening years ...
Then I came across the Find A Grave memorial entry for Eliza. The record matches her first name, maiden name and married surname, as well as mentioning Chewton Mendip. It told me that she died only two years after her husband James but more than 4,500 miles away!
Wonderfully, that database includes a biography for Eliza which says, "James and daughter, Mary, went back to England to settle an estate when James became sick and died in Somersetshire." In fact many people have recorded information about this pioneer family, which included another child who was born in the USA. The sources are rather varied, such as:
- an article in a newspaper Centennial Edition, Dillon Tribune-Examiner, Sept 03, 1980, Page 19,
- a 119 page scholarly work with the title "Ranching in Beaverhead County, 1863-1960" from Liza Nicholas, Graduate School, the University of Montana,
- a memoir called "Origin of the Selways" written by Eliza's granddaughter Florence who was born in 1884 and
- an audio memoir by Florence on YouTube!
Tuesday 11 June 2019
The Penny Husbands
In the previous post we distinguished between two men called Edward Turton and their respective spouses (The Turton Wives). From FreeBMD we can know that since civil registration began in England and Wales there have been over 70 marriage registrations with the name Edward Turton.
By contrast FreeBMD shows only seven marriage registrations for the name Jabez Penny. Sounds like an easier starting point. However, there are three birth registrations for Jabez Penny within a two year period of time (with just one earlier birth and another entry a generation later). Selecting the relevant details for the person of interest was achieved by piecing together information about the life of each of five people with the same name.
Jabez John Penny, son of Robert and Ann, was born in Kent in 1841. He became a school master like his father before him. Jabez married Mary Hanson Jones, daughter of a school master and a teacher herself, in 1866 in Portsea, Hampshire. His widow died in 1917, age 77. It is possible that his death was the one registered in the same district 18 years earlier as John Penny.
In Bristol, James Penny married Celia Legg in 1850, they had a son Jabez Penny in 1851 who died aged 1 in 1852. Then they gave the same name to another son who was born in 1853 and baptised on Christmas Day. Their second Jabez married firstly in 1875 to Margaret Wood who unfortunately died within a year. Then he married Caroline Baker in 1881, had various roles related to making and selling paper, died in Barnstaple, Devon in 1919, age 66, and is buried in the town cemetery with his wife Caroline's name on the grave monument.
Between those two births, a Jabez Penny was born in 1852 in Wiltshire to Henry (Harry) Penny and Harriett (Harriet) formerly Burton, who had married in 1838. This Jabez, a labourer, was married first in 1874 to Dinah Ann Kiddle, age 18, but sadly she died before their 10th wedding anniversary. He went on to marry Rebecca White, age 26, in 1886, who lived until 1913, a marriage of 27 years, during which time he progressed to being a road foreman working for the district council. Then in 1914, in his early 60s, Jabez married the much younger Kate Elizabeth/Elizabeth Kate Elcock who was age 25 and their marriage continued for 24 years until his death age 85 in 1938.
In Essex, Thomas David Penny, a millwright who had been born in Brighton, Sussex, and his wife Agnes had their Jabez Penny in 1888. He married Mabel Simpson in 1920 and died in 1962 age 74.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any corrections or further insights. However, beware if you are checking against compiled information available on the internet because several sources have muddled up these Penny people.
By contrast FreeBMD shows only seven marriage registrations for the name Jabez Penny. Sounds like an easier starting point. However, there are three birth registrations for Jabez Penny within a two year period of time (with just one earlier birth and another entry a generation later). Selecting the relevant details for the person of interest was achieved by piecing together information about the life of each of five people with the same name.
Jabez John Penny, son of Robert and Ann, was born in Kent in 1841. He became a school master like his father before him. Jabez married Mary Hanson Jones, daughter of a school master and a teacher herself, in 1866 in Portsea, Hampshire. His widow died in 1917, age 77. It is possible that his death was the one registered in the same district 18 years earlier as John Penny.
In Bristol, James Penny married Celia Legg in 1850, they had a son Jabez Penny in 1851 who died aged 1 in 1852. Then they gave the same name to another son who was born in 1853 and baptised on Christmas Day. Their second Jabez married firstly in 1875 to Margaret Wood who unfortunately died within a year. Then he married Caroline Baker in 1881, had various roles related to making and selling paper, died in Barnstaple, Devon in 1919, age 66, and is buried in the town cemetery with his wife Caroline's name on the grave monument.
Between those two births, a Jabez Penny was born in 1852 in Wiltshire to Henry (Harry) Penny and Harriett (Harriet) formerly Burton, who had married in 1838. This Jabez, a labourer, was married first in 1874 to Dinah Ann Kiddle, age 18, but sadly she died before their 10th wedding anniversary. He went on to marry Rebecca White, age 26, in 1886, who lived until 1913, a marriage of 27 years, during which time he progressed to being a road foreman working for the district council. Then in 1914, in his early 60s, Jabez married the much younger Kate Elizabeth/Elizabeth Kate Elcock who was age 25 and their marriage continued for 24 years until his death age 85 in 1938.
In Essex, Thomas David Penny, a millwright who had been born in Brighton, Sussex, and his wife Agnes had their Jabez Penny in 1888. He married Mabel Simpson in 1920 and died in 1962 age 74.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any corrections or further insights. However, beware if you are checking against compiled information available on the internet because several sources have muddled up these Penny people.
Monday 3 June 2019
The Turton Wives
In the 1881 census, in the High Street of Brading, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, we find Edward Turton in a household with two entries for Wife - Hannah and Elizabeth. Shocking!
Reading the names on the page carefully, in sequence, with their respective ages, we see:
Searching FreeBMD shows the following marriage couples in the Isle of Wight:
The 1881 census records occupations for the men and the women too:
Reading the names on the page carefully, in sequence, with their respective ages, we see:
- Edward Turton, Head, age 71
- Hannah Turton, Wife, age 61
- Edward Turton, Son, age 31
- Elizabeth M Turton Wife, age 32
Searching FreeBMD shows the following marriage couples in the Isle of Wight:
- Edward Turton and Hannah Westcott married in 1846
- Edward Turton and Elizabeth Marshall Fowler married in 1880
The 1881 census records occupations for the men and the women too:
- Edward senior - Hairdresser Employing 2 Men, with an Apprentice Hairdresser in the household, age 16.
- Edward junior - Hairdresser
- Elizabeth - Ladies Hairdresser
- Hannah - Lodging House Keeper, with a Domestic Servant in the household, age 18.