Travelling Brothers

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “immigration”.  In addition, I have been investigating the Shephard family recently after finding some DNA Matches with some distance cousins.

My ancestor George Shephard was born in Charleton, Devon, England on 4 September 1835.  He was the fifth child of John Camp Shephard and Priscilla Goodyear.  I have previously written about Priscilla.  John and Priscilla’s other children were Jane, Susan, George (who died age 2 in 1829, so the name was reused), Mary Ann and Samuel.  Prior to marrying Priscilla, John was married to her sister Susanna.  Marrying a dead spouses sibling was a forbidden degree of affinity at the time but it happened, anyway.  John had 5 children with Susanna, John, Maria (died age 2 in 1817), Maria (born shortly after her sister of the same name died), William and Phillip.

A DNA Connection

It is a while since I have posted a story and this ones comes with thanks to close relatives who have done DNA tests.

Mary Head’s origins were unknown to me until I solved the puzzle using DNA*.

May Head was born about 1768 in Willingdon, Sussex, a village just north of Eastbourne. Willingdon is thought to be the setting of George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm”.  Mary was the daughter, and oldest child, of Edward Head and Elizabeth Balcomb**.  Her siblings, also born in Willingdon, were Edward, James, William, Henry (or Harry), John and Elizabeth. My uncle and I share DNA with descendants of Edward and John.  Curiously, Edward and his family lived very close to where I now live.

14 Children

 As it is Women’s History Month and was International Women’s Day this week, I thought I would share stories about a couple of my more prolific female ancestors.  My first subject is Caroline Rideout, another will follow in a week or so.

Caroline was the eighth of nine know children of James Rideout and Caroline Bennett. Caroline was born 4 April 1844 in Menangle near Camden, New South Wales, Australia.  Her parents had arrived in Australia six years earlier and I have written about them previously.  Her oldest surviving sister, Martha, married when Caroline was just 2 years old.

The Bowie Family

My ancestor William Bowie was born about 1761 in New Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.  He was the ninth of ten known children of James Bowie, originally of Denny, Stirlingshire, and his wife, Margaret Tyre.  William Bowie’s siblings were John, Margaret, Janet, Agnes, Christian, James, Elizabeth, William (born c. 1757, died as an infant) and Robert.

Brothers John and James Bowie both migrated to the Americas.  John Bowie was an officer, a Major, in the US Revolutionary Army.  He married Rosa Reid, the daughter of another officer.  John Bowie settled in Abbeville, South Carolina, where he owned land and other property, including an enslaved Negro woman named Cate, who was left along with any issue she had to his daughter Rosa in his will.  It is uncomfortable to think of a not-so-distant relative being a slave owner, however I felt that it was right to share what little I know of Cate’s story.

Too Many Too Young

This post is prompted by the #52ancestors prompt “Negatives”.  One of the negatives of researching family history or, indeed, any history, is high infant and childhood mortality. I thought I would write about one family who suffered more than their fair share of such loss.

Robert Charley was born around 1734 in Combe Martin, Devon, a picturesque town on the north Devon coast.  He was baptised in the parish church on 11 September 1734. Robert was a younger child on Richard Charley and his wife Joan Willis.  Unfortunately, the baptism registers have a gap from 1725 to 1731, so I don’t know about any children born in that period.  Robert’s known siblings were Elizabeth, Richard, William, Mary and another Mary.  The first Mary died in infancy and it was common practice to reuse the names of dead children.  Brother Richard also appears to have died young in 1737, aged about 20; I don’t know about Elizabeth and the second Mary.

Neighbours

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Courting”.  It is the story of a couple who were neighbours in London before they married, Samuel Joseph George Elliston and Elfrida Mary Buss.  Yes, they both had names that are a bit of a mouthful, but appear to have been more commonly known as George and Ella or Ellen.

A Painter and Decorator

 It is a while since I have written about one of my male paternal ancestors, so I picked Thomas Tomlinson.

Thomas Tomlinson was born around 1819 at Bracken Hill, in Ackworth, Yorkshire.  He was the eighth child of John Tomlinson and Mary Brownbridge. His siblings were William, Elizabeth, John, George, Ann, Joseph, Jane, Charles, Sarah and Maria.  He was baptised on 7 November 1819 at Ackworth Parish Church.

Ackworth was and is a rural area. Record show that father John Tomlinson mostly worked as a farmer or farmer labourer, apart from a brief stint as a labourer just before Thomas was born.

I don’t know much about Thomas Tomlinson’s childhood but he signed his marriage certificates with a fluent signature, so at some point he got an education.  He may also have had the opportunity to learn some music as later in life he played violin well enough to play in public.

In his teens, Thomas must have learned his trade as a painter, gilder and decorator.  I haven’t found an apprenticeship record yet.

On 3 December 1840, Thomas Tomlinson married Martha Denton.  Thomas and Martha had at least four children: Sarah, Jane, Henry and Eliza Ann, before Martha died in February 1853.  There is a seven-year gap between Henry and Eliza Ann, so there may have been other children who I haven’t found yet.

Sometime between 1844 and 1851, Thomas and his family moved to Batley, where his brother John was already living.  Batley was a bustling industrial town so may have offered more opportunities for a young house painter.

In the 1851 Census, Thomas and family were living in Commercial Street in Batley.  The household included Stephen Briggs, an apprentice painter, who I think was Thomas’s nephew.  At this time, Thomas employed one man in his painting business.

Somehow, not long after his first wife died, Thomas met Jane Pearson, who was from Kirkland near Penrith, Cumberland, and in 1851 was a servant in Cheshire.  Thomas and Jane married in Dacre, Cumberland on 21 November 1853.  Thomas and Jane had five children in quick succession: Hannah Maria, John, Ann, Mary Brownbridge and Frances Elizabeth (my ancestor).  Frances was born on 11 March 1860 and Jane died on 27 March 1860 from haemorrhaging following her daughter’s birth.

Thomas Tomlinson’s spinster sister Maria was evidently available to help look after her nieces and nephews when needed.  In the 1861 census, she was part of the household, along with her and Thomas’s nephew George who was an apprentice learning the painter trade from his uncle.  By this time, Thomas employed two men and two boys, so was doing well.

By the time of the 1871, Thomas ruled over a household of 11 people, including his niece Sarah Ann Dunn who was a servant and sister Maria still providing child care.  He now employed 10 men and one boy, so business was booming.

In 1879, Thomas acquired a third wife, Mary Ineson nee Brook, who brought four more children into the family from her first marriage: William, Frederick, Julian and Gertrude.

By 1881, Thomas was employing 8 men and 5 boys, so still doing well.

In addition to him playing the violin, I have found further information about Thomas Tomlinson from Newspapers.  Thomas was actively involved with Zion Methodist Church in Batley musically, socially and financially. One of his close friends, also a member of the church for some time, was Reuben Blakeley.  Reuben migrated to New Zealand where he was a notable musician and composer.  He composed a hymn for Thomas’ funeral.

On 18 Dec 1898, Thomas Tomlinson died, age nearly 70.  From humble circumstances, he became a very successful painter and decorator in Batley.  When probate was granted, his effects were valued at £17809 8s 1d.  I am sure that one penny was important.

Thomas was buried at Batley Cemetery.

Notes on lineage: Me > Dad > Helen Akeroyd > Percy Tomlinson Akeroyd > Frances Elizabeth Tomlinson > Thomas Tomlinson