Macro Mystery

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “Uncertain”.  I am uncertain who Charles Macro’s parents were.  There are a few possibilities but I have no definite evidence.

Charles Macro was born around 1780, probably somewhere in the vicinity of Barrow, Suffolk.  There were members of the Macro family living in and near Barrow at the time and some of them were named Charles but none were close to the right age to be my ancestor.

The first record I have of Charles Macro is of his marriage to Sarah Levett on 26 May 1807 in Denham, Suffolk.  Charles and Sarah had a daughter, Maria, born on 9 September 1809.  Sadly, Sarah died a few weeks later, I guess it is likely that she got an infection after giving birth.

Charles did not stay single for long.  On 22 October 1810, he married Ann Ashman in Ousden, not far from Denham or Barrow in Suffolk.  Ann Ashman had recently had and lost an illegitimate child, Abraham.  One of the witnesses of the marriage was Margaret Macro.  Could she be Charles sister?  Margaret was born 1784, in Dalham, the daughter or George and Elizabeth.  I have investigated George and Elizabeth Macro’s family and after marrying in 1779, the had several children with typical two year ago gap.  None of the children were called Charles. So, maybe she is a cousin instead?  In any case, Margaret is the best clue I have regarding Charles’ parentage.

Charles Macro and Ann had 5 children, George, Charles, Sally, Elizabeth (also known as Betsy and my ancestor) and Joseph.  The children were all born in Denham.  George died in 1844, leaving a wife and several young children.  Maria, Charles (jnr) and Betsy all married and had children.  Joseph did not marry and I am not sure what happened to Sally.

I know from the children’s baptism records that Charles was a labourer, most likely an agricultural labourer.  He would have been one of the many people who worked someone else’s land.  He likely lived in a cottage owned by the farmer.  His wife and children may have worked as labourers as well.  It was as difficult time to be a labourer on a farm as wages were low due to changes in how they were calculated and due to the impact of the Napoleonic wars.  By the 1820s and 1830s, there were riots with people protesting against hardship.

At the time of the 1841 Census, Charles was living in the hamlet of Dunstall Green near Denham, with his wife Ann, daughter Betsy, son Joseph and Betsy’s illegitimate daughter Emma.  Ann’s (presumed) mother was living nearby and a bit further along was James Todd, Betsy’s future husband (he was not Emma’s father).  A few houses in the in the other direction was the local pub, “Denham’s Plough”.

Charles Macro’s wife, Ann, died of dropsy (oedema) on 11 March 1845, aged 67.

Sadly for my research, the 1851 census for Dunstall Green is missing.  This would have had a place of birth for Charles Macro, which might have helped me to locate his parents.

Charles Macro died in July 1853 in the Workhouse at Bury St Edmunds.  I don’t whether he had been a resident for a while due to not being able to work because of an infirmity or if he was admitted just before he died due to ill health.  He was buried in Denham on 3 Jul 1853.

I am still searching for his parents.  A lot of Suffolk records are not available online, so maybe I need to go on another trip to Bury St Edmunds to visit the record office.

 

Notes on lineage: Me > Dad > John Edward Blake > James William Blake > Eliza Todd > Betsy Macro > Charles Macro