Finding William Jenkins

William Jenkins life story was my first big discovery after getting my DNA results a couple of months ago.

William Jenkins was born on 9 December 1783 in Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, not far from Birmingham.  He was the oldest known child (at the time of writing) of William Jenkins, a sawyer, and his wife Sarah.  I have yet to find a marriage for William (senior) and Sarah; they may have married in nearby Worcestershire, which is not well covered online and not so easy to research.  William and Sarah’s other children were Thomas, Jacob, Sarah and John. 

William Jenkins was baptised on 25 July 1784 in the Tanworth-in-Arden parish church.

I don’t have any information about his childhood.  However, William was educated enough to be able to sign his name and his signature looks well practiced.

William, along with his brothers Thomas and John, followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming sawyers.  A sawyer is someone who cuts wood with a saw.  Tanworth-in-Arden is a rural area that still has some forests, which presumably provided the wood that they cut.  Brother Jacob was a builder, so may have used the wood that the rest of his family sawed.

On 31 December 1804, William Jenkins married Mary Spicer in St Martin’s church in Birmingham.  William’s address on the marriage record is given as living in the parish but he may have only been living in the area temporarily.  Thomas Spicer and Martha Spicer were witness on the marriage record.

William and Mary Jenkins went to live in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, where the Spicer family lived, more than 15 miles south of Tanworth-in-Arden.  There they had four children: Sarah, William (my Ancestor), Ann and Maria. 

Mary died in January 1811, likely a few weeks after Maria was born.  Mother’s dying from complications or infection soon after birth was all too common.  Sadly, Maria died only a few years later in February 1814.  I don’t know what happened to the other daughter’s, Sarah and Ann.

Also in 1811, William’s brother Thomas Jenkins married Mary’s sister Elizabeth Spicer.  Thomas and Elizabeth lived in Birmingham after their marriage.

It seems that soon after the death of his wife, William moved to Aston in Birmingham.  He appears to have left at least one child behind in Wellesbourne, as Maria died there.  In Birmingham, William met Charlotte Hough and they married on 4 October 1813 in Handsworth Parish Church.  William’s signature in the Handsworth Parish Register is a close match to his 1804 marriage signature.  Sarah Jenkins was a witness on the marriage record but I am not sure if it was William’s mother or sister.

William and Charlotte had six children, taking William’s total to ten.  Their children were: Eliza, Maria*, Lucy, John, Jacob and Jane. 

Life may not have been easy for the Jenkins family.  William’s son William was a juvenile delinquent who was caught stealing a couple of times.  He was transported to New South Wales, Australia, for his crimes in 1827, where he became a farmer and had 14 children.

William’s parents, William and Sarah, were long lived, both dying in the 1830s.  His father lived to 93.

In the 1841 Census, William, Charlotte and their younger children were still living in Aston, in Moseley Street.

William worked at Crowley’s Timber Yard, Cheapside, Aston.  On 2 November 1846, William had apoplexy (possibly a stroke) while at the timber yard and died instantly, aged 62.  The coroner found that he died by a visitation from God.  William was buried on 8 November at St Philip’s Church, Birmingham.

His wife Charlotte only survived him by a few weeks and was buried at the same church on 28 November 1746, leaving behind a young family.

I have a DNA match who is a descendant of William’s daughter Maria Jenkins (the younger one), and this was my big breakthrough for finding out about William Jenkins life.  Previously, I only knew about his marriage to Mary Spicer. I also have a possible DNA match with a descendant of William’s sister Sarah that needs further investigation.  I am impressed with how much DNA has helped to reveal.

*Re-using the names of dead children was a common practice.

 

Notes on lineage: Me > Mum > Daphne Madge Smith > John Henry Smith > Louisa Jane Jenkins > William Jenkins (b. 1839) > William Jenkins (b. abt 1807) > William Jenkins (b. 1783)

One Mother’s Story

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Mother’s Day” in honour of Mother’s Day on 9 May in some parts of the world, including Australia.  I picked Mary Brownbridge because she had eleven children and she has an unusual surname.

Mary Brownbridge was born about 1783, in Pollington, a rural village in the parish of Snaith in Yorkshire.  She was baptised on 28 November 1783 in Snaith parish church.  Her parents were John Brownbridge and Mary Eastgate.  Mary was the sixth of their ten children.  Her siblings were John, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Bathia, Ephraim, Manassah, Anne, Isaac and Frances.  The unusual biblical names came from the Eastgate side of the family.

Father John Brownbridge was a wheel wright, so a tradesman.  I think life was not always easy for the Brownbridge family as three of the children died in early childhood: Ephrain, Manassah and Isaac.

I don’t know if Mary Brownbridge was educated.  She did not sign the marriage register on her wedding day.

Mary Brownbridge married John Tomlinson, a farmer or farm labourer from nearby Ackworth on 2 January 1803 in Snaith.  Mary was likely only 20, so a minor and her father appears to have signed the register to give his consent.

For Mary, becoming a mother may not have been straight forward.  The first child I have found for Mary and John was William, who was born on 24 February 1805, more than two years after the wedding.  I wonder if Mary miscarried or just failed to get pregnant in her first year of marriage.  Anyway, once she started having children, she had no problems with one successful pregnancy every two or three years for the next 21 years. John and Mary’s children were: Willam, Elizabeth, John, George, Ann, Joseph, Jane, Thomas (my ancestor), Charles, Sarah and Maria.  Through all her years of childbirth, she likely had support from her own mother, Mary Brownbridge nee Eastgate, who died in 1827.

Mary lost one child, Jane, in infancy.  I am not sure about two of her other daughters, Elizabeth and Ann.  Her other children lived to good ages, with Sarah dying 1912, so almost within living memory.  I share DNA with one of her son Joseph’s descendants.

In 1841, Mary and John were still living in Ackworth.  In the census, their household included Mary aged about 35, Ann age about 25, Martha aged 3, George aged 5 months and William aged 35.  The relationships are not listed but my guess is that William is their oldest son and I think Mary was his wife and possibly the mother of Martha and George.  Ann may have been John and Mary’s daughter.  John and William were listed as agricultural workers, so likely doing unskilled seasonal work on a farm, which was long hours and poorly paid.  At about 65, John must have been struggling.

Many of Mary’s children moved from Ackworth to Batley during the 1830s and 1840s.  I wonder if they were drawn by the better opportunities in an industrial town compared to the more rural are where they grew up.

Mary Brownbridge died in 1845 and was buried on 2 Jul somewhere in the churchyard of St Cuthbert’s, Ackworth, aged 62.  By this time, several of her children had married and she was a grandmother to at least seven children, as well as a mother.

While I don’t know much about Mary’s life, I do know that she brought up her children to be respectable and successful people.  Her son Thomas, my ancestor died with a fortune of nearly £18000, earned as a house painter and gilder, a long way from being an agricultural labourer. 

I carry a little of Mary’s children’s DNA so her legacy lives on.

 

Notes on lineage: Me > Dad > Helen Francis Ruth Akeroyd > Percy Tomlinson Akeroyd > Frances Tomlinson > Thomas Tomlinson > Mary Brownbridge

A Cousin Reveals All

I have known of William Thompson almost since I started my family tree over thirty years, however until recent weeks he wasn’t much more than a name and an occupation.  Searching for the name William Thompson in London is a challenge.  However, not long ago, I found a clue that led to some interesting discoveries.

William Thompson was born around 1793 in Southwark, Surrey, just south of the River Thames in what is now inner London.  He was baptised as St Saviour’s church on 9 Jun 1793.  His parents were Thomas and Esther Thompson.  William was the third of their six known children, although I suspect there could be others I haven’t found yet.   His siblings were John Thomas, Thomas (possibly died young), Esther, Thomas Henry and Sarah Elizabeth. Yes, they did like the name “Thomas”.

"St. Saviour's Church, Southwark, Surrey"
Copper engraved print published in The Beauties of England and Wales, 1815. Recent hand colouring. Size 15 x 11.5 cms including title, plus margins. Ref F1639 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

On 5 Jul 1809, when William Thompson was about 16 years old, he was apprenticed to John Eldridge, a Citizen (freeman of the city) and member of the Haberdasher’s Guild, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies in London.  By the 1800s, there was not necessarily a link between actual occupation and the guild a person was a member of.  In William’s case, he trained as a chair maker.

The apprenticeship indenture says that William was the son of Thomas Thompson of the Catherine Wheel, Kent Street, Southwark, Victualler.   While Thomas had started off as a Dyer, he changed careers a few times, working as a labourer, a victualler (licenced to sell alcohol), a carman (carrying goods) and a coachman.  The Catherine Wheel was a coaching inn and yard on Borough High Street, which ran into Kent Street.  It was not far from the famous and still standing George Inn.  If my map reading is correct, I think it is now a KFC.

"Catherine Wheel, Southwark"
lithograph after J.C.Maggs, published in Old English Coaching Inns, 1910. Slight foxing, otherwise good condition. Overall size 43 x 27.5 cms, no margins. Ref H6393 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

One of the terms of William’s apprenticeship was that he was not supposed to “contract matrimony” during the seven years it lasted for.  William did not comply with this condition.  He was also not allowed to “play at Cards, Dice, Tables or any other unlawful Games” and “He shall not haunt Taverns nor Play houses”.  I have no evidence either way regarding his compliance, but he did live in an area full of coaching inns and there must have been many temptations for a young man living in Regency London.

On 30 May 1815, William Thompson married Catherine Foskett as St Mary’s Lambeth, also south of the River in London. Their first child, Harriet Sarah Thompson was born on 12 February 1816, barely 9 months later.  Harriet went on to marry an Irishman named Thomas Archbold. Thomas Archbold seems to have been the family patriarch for a time as he was witness on several family marriage certificates.

"St.Mary, Lambeth"
engraved by T.Higham after a picture by T.H.Shepherd, published in London in the Nineteenth Century, 1831. Steel engraved antique print with recent hand colouring. Good condition. Size 14.5 x 10.5 cms including title, plus margins. Ref G9297 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

William and Catherine had at least 10 more children between 1817 and 1837: Catherine (presumably died young), William, Thomas, Joseph, John, James, Catherine (my ancestor), Frederick, Alfred and George.

In 1818, William’s sister Esther married Thomas Lodge.  She had several children, including Esther Jane and Sarah.  The two girls are key to revealing this story.

By around 1820, the Thompson family had moved north of the River.  Son William was reportedly born in Bishopsgate and the subsequent children were born in or near Shoreditch.  While William Thompson’s family lived in Southwark, wife Catherine’s family lived in the East End.

In 1826, William Thompson, chair maker and son of Thomas, was made free of the Haberdashers Company by oath, so because a Citizen and Freeman of the City of London.  He was sponsored by John Eldridge, his master, so there must not have been any hard feelings regarding the marriage before his apprenticeship was completed.  At this time, the Thompson’s lived at 57 Curtain Road, Shoreditch.

By 1840, a London Directory gives the family’s address as 3 Raven Road, which is next to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.  They were still at this address at the time of the 1841 Census.

Many of the family were involved in the chair making trade alongside William.  His wife Catherine was a caner, weaving seats for the chairs. Sons James and Alfred were chair makers.  George was a caner in 1851.  Son William was a cabinet maker.

In 1839, son William Thompson married Esther Jane Lodge, his first cousin, the daughter of Esther Thompson, mentioned previously.

The last record I have for William Thompson is the 1841 census.  By the time of the 1851 census, Catherine is listed as a widow, living in Mulberry Cottage. She lived there until her death in 1856.  There are a number of possible death and burial records in the area for William Thompson but it is difficult working out which, if any, is the correct one.

In 1851, daughter Catherine Thompson was living with her sister Harriet Archbold.  Also in the household was thier 16-year-old cousin, Sarah Lodge, working as a caner.  When I saw this, I remembered that son William Thompson married a “Lodge”.  Once I discovered that Esther Jane Lodge was the daughter of Esther Thompson and sister of Sarah, the rest of the puzzle pieces quickly fell into place.  Researching Esther Jane Lodge and Esther Thompson was much easier than researching a popular name like William Thompson.  Finally, last weekend I found William Thompson’s baptism, indexed as Wm and Thos Thompson to make it extra difficult.

Several of William Thompson’s children left London and migrated to the other side of the world.  My ancestor, Catherine, moved to Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, in 1855 soon after she married Philip Charley. Her brother William with wife Esther also went to Ballarat.  Alfred migrated to Australia.  Harriet and Thomas Archbold ended up in New Zealand.

Thanks to a clue in the 1851 census, I have been able to build quite a story of William Thompson’s life and there is still more to discover.

 

Notes on Lineage: Me > Mum > John Macdonald Charley > Walter George Charley > John Joseph Charley > Catherine Thompson > William Thompson

A Master Cook

This shorter post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “In the Kitchen”.  My ancestor, Gabriel Cracknell, was a successful master cook at University Colleague, Oxford. 

University College is the oldest college in Oxford or Cambridge.  At the time Gabriel worked there, it was all still medieval buildings.  It wasn’t “modernised” until the 1630s.

I don’t know anything about Gabriel’s early life, where he was born or how he trained as a cook.  In the early 1600s and possibly before that, he was employed as a Master Cook at University College Oxford.  The Account Rolls of University College list Gabriel as a cook in 1608 and 1614.

Some details about the life of an Oxford University Cook can be found in the article “Oxford College Cooks, 1400-1800” by Helen Clifford in “Cooks & Other People: Proceeding of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1995”.  As well as cooking, the cook was responsible for purchasing the food and arranging feasts for the academic staff and students.

As well as being a cook, Gabriel Cracknell was a man of property.  He was known to have owned at least four houses in Oxford, two in the High street.  He also appears to have had a pub called The Queen’s Arms, in Oxford.  When he died in 1620, Gabriel had £350 in cash and his estate was valued at over £1210, which was a vast sum of money for that time.  He can’t have earned all of this money with his job as a cook, as the annual salary was likely around £20.  I wonder if he came from a wealthy family but I can’t find any trace of him prior to 1604, in spite of his unusual name.

By 1604, Gabriel Cracknell was married to Katherine.  I have not yet found a record of their marriage.  In September 1604, their daughter Anne was baptised at St Peter’s in the East, Oxford.  As far as I know, she was their only child.  The family evidently had close ties to St Peter’s in the East, as Anne left a bequest to the church in her 1671 will.

Gabriel Cracknell died in October 1620 and was buried at St Peter’s in the East, Oxford.  His widow, Katherine, remained connected to University College, as she appears in the Account Rolls of University College as a widow in 1629.  She died in 1637 and was also buried at St Peter’s in the East.

Only months after Gabriel died, his daughter Anne married the Reverend William Hastings, a former Oxford University student and grandson of the Earl of Huntingdon.   Anne inherited at least two of her father’s four houses, as William Hastings very kindly left them to her in his will in 1635.  At that time, a woman’s property became her husband’s property when she married.

The origin of the name Cracknell may be a person who made cracknels, which were crisp breads, so it is an occupational name associated with cooking.  Perhaps Gabriel was descended from cooks.

I would like to find out more about Gabriel and the source of his fortune as I am sure it didn’t all come from his work in the kitchen.

 

Lineage:

1. Me
2. Mum
3. Daphne Smith
4. Esther Ilma Lees
5. Fanny Sarah Eliza Briggs
6. Frederick Henderson Briggs
7. Henry Sparrow Briggs
8. Jehu Briggs
9. Lettice Preston
10. Mary Hastings
11. Henry Hastings
12. Anne Cracknell
13. Gabriel Cracknell

Bounty Immigrants

This story is inspired by the prompt “beginnings”.  James Rideout made a new beginning when he and his family migrated to Australia.

In England

James Rideout was the third son of Ambrose Rideout and his wife, Charlotte Bennett.  James was born around 1801 and was baptised in the parish church of Tollard Royal, Wiltshire on 13 May 1801. His brothers were Ambrose, John Bennet and Philip.

Mother Charlotte died in January 1803 following the birth of son Philip. Ambrose appears to have left his four sons with family or friends in Tollard Royal and moved away. I have previously written Ambrose’s story.

A Puritan Character

This story is inspired by the prompt “Quite a Character”, which was a 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks prompt a few weeks ago.  I am a bit slow getting around to sharing the story.

George Elye* was probably born in Lincolnshire around 1544.  I don’t know who his parents were.  There are some published family histories that suggest various parents but these can easily be shown to be based on dubious research.

According to Oxford University Alumni records, George Elye matriculated (enrolled) at Magdalen Hall age 19.  He is described as a plebeian (commoner) from Lincolnshire.  This suggests his origins were relatively humble.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts on 25 June 1566.  George then continued his studies, completing his Masters degree on 3 July 1569.  By the way, Magdalen Hall was a separate institution to the well-known Magdalen College, Oxford.  A fire in 1820 destroyed most of Magdalen Hall’s records, so I can't find out more about George's university days. Magdalen Hall more recently merged with Hertford College.

From a Beautiful Village

Sarah Smith was born in Bibury parish, Gloucester, in the first half on 1817, rather less than 9 months after her parents, James Smith and Elizabeth Hatt were married on 17 December 1816.  I have previously written Elizabeth Hatt’s story. 

Bibury is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful villages in England.  It is full of stone cottages by a river in nestled in the hills of the Cotswolds and has been a popular stopping place for tourist coaches. Sarah was baptised in Bibury parish church on 6 June 1817.  Her family’s residence was given as Arlington, which is across the River Coln from the main village of Bibury and is famous for Arlington Row, a particularly picturesque row of cottages. 

 

Arlington Row (Public domain photo from Needpix)