I've been tracking a DARLING family (and not the one from Peter Pan.) For some reason I thought it would be an uncommon name but it isn't as uncommon as I thought.
My search starts with SUSAN DARLING who was married to Joseph Parsons in 1830 in Hurley, Berkshire, England. In 1841 they were living in Moulsford, Berkshire and have three children. Joseph's brother Charles is also living with them and another of Joseph's brothers is living nearby.
In 1851 they were also in Moulsford. Joseph is an Ag Lab. Susan is listed as being born in Earley Bottom and they've added two more children. Charles Parsons is living next door to them. In 1861 they are still in Moulsford. Joseph is listed as shepherd and Susan is listed as a laundress, born in Earley Bottom. There is a daughter Sophie listed who was listed before but I believe it is probably Elizabeth. The 1871 census finds them still in Moulsford. Joseph appears to have been "retired" by now as he is listed as "formerly shepherd." Susan is still working as a laundress and states she was born in Earley Bottom.
Susan Darling Parsons is mentioned in an article in the Reading Mercury 27 February 1875 where she is called to testify at an inquest for her neighbor William Cox who died suddenly. His death was listed as "died by the visitation of God."
The 1881 census is interesting. Susan Darling Parsons appears to be enumerated twice. She is listed in Moulsford with her husband Joseph. He is listed as "formerly Shephard" and Susan is still listed as a laundress born in Earley Bottom. In Cholsey, Susan is also enumerated with her son William and his wife Mary and family. She is listed as aged 70, born in Earley Bottom. William and Mary have a one month old daughter so it is possible that Susan was there to assist with the new baby?
Susan died in July 1884 at the age of 74.
The confusing part of all of the above is trying to understand where Susan was actually born. She listed Earley Bottom on the census. However she was married in Hurley. The transcript of the parish record does not list any parents. I have found a christening record for Susan Darling in Hurley, Berkshire for 1810. This fits in with the time frame.
I know that there is both a Hurley and an Earley in Berkshire County. There doesn't appear to be a specific town called Hurley Bottom or Earley Bottom. Information about Earley talks about Lower Earley. There are no easily accessible parish records for Earley. The Hurley records do have the christening record for Susan. There is also a possible marriage record for her parents - James Darling and Elizabeth Keep. There are two other children of James and Elizabeth listed in that area - Harriet and William. Harriet appears to have married Henry Street in Wargrave (which is not too far from Hurley) and then Robert Jacobs. William is a mystery.
This Darling family remains a mystery and I'll probably have to get lucky to find the right record to confirm identity.
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Shermans
Last week I was on the trail of the Sherman family from Berkshire County, England. The name is spelled differently on different records - Sherman/Shurman/Shirman. There is also a Shearman family in the same area although so far there doesn't appear to be a connection.
My tracking starts out with MARY ANN SHERMAN who was born in June 1848 in Berkshire County, England. She was christened August 6, 1848 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England and her parents were CHARLES SHERMAN and HANNAH HERRIDGE. A hint as to her mother's maiden name came from the birth register which lists her as MARY ANN HERRIDGE SHERMAN.
Mary Ann stayed in Aldworth through the 1851 and 1861 census. In 1871 she was living in Hackney London and working as a Domestic Servant, along with her 13 year old sister Fanny. She married WILLIAM GEORGE PARSONS in April 1875 in Cholsey, Berkshire. Mary Ann and William had 5 children over the next 10 years. They moved from Cholsey to North Stoke to Goring to Mongewell. William was a shepherd and in 1911 they were listed as living at Sheepcote, Mongewell, Wallingford, Berkshire. My assumption is they were't actually living in a sheepcote but were living near the sheepcote. Mary Ann died in Wallingford in December 1918 at the age of 70.
CHARLES SHERMAN was born in 1822 in Aldworth, Berkshire England and was christened on 26 May 1822. His parents were RICHARD SHERMAN AND SARAH. I believe that Sarah is SARAH FISHER but more confirmation is needed for that. In 1841 Charles appears to be living in Blewbury, Berkshire county. The Blewbury Berkshire county census for that year are in very poor shape and are so faint that they are unreadable in many cases. It looks as though he is living in the house of Stephen someone and his wife along with a number of others. Enumerated next to Charles Sherman is JOSEPH HERRIDGE. I believe he is listed as 19 in this census.
Charles married HANNAH HERRIDGE in July 1841 in Aldworth Berkshire. Hannah has had a son previously - apparently out of wedlock as he is listed as John Herrage, wife's son, in the 1851 census. I think it is interesting that he is not listed as a step-son. Charles and Hannah had 5 children in their first 10 years of married life. By 1861 they had 10 children so when Charles died in 1861, Hannah was left with 10 children.
Charles died in 1861 from an wagon accident while riding without reins. (See blog of March 9, 2013 for more on this accident.) He was just 39 years old at the time of his death and appears to have spent most of this life in or around Aldworth.
RICHARD SHERMAN was born in 1791 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England. He was christened 24 April 1791. His parents were listed as THOMAS SHERMAN and MARY. Presumbly he spent his life in Aldworth. He married SARAH FISHER 18 December 1814 in Compton, Berkshire England.
In 1841, Richard and Sarah were living in Aldworth. Richard was listed as an agriculture laborer. Within this household is his son George, daughters Dinah and Martha. There appears to be a child listed as N.K. Shurman, 10 days old. I believe this means the child has not yet been named (I think it stands for Not Known). It is unclear as to whose child it is as Sarah would have been close to 50. Again, the quality of the census is poor and hard to read. Richard died in Feburary 1850 and was buried on 8 Feburary 1850 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England. He was 80 years old.
THOMAS SHERMAN is a bit of a puzzlement. He was born in 1753 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England and married Mary. I haven't been able to get a handle on who Mary was. I have some Aldworth parish records coming which I hope might provide some answers to the mystery.
I've also made some attempts at tracking Thomas and Mary's other children in order to learn more about Thomas and Mary. It is possible that his daughter Mary married a WILLIAM BLACKALL on 29 November 1803 in Aldworth. His daughter Rachel may have married Joseph Lay 21 May 1809 in Aldworth. Rachel Lay died 24 October 1829 in Hampstead Norreys/Norris. Hannah Sherman may have married James Hamblin 12 October 1825 in Aldworth. Hannah Hamblin is mentioned in the Berkshire Chronicle in an article regarding a house sale. It is possible that John Sherman married Elizabeth Huntley in October 1817 in Hungerford, Berkshire. This is one I'm not sure of since it is not in Aldworth. None of these are absolutely certain and will require more information to provide confirmation.
The last in the line I was able to track is RICHARD SHERMAN. Richard married SARAH SMITH 6 November 1748 in West Hendred, Berkshire, England. Richard was from Aldworth and Sarah was from the West Hendred parish.
The Sherman family will need to be revisited periodically in order to see if there is any new information that helps uncover their secrets.
My tracking starts out with MARY ANN SHERMAN who was born in June 1848 in Berkshire County, England. She was christened August 6, 1848 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England and her parents were CHARLES SHERMAN and HANNAH HERRIDGE. A hint as to her mother's maiden name came from the birth register which lists her as MARY ANN HERRIDGE SHERMAN.
Mary Ann stayed in Aldworth through the 1851 and 1861 census. In 1871 she was living in Hackney London and working as a Domestic Servant, along with her 13 year old sister Fanny. She married WILLIAM GEORGE PARSONS in April 1875 in Cholsey, Berkshire. Mary Ann and William had 5 children over the next 10 years. They moved from Cholsey to North Stoke to Goring to Mongewell. William was a shepherd and in 1911 they were listed as living at Sheepcote, Mongewell, Wallingford, Berkshire. My assumption is they were't actually living in a sheepcote but were living near the sheepcote. Mary Ann died in Wallingford in December 1918 at the age of 70.
CHARLES SHERMAN was born in 1822 in Aldworth, Berkshire England and was christened on 26 May 1822. His parents were RICHARD SHERMAN AND SARAH. I believe that Sarah is SARAH FISHER but more confirmation is needed for that. In 1841 Charles appears to be living in Blewbury, Berkshire county. The Blewbury Berkshire county census for that year are in very poor shape and are so faint that they are unreadable in many cases. It looks as though he is living in the house of Stephen someone and his wife along with a number of others. Enumerated next to Charles Sherman is JOSEPH HERRIDGE. I believe he is listed as 19 in this census.
Charles married HANNAH HERRIDGE in July 1841 in Aldworth Berkshire. Hannah has had a son previously - apparently out of wedlock as he is listed as John Herrage, wife's son, in the 1851 census. I think it is interesting that he is not listed as a step-son. Charles and Hannah had 5 children in their first 10 years of married life. By 1861 they had 10 children so when Charles died in 1861, Hannah was left with 10 children.
Charles died in 1861 from an wagon accident while riding without reins. (See blog of March 9, 2013 for more on this accident.) He was just 39 years old at the time of his death and appears to have spent most of this life in or around Aldworth.
RICHARD SHERMAN was born in 1791 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England. He was christened 24 April 1791. His parents were listed as THOMAS SHERMAN and MARY. Presumbly he spent his life in Aldworth. He married SARAH FISHER 18 December 1814 in Compton, Berkshire England.
In 1841, Richard and Sarah were living in Aldworth. Richard was listed as an agriculture laborer. Within this household is his son George, daughters Dinah and Martha. There appears to be a child listed as N.K. Shurman, 10 days old. I believe this means the child has not yet been named (I think it stands for Not Known). It is unclear as to whose child it is as Sarah would have been close to 50. Again, the quality of the census is poor and hard to read. Richard died in Feburary 1850 and was buried on 8 Feburary 1850 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England. He was 80 years old.
THOMAS SHERMAN is a bit of a puzzlement. He was born in 1753 in Aldworth, Berkshire, England and married Mary. I haven't been able to get a handle on who Mary was. I have some Aldworth parish records coming which I hope might provide some answers to the mystery.
I've also made some attempts at tracking Thomas and Mary's other children in order to learn more about Thomas and Mary. It is possible that his daughter Mary married a WILLIAM BLACKALL on 29 November 1803 in Aldworth. His daughter Rachel may have married Joseph Lay 21 May 1809 in Aldworth. Rachel Lay died 24 October 1829 in Hampstead Norreys/Norris. Hannah Sherman may have married James Hamblin 12 October 1825 in Aldworth. Hannah Hamblin is mentioned in the Berkshire Chronicle in an article regarding a house sale. It is possible that John Sherman married Elizabeth Huntley in October 1817 in Hungerford, Berkshire. This is one I'm not sure of since it is not in Aldworth. None of these are absolutely certain and will require more information to provide confirmation.
The last in the line I was able to track is RICHARD SHERMAN. Richard married SARAH SMITH 6 November 1748 in West Hendred, Berkshire, England. Richard was from Aldworth and Sarah was from the West Hendred parish.
The Sherman family will need to be revisited periodically in order to see if there is any new information that helps uncover their secrets.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Riding Without Reins
Apparently the 1860's version of reckless driving in England was riding without reins. In researching Charles Sherman who died in 1861 at the young age of 39, I came across an article in the Reading Mercury regarding the inquest of Charles.
Charles was seen riding without reins, slipped to the ground and was run over by the waggon (which was carrying coal) and was killed almost immediately. His inquest revealed that he had been fined a year previously for the same offense. The Coroner "expressed the hope that the circumstance might serve as a warning to others."
I was trying to understand what a coal wagon might look like and found this picture on the website http://www.faircloughfuel.com/aboutUs.html. I think it is from a later period of time - just based on the appearance of the men.
I do think it is interesting that young men were driving recklessly even in the 1860's. It's not a contemporary phenomena.
Charles was seen riding without reins, slipped to the ground and was run over by the waggon (which was carrying coal) and was killed almost immediately. His inquest revealed that he had been fined a year previously for the same offense. The Coroner "expressed the hope that the circumstance might serve as a warning to others."
I was trying to understand what a coal wagon might look like and found this picture on the website http://www.faircloughfuel.com/aboutUs.html. I think it is from a later period of time - just based on the appearance of the men.
I do think it is interesting that young men were driving recklessly even in the 1860's. It's not a contemporary phenomena.
Friday, March 8, 2013
English Parish Register Records
English Parish Register records can provide a lot of wonderful information and are indispensable for finding information about people prior to civil registration in 1837. Of course, as always, looking at the originals is best but those of us who live across the pond are likely to be limited to viewing transcriptions. Below are some tidbits I've learned about parish registers (these apply to the standard Church of England registers.)
What is a parish? So what is a parish? It is the church jurisdictional unit. (English towns have a variety of jurisdictional units civil, regions, parish, postal, etc.) It is important to understand what parish covers the area you are researching. Not every town has their own parish and some of the bigger towns have more than one. Parish lists can be found in several places on the Internet including familysearch.org.
Parish Registers. Some parish records go back as early as 1583 but many did not start that early and many have been destroyed. Starting in 1598, copies were sent to the Bishop (Bishop's Transcripts.) Christenings (baptisms), marriages and burials were recorded as were poor registers or Parish Chest Records. Typically, anyone addressed as Mr. or Mrs. in a parish record was considered a gentry. Some parishes included more information than others. As with anything, some parish registrars were lazier than others and only did the minimum required.
Baptismal Records. Baptisms usually occurred within 2-3 weeks of birth - but not always. The lack of an entry does not mean the child was not baptized. In 1653, the law required that births be registered rather than baptisms. But this was not always followed. Early registers would give the infants name and christening date. Sometimes birth dates were also included. Later on, parents names were included along with occupation of father. Illegitimate children were frequently referred to as "base."
Marriage Records. Marriages usually occurred after the banns had been published. Marriages typically took place in the the parish of the wife. If a bride and groom lived in different dioceses, the couple had to apply to the Vicar General of the Archbishop of the province - either Canterbury or York.
In 1753, a standard form for entry of marriages was required. Every marriage was supposed to be preceded by the issuance of a license or the calling of banns in the parish where at least one person resided. Entries had to be signed and witnessed.
Marriage records typically included the date and names of the bride and groom. At a later date, witnesses and other information was also provided.
Banns. The minister was required to announce or post their intent to marry for three consecutive Sundays. This gave people a chance to object to the marriage. Banns are sometimes recorded in separate registers. Posting of banns does not mean that the marriage took place.
Burial Records. The use of the word "interred" in the register may mean that the person was a Roman Catholic or an excommunicate or suicide. Burials took place shortly after death. Sometimes age and parents name or other information is provided.
The Woolen Shroud Acts of 1666 and 1678 required that a person be buried "in wool." Many times you will see the word "affid" or "a" or "aff" after the burial entry. This meant they had sworn an affidavit that they were being buried in pure English wool.
Some abbreviations you might encounter:
What is a parish? So what is a parish? It is the church jurisdictional unit. (English towns have a variety of jurisdictional units civil, regions, parish, postal, etc.) It is important to understand what parish covers the area you are researching. Not every town has their own parish and some of the bigger towns have more than one. Parish lists can be found in several places on the Internet including familysearch.org.
Parish Registers. Some parish records go back as early as 1583 but many did not start that early and many have been destroyed. Starting in 1598, copies were sent to the Bishop (Bishop's Transcripts.) Christenings (baptisms), marriages and burials were recorded as were poor registers or Parish Chest Records. Typically, anyone addressed as Mr. or Mrs. in a parish record was considered a gentry. Some parishes included more information than others. As with anything, some parish registrars were lazier than others and only did the minimum required.
Baptismal Records. Baptisms usually occurred within 2-3 weeks of birth - but not always. The lack of an entry does not mean the child was not baptized. In 1653, the law required that births be registered rather than baptisms. But this was not always followed. Early registers would give the infants name and christening date. Sometimes birth dates were also included. Later on, parents names were included along with occupation of father. Illegitimate children were frequently referred to as "base."
Marriage Records. Marriages usually occurred after the banns had been published. Marriages typically took place in the the parish of the wife. If a bride and groom lived in different dioceses, the couple had to apply to the Vicar General of the Archbishop of the province - either Canterbury or York.
In 1753, a standard form for entry of marriages was required. Every marriage was supposed to be preceded by the issuance of a license or the calling of banns in the parish where at least one person resided. Entries had to be signed and witnessed.
Marriage records typically included the date and names of the bride and groom. At a later date, witnesses and other information was also provided.
Banns. The minister was required to announce or post their intent to marry for three consecutive Sundays. This gave people a chance to object to the marriage. Banns are sometimes recorded in separate registers. Posting of banns does not mean that the marriage took place.
Burial Records. The use of the word "interred" in the register may mean that the person was a Roman Catholic or an excommunicate or suicide. Burials took place shortly after death. Sometimes age and parents name or other information is provided.
The Woolen Shroud Acts of 1666 and 1678 required that a person be buried "in wool." Many times you will see the word "affid" or "a" or "aff" after the burial entry. This meant they had sworn an affidavit that they were being buried in pure English wool.
Some abbreviations you might encounter:
- OTP - Of the Parish
- BOTP - Both of the Parish
- WID - widow
- B - Bachelor
- SP - Spinster
- PTELY - Privately
- BAP - baptised
- PSH = parish
- S - son
- d - daughter
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