Finding Fanny's Family - a Jewish Jigsaw

As we work back through time in our family trees, the availability of “direct” evidence (i.e. sources which directly state the answer to a research question) reduces and we must pull together all the indirect evidence we can find to build a picture of the ancestor being researched (like putting a jigsaw together without knowing the final picture). This problem often depends on the nationality or social group of an ancestor, as different countries or different religions and sects within religions kept different types of record for different life events with differing levels of detail and varying levels of survival. This is particularly so for a Jewish ancestress who married “out of the faith” and was born before registration, such as my 3xgreat-grandmother, Fanny/Frances Common nee Isaacs. Is there any way of working out who her parents were and if she had any siblings? I’ve been fortunate in being able to find a lot of indirect evidence out of which I was able to build a picture of the family Fanny came from.

The Birth Certificate of my great-great-grandfather Henry John Common indicates he was born on 4 May 1844 at 55 Rosemary Lane, Whitechapel to Henry Common and Frances née Isaacks.¹ Further research found that the marriage for Henry Common and Fanny Isaacs took place at St Leonard’s Church Shoreditch on 4 Sep 1843.² Fanny is stated to be of full age, resident in New Inn Yard and the daughter of Hyam Isaacs. The witnesses were Samuel Bailey and Sophia Isaacs. Given the shared surname, Sophia is a possible relative of Fanny’s particularly as Henry and Fanny later named one of their daughters Sophia.

I was unable to find a Fanny or Frances Isaacs in the 1841 census, but Henry and Frances Common appear in the 1851 census living in 3 Mary Street, St George in the East.³ Despite being born only 8 months after the marriage, Henry John is not the oldest child in the 1851 family having an older brother, Simon Robert, age twelve and thus born about 1839. From this I was able to find an 1841 entry for “Francis” Common age 20+ and her son Robert Common, age 18 months.⁴ I was unable to find an entry in the 1841 England and Wales census for Henry Common. Birth registrations and baptisms were found for both Simon Robert and Henry John confirming their relationship to Henry Common and Fanny Isaacs.^1,5,6,7 I was also unable to find an entry in the 1841 census for Hyam Isaacs.

1. First step towards a family group for Fanny

In 2009-10 Ancestry released the London Metropolitan Archives holdings of Church of England parish registers. In the “Marriages and Banns 1754-1938” data set you are able to search for a father’s name. Just on the off chance (after all “Fanny Isaacs” is a rather Jewish name and she might have been the only one of her family to marry “out of the faith”) I ran a search for “Hyam Isaacs” as father of a party and this threw up four matches in addition to Fanny’s marriage:⁸

• 7 Aug 1843 at Christchurch Spitalfields, Betsey Isaacs daughter of Hyam Isaacs married Charles Stephens. The witnesses were Henry Common and Sophia Isaacs
• 8 Dec 1843 at Christchurch Spitalfields, Rosetta Isaacs daughter of Hyam Isaacs married Thomas Watling. The Witnesses were Charles Stephens and Elizabeth Stephens
• 26 Nov 1849 at St John at Hackney, James Isaacs son of Hyam Isaacs married Sarah Gable. The witnesses were John Pogson and Matilda Pogson
• 25 Jul 1862 at St George in the East Church, Elizabeth Stevens, widow age 37, daughter of Hyam Isaacs married Edward Martyn. The witnesses were Petter Halverson and Frances Common

So Sophia Isaacs witnessed the marriages of Betsey and Fanny Isaacs, Fanny’s (at that time de-facto) husband, Henry Common being the other witness of Betsey’s marriage. The recently married Charles and Elizabeth (AKA Betsey) Stephens then witnessed the marriage of Rosetta Isaacs and, after the death of Charles Stephens, Frances (AKA Fanny) Common nee Isaacs witnessed the second marriage of Elizabeth (AKA Betsey) Stephens nee Isaacs. The inference to be drawn from this “cross-witnessing” is that Fanny, Betsey, Rosetta and Sophia Isaacs were closely related in some way, possibly sisters (though we have no evidence as to the name of Sophia’s father). James is another possible sibling, though not tied to the other offspring of Hyam Isaacs by witnesses.

When the same search was performed on parish registers from the City of Westminster Archives (added to the Ancestry site in 2020) a marriage for Henry Isaacs son of Hyam Isaacs to Ann Elizabeth Peach on 21 Mar 1859 at St Anne Soho was found, the witnesses being Henry Common and Frances Common nee Isaacs.⁹ Thus we have another possible sibling for Fanny.

2. Family group with siblings inferred from Church of England marriage records

Further support for the connections above comes from the marriage entry of Fanny’s daughter, Sophia Common, to Conrad Hoffman 24 Feb 1867 at St Leonard Shoreditch, the witnesses being Henry Isaacs and Frances Common.⁸

Leaving aside James Isaacs for the moment, we have a group of people of surname Isaacs who, together with their spouses, are witnessing each others’ marriages. All but one of these Isaacses are stated to be offspring of Hyam Isaacs. The odd one out is Sophia Isaacs. However there is an earlier pre-1837 marriage for Henry Isaacs, also celebrated at St Anne Soho, on 23 Mar 1835 to a Sophia Maishman.⁸ Henry and Sophia then appear together in both the 1841 and 1851 censuses (Henry aged 25+ in 1841 and 38 in 1851).^4,3 This is probably the Sophia Isaacs who witnessed the marriages and she is thus an Isaacs by marriage rather than by birth. (Incidentally Charles and Elizabeth Stevens are living in the same house as Henry and Frances Common in 1851.³)

Fitting this small group of puzzle pieces together we have 4 potential siblings, offspring of Hyam Isaacs (Henry, Fanny, Betsey & Rosetta) plus one probable (James) giving us more lines of research for finding information on Hyam Isaacs.

3. Using Church of England marriages to put Sophia in the right place

Searching the 1841 census for a Betsey and a Rosetta appearing in the same family leads us to the entry for Hyam Issaacs [sic] age 70+ (indexed as Hyam Josaus by Ancestry).⁴ The household includes Catherine age 50+, Betsy age 18, Rosa age 16, Isaac age 16 and Elizabeth age 8. This is almost certainly the family of the parents of Fanny Isaacs. Catherine (age 63) appears living on her own in the 1851 census, Hyam having died on 21 Jul 1849, at Russell Court, Blue Anchor Place, Whitechapel.^3,10 The informant for the death of Hyam was Zuss Isaacs of Spitalfields. We know that Betsy and Rosa had married by 1851, but what happened to Isaac and Elizabeth? Elizabeth is possibly the Elizabeth (age 16) residing with Zuice Isaacs (age 36, = Zuss) and his family, though she is listed as Zuice’s daughter.³ She does not appear with Syes (age 25+, =Zuss) Isaacs and his family in 1841 and is probably too old to be the daughter of Zuss’s wife (Louisa/Rachel, age 34 in 1851).^4,3 Isaac is the right age to be equated with the James son of Hyam Isaacs who married Sarah Gable (age 25 in the 1851 census, c.f. 16 in 1841).^3,4 We now have a potental set of seven siblings: Henry (c. 1812), Zuss/Zuice/Syes (c. 1815), Fanny/Frances (c. 1820), Betsy/Elizabeth (c. 1823), Rosa/Rosetta (c. 1825), Isaac/James (c. 1826) & Elizabeth (c. 1833).

4. After finding the 1841 census entry and death certificate for Hyam

At this point I would have been stuck but for the work of enthusiastic Jewish Genealogists who transliterated and published some of the records of the London Synagogues. From the marriage records of the Great Synagogue came the following two entries:¹¹

• GSM 49b/13 1799 14 July: Isaacs, Hyman s. of Isaac Galaga & Hart Fanny Frumat d. of Hirtz
• GSM 102/49 1806 20 Aug: Isaacs, Hyam: Son-in-law of a Privileged Member: Moshe Chaim; s. of Isaac Pressburg & Levy, Catherine: Daughter of a Privileged Member: Trynla d. of Leib S.G.L.

The second, 1806, marriage could easily be the parents of Fanny and the siblings listed above.

In the marriage records transliterated from the Hambro Synagogue records were the following three entries for people whose father was Hyam Isaacs:¹²

• HSM138 (15 Aug 1827): Myer [Meir] Myers, son of Hyam b. Mordecai of Gravel Lane, Houndsditch = Sarah [Sarah] Isaacs daughter of Mr Hyam Isaacs
• HSM255 (4 Dec 1836): Michael [Yechiel k/a Michael] Isaacs, son of Hayim Isaacs of Rosemary Lane = Leah [Leah] Myers, daughter of Mr Jacob Myers
• HSM257 (30 Mar 1837): Zose [Eleazer Zesman] Isaacs, son of Mr Hayim Isaacs of Rosemary Lane = Rachel [Rachel] Abrahams, daughter of Abraham our father

The last of these can be identified with Zuss/Zuice/Syes who registered the death of Hyam and “adopted” Elizabeth, the probable youngest child of Hyam and Catherine. Michael, whose father was also “of Rosemary Lane”, can be tracked through the censuses and is too old (born c. 1801) to be a child of Hyam and Catherine, but could be a child of Hyam and Fanny Hart.^4,3 By the time of the 1841 and 1851 censuses Sarah Myers née Isaacs had apparently died and Myer Myers had remarried, though three of his children predate his second marriage and must be the children of Sarah.^4,3 We do not have enough data to determine an approximate date of birth for Sarah and must just leave her as a probable child of our Hyam Isaacs.

5. After finding information in some published transliterations of Jewish Records

As these and further transliterations are gradually made available on the internet, I’ve been able to find a few more events, in particular the following curcumcision records:¹³

• 10 May 1809: Samuel (Samuel) Isaacs, son of (Hiam) of Rosemary Lane
• 28 Dec 1810: Henry H (Zvi Hirsh) Isaacs, son of (Hiam) of Ratcliffe Highway
• 21 Nov 1815: Jacob (Jacob) Isaacs, son of Hyam (Hiam) of Rosemary Lane

This Henry can be equated to our Henry who eventually migrated to the USA and who at times uses the middle name “Hyam” (Ratcliffe Highway is not far from Rosemary Lane). In addition to the relationship to “Hiam” of Rosemary Lane, I have also found and purchased the marriage certificates for Samuel (son of Hyam Isaacs to Hannah Lyon, 8 Aug 1838) and a John Isaacs (son of Hyam Isaacs to Mary Solomon, 10 Dec 1837).^14,15 John’s ages in the censuses are variable but it is not out of the ball park to identify him with Jacob.^4,3,16,17 So we now have nine children who are probably the offspring of Hyam and Catherine. In roughly birth order: Samuel (1809); Henry Hyam (1810); Zose/Zuss/etc (c. 1813); Jacob/John (1815); Fanny/Frances (c. 1820); Betsy/Elizabeth (c. 1823); Rosa/Rosetta (c. 1825); Isaac/James (c. 1826) and Elizabeth (c. 1833). We also have a probable son of Hyam and Fanny (Michael, c. 1801)) plus a possible daughter of Hyam, mother uncertain (Sarah). The final family structure built from this mixture of direct and indirect evidence is shown below.

6. With information from an ever increasing amount of online databases

Further support for this family structure comes from DNA matches for myself and my father. I have identified 18 matches who are descended from six of the eight full siblings of Fanny Isaacs enumerated above, plus one match who descends from Michael.^18,19 According to specialist researchers I am what is known as a “golden nugget” for Jewish Genealogical research.²⁰ Having just one Jewish ancestor (at the 3xgreat-grandparent level) clarifies relationships for relatives with extensive, recent Jewish ancestry where the ancestral lines are confused by endogamy within the Jewish community. To quote Douglas Adams, “glad to be of service”.

7. Support for my work from DNA matches. The green highlighted box is my ancestor, Fanny Isaacs. The yellow highlighted boxes are proposed siblings of Fanny among whose descendants I have been able to trace a DNA match.

I cannot guarantee that there will not be further additions to this family in the future, but I’m reasonably confident that the family group is accurate as far as it goes.

Sources

1. England and Wales, birth certificate for Henry John Common, born 4 May 1844; citing 2/526/491, Jun quarter 1844, Whitechapel registration district, Holgate sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.
2. England and Wales, marriage certificate for Henry Common and Fanny Isaacs, married 4 Sep 1843; citing 2/368/335, Sep quarter 1843, Shoreditch registration district; General Register Office, Southport.
3. 1851 England Census, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 Dec 2009.
4. 1841 England Census, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 Dec 2009.
5. England and Wales, birth certificate for Simon Robert Common, born 14 Nov 1839; citing 2/102/389, Dec quarter 1839, St George in the East registration district, St Paul sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.
6. St George in the East Parish Registers, St George in the East, London, England, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 19 Nov 2010.
7. Christ Church Watney Street Parish Registers, St George in the East, London, England, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 19 Nov 2010.
8. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 25 Dec 2009.
9. Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 26 Sep 2020.
10. England and Wales, death certificate for Hyam Isaacs, died 21 Jul 1849; citing 2/765/448, Sep quarter 1849, Whitechapel registration district, Aldgate sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.
11. Shire, Angela, Great Synagogue Marriage Records 1791-1830, Crediton, 1999.
12. Gent, Frank J., New Synagogue Records CD, Crediton, 2002.
13. Synagogue Scribes, https://synagoguescribes.com/blog/, Accessed 21 Sep 2020.
14. England and Wales, marriage certificate for Samuel Isaacs and Hannah Lyons, married 8 Aug 1838; citing 02/161/11, Sep quarter 1838, City of London registration district, General Register Office, Southport.
15. England and Wales, marriage certificate for John Isaacs and Mary Solomons, married 10 Dec 1837; citing 02/261/6, Dec quarter 1837, City of London registration district, General Register Office, Southport.
16. 1861 England Census, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 Dec 2009.
17. 1871 England Census, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 Dec 2009.
18. Ancestry ThruLines for Alfred Commons (https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-geneticfamily/thrulines/5C9DF31B-1477-4562-84BC-ED25F3066CCC?filterBy=all).
19. Ancestry ThruLines for Susan Law (https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-matches/list/080ab020-82f7-4145-bc9c-3bf177830102).
20. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 'Dealing with Endogamy', https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/dealing-with-endogamy/?fbclid=IwAR3GSWO1eKwU4OnenUqMUyUqAOkSjjEbjdSw4bjcoTAPD_iHHYxmjK_tZps, Accessed 13 Sep 2022.

The Origins of John Beckwith, born circa 1779

 John Beckwith was the father of Thomas Beckwith, my 3 x great-grandfather. John married Ann Lamson in Hackney 1804.¹ He died in Bethnal Green on 6th March 1838 his age being given as 59.² This indicates he was born about 1778-79. There are no Beckwith Baptisms in Bethnal Green before 1800, and only one isolated event in Shoreditch (John Backwith, 1778).³

 There are twelve John Beckwiths or Backwiths baptised in England from the beginning of 1777 to the end of 1780, with baptismal locations including Shoreditch, Middlesex, several in Essex, one in Norwich, Norfolk and others extending as far north as Brough under Stainmore, Westmoreland.⁴ To assist with his identification I looked at the details of John’s life and offspring to see if they would provide any hints.

 From the parish records, John & Ann Beckwith had the following offspring: Ann (1800), John Mitchelson (1802), Thomas (1804), Edward (1808), William Henry (1811), Charles (1817) & Edmund (1818), all christened in either Shoreditch or Bethnal Green.^5,6 However this list is not complete because the informant on the death certificate of Ann Beckwith nee Lamson is her son Ambrose Beckwith, weaver of 17 Robert St.⁷ Ambrose is easily found at 17 Robert Street in the 1851 census.⁸ The entry indicates he was born circa 1806 in Bethnal Green and there is a matching 1806 baptism entry in the registers of Bethnal Green St Matthew: Ambrose s/o Joseph & Ann Beckworth.⁶

 Baptisms were initially recorded in day books, often in abbreviated form, prior to being written into the official register. John would be abbreviated J^no and Joseph would be abbreviated J^os. These could be (and sometimes were) confused and misinterpreted during the transfer to the official register. Ambrose (1806) was the first child the couple baptised at St Matthew, so the parish officials wouldn’t necessarily have been familiar with them as a couple. He also fits nicely into a gap in the regular two-yearly child pattern.

 So the complete list of the offspring of John and Ann Beckwith is:

• 1800 Ann, christened 25th December 1800, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1802 John Mitchelson, christened 8th December 1811, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1804 Thomas, christened 1st January 1805, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1806 Ambrose, christened 16th November 1806, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
• 1808 Edward, christened 22nd June 1809, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1811 William Henry, christened 8th December 1811, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1817 Charles, christened 23rd March 1817, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
• 1818 Edmund, christened 3rd January 1819, Bethnal Green St Matthew.5,6
  

 Both John Beckwith and Ann Beckwith nee Lamson died in Bethnal Green (in 1838 and 1837 respectively).^2,7 On his death certificate, John’s occupation is given as a weaver and in 1841 his five unmarried sons (John, Edward, William Charles & Edward) are still living in the house in which he died, and are all weavers.⁹ The other three married offspring are also living in Bethnal Green in 1841, with all three households (Thomas & Ann Barton nee Beckwith; Thomas & Sarah Rebecca; Ambrose & Hester) being weaving households with everyone from the age of 11 up giving their occupation as weaver.⁹ By 1841 it was hard to make a living as a weaver, and families worked as a factory with the younger children spinning, threading weights or winding shuttles (see Plummer, page 361).¹⁰ Before 1800 there are no weavers with surname Beckwith in the East End.

 One odd point about the family is that Ambrose is quite a rare given name, but there is a sudden glut of Beckwiths with the given name Ambrose baptised in the East End of London in the early 1900s:

1. 1803 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 7th August, Bethnal Green St Matthew (buried 17th August 1803, Bethnal Green St Matthew),
2. 1804 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 12th August, Bethnal Green St Matthew (presumed death before October 1806),
3. 1806 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 26th October, Bethnal Green St Matthew (buried 18th September 1808, Bethnal Green St Matthew),
4. 1806 – Ambrose son of Joseph & Ann, christened 16th November, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
5. 1814 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 13th March, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
6. 1832 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Esther, christened 17th June, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
7. 1844 – Ambrose James son of Ambrose & Maria, christened 5th June, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
8. 1849 – Ambrose Bona son of Henry & Mary Ann, christened 4th February, Bethnal Green St Jude,
9. 1871 – Joseph Ambrose son of Ambrose Bona & Sarah Ann Susannah, christened 2nd October, Hackney St Michael.^3,11,12

 The early baptisms (1, 2, 3, 5) are the offspring of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann nee Cecil (married in 1803, St George in the East).¹³ Ambrose and Ann can also be found in the censuses, and in 1861 he is shown as a weaver, born in Norwich about 1782.¹⁴ This corresponds with the son of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann Wittelton, christened in 1782, at Norwich St Paul.¹⁵

 The 1844 Ambrose James (7) is the grandson of Ambrose and Ann nee Cecil via their son Ambrose (1814, #5) and his wife Martha Bennett.^11,16 The 1849 Ambrose Bona (8) is the grandson of Ambrose & Ann Cecil via their son Henry (1816) and his wife Mary Ann Bona.^11,16 The 1871 Joseph Ambrose Beckwith (9) is the son of Ambrose Bona.

 We have already discussed the first 1806 Ambrose Beckwith (4). The 1832 Ambrose Beckwith (6) is the grandson of John and Ann nee Lamson via their son Ambrose (1806, #4) and his wife Esther/Hester Holloway.^11,16 Ann Beckwith (1800), daughter of John Beckwith who married Thomas Barton in 1824, also named one of her sons Ambrose (Ambrose Barton 1835).^11,16

 So all the Ambrose Beckwiths in the East End of London (plus Ambrose Barton) descend either from Ambrose Beckwith (1782, Norwich) and Ann nee Cecil or John Beckwith (c. 1779, origin unclear) and Ann nee Lamson (see Figure 1). Could John Beckwith and Ambrose Beckwith (1782) be related? After all one of our twelve possible John Beckwiths is from Norwich.

Figure 1: The Ambrose Beckwiths of the East End of London, 1803-1871.

 Looking at the family of Ambrose Beckwith & Ann Wittelton (proven parents of Ambrose born 1782, above), we find that they baptised nine children in Norwich, four of whom died in infancy (see Figure 2).^15,17,18,19 No further records can be found for Ambrose Beckwith (1749), his wife Ann nee Wittelton or any of their surviving offspring in Norwich. There is, however, a burial in 1814 at Bethnal Green for an Ambrose Beckwith of about the right age to be Ambrose (1749).⁶ There is then a marriage for an Ann Beckwith (widow) to James Oldfield (Whitechapel 1816).^6,20 Finally there is a burial for Ann Oldfield of the right age in 1819 at Bethnal Green.⁶ Of the surviving five children two can definitively be identified in the East End of London in the 1851 census (Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith (1787), (see Figure 2).^8,21

Figure 2: The Family of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann(e) Wittelton, Norwich-Bethnal Green.

 We are thus missing three offspring: John (1779), Susanna (1786) and Elizabeth (1790). There are possibilities for John and Susanna in Bethnal Green: “Our” John, husband of Ann Lamson (and father of Thomas), and Susanna Beckwith who married John Whiter in Shoreditch in 1806 (see Figure 2), but I have not been able to find any evidence for the fate of Elizabeth.^1,5 All these couples (Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Ann Beckwith nee Cecil, John Whiter and Susanna Whiter nee Beckwith, and James Debarr and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith) lived in Bethnal Green like “our” John.⁹ Furthermore Ambrose Beckwith (1782), John Whiter, James Debarr and James Oldfield (second husband of Anne nee Wittelton) are also weavers like “our” John.^9,22 In addition a James Oldfield witnessed the marriages of John Beckwith to Ann Lamson in 1800 and Mary Ann Beckwith to James Debarr in 1813 prior to marrying Ann nee Wittelton in 1816.^1,20 He signed all three documents and the signatures are similar.

Figure 3: St Edmund's Church, Fishergate, Norwich, where Ambrose Beckwith was baptised in 1749. Photographed by the Author, 2018.

 To summarize, “our” John Beckwith lived in Bethnal Green, the same area where Ambrose Beckwith (1749) lived prior to his death as did his proven offspring Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith (1787). John, his male offspring and his son-in-law were all weavers as were Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and James Debarr, husband of Mary Ann Beckwith (1787). John’s marriage was witnessed by a James Oldfield, who also witnessed the marriage of Mary Ann Beckwith (1787) and subsequently married Ann Beckwith nee Wittelton in 1816.

 The balance of the evidence points to John Beckwith (c. 1779) being the son of Ambrose Beckwith (1749) and Ann Wittelton who was christened 29th August 1779 at St Pauls Church, Norwich.

The Confusing Coventry Mob

 The Warwickshire section of my family tree can be very confusing, a situation not helped by the damage and destruction caused to the parish records of St Michael’s Coventry when it was bombed during WWII. The surname ‘Fletcher’ keeps cropping up, legitimately and adoptively, and in this blog I will investigate the reasons for this, and whether there is any relationship between the various Fletchers who appear in my tree.

 I have shown in a previous blog how Mary Ann Butler (daughter of James Butler) was listed in censuses as Mary Ann Fletcher when she was young.^1,2 Her mother’s maiden surname was Fletcher, but this was not the reason for the family using that surname.³ Looking at the timeline:

• Edward Butler married Catharine Randal in 1822.⁴
• Their son James was baptised in 1822.⁵
• Edward Butler died in 1826.⁶
• Catharine Butler nee Randal married Henry Fletcher in 1827.⁷
• Catharine and Henry baptise two children in Foleshill.^8,9
• Henry, Catharine and their children moved to Tower Hamlets about 1833.¹⁰
• Henry Fletcher died in 1840.¹¹
• When completing the 1841 census the widowed Catharine Fletcher gave the surname of all her children as ‘Fletcher’, including James Butler.¹²

 James Butler continued to use the surname Fletcher in the censuses right up to his death, though he used ‘Butler’ when he married Fanny Maria Fletcher in 1843 and when he registered their children.^{1,2,3,13,14,15,16} James Butler’s step-father and wife were thus both Fletchers and while Fanny Maria was born in Tower Hamlets, her father was born in Coventry about 1781.^17,18 Both the Butlers and Fletchers maintained strong links with Warwickshire with many members moving back and forth between Tower Hamlets and the Coventry area.

&npsp;I haven’t found a baptismal entry for Henry Fletcher (James’ step-father) but his death in 1840 (aged 32) was registered by his father, another Henry Fletcher (hereafter distinguished as Henry Fletcher Snr) who was living one street away from Catharine Fletcher (nee Randal) at the time of the 1841 census.^11,19 In the 1851 census Henry Fletcher Snr is listed living in Foleshill, stating that he had been born in Coventry around 1785, like John Fletcher.²⁰ There is a late baptism entry for Henry Fletcher Snr in Shoreditch in 1801, giving a 1785 birth date and parents as “Jones” and “Amey”.²¹

 A search for potential parents in the Coventry area, reveals that Jonah Fletcher married Em Barkby in Walsgrave on Sowe in 1767.²² Jonah was born in Walsgrave on Sowe in 1745, the same year and place as Ame Barkby.^23,24 This pair are probably the parents of Henry Snr.

Figure 1: Church of St Mary, Walsgrave on Sowe, photographed by Susan Law 9 July 2019

 Turning back to the other Fletchers, we noted above that Fanny Maria Fletcher’s father, John Fletcher, was born in Coventry about 1781.¹⁸ There is a 1782 baptism entry in the Bishop’s Transcripts for St Michael’s Coventry for a John Fletcher son of “Joseph” and “Emmy”.²⁵ At this period church events were noted initially in day books (or scraps of paper), often in abbreviated form, before being copied into the official register once a week.²⁶ The abbreviated form of both ‘Jonas’ and ‘Joseph’ is ‘Jo^s’. In this case we have a further potential for error in that this surviving record is a Bishop’s Transcript. So it is possible that John’s father was actually a Jonas. ‘Emmy’ and ‘Amey’ are probable variants of ‘Amy’, as are ‘Ame’ and ‘Em’ (above). It is thus a strong possibility that John and Henry Snr are brothers. Supporting this there is another baptism in a surviving section of a damaged St Michael’s Register in 1771 for James Fletcher son of Jonas and Amy.²⁷ He is probably another sibling of John and Henry.

Figure 2: Ruined chancel of St Michael's Church, Coventry, photographed by Alan Law 8 July 2019 (used with permission).

 It is interesting to note that the occupations for both John and Henry Fletcher Snr were given as “soldier” in the baptisms of their early children in 1806.^28,29 Perhaps they were both militiamen? It was after all the time of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

 If John and Henry Fletcher Snr were brothers, then when James Butler married Fanny Maria in 1843 he married his step-father’s cousin (see Figure 3). While this is not consanguineous it has the potential to cause confusion. The relationship complicates the interpretation of DNA results as it is near impossible to distinguish genetically between the descendants of Catharine Randal’s two marriages and the descendents of John Fletcher. Possibly due to the DNA matches, Henry Fletcher, son of Catherine and Henry Fletcher and grandson of Henry Snr (probable brother of John Fletcher) is attached in some trees as a child of John Fletcher and Catharine Squires, despite the total lack of records associating him with the couple (for example never appearing with the family in the censuses).³⁰ These DNA matches do, however, support the thesis that John Fletcher and Henry Fletcher Snr were brothers.

Figure 3: Relationships among the Confusing Coventry Mob

Sources

1. Census record for James Fletcher, aged 25, 3 Fleet Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1542, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Aug 2008.
2. Census record for James Fletcher, aged 38, 8 Horse Ride, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1861 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1542, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Aug 2008.
3. Marriage certificate of James Butler and Fanny Maria Fletcher, married 5 June 1843, registered June quarter 1843, Shoreditch registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 376, no. 182.
4. Marriage of Edward Buttler and Catharine Randle, married 18 February 1822, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 412.
5. Baptism of James Butler, baptised 25 August 1822, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 412.
6. Burial of Edward Buttler, buried 28 July 1826, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 136, No. 1085.
7. Marriage of Henry Fletcher and Catharine Butler, married 10 Jun 1827, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 115.
8. Baptism of Henry Fletcher, baptised 17 February 1828, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 30, No. 238. FHL Film No. 559233.
9. Baptism of Hannah Fletcher, baptised 27 February 1831, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 81, No. 646, FHL Film No. 559233.
10. Baptism of George Henry Fletcher, baptised 3 August 1834, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 227, No. 1809. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/002.
11. Death certificate of Henry Fletcher, died 26 December 1840, registered December quarter 1840, Whitechapel Union registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 439, no. 3.
12. Census record for Catherline Fletcher, aged 37, Quaker Street, Spitalfields, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/710/3/24, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 15 Sep 2008.
13. Birth certificate of Louisa Butler, born 28 May 1844, registered September quarter 1844, Whitechapel Union registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 537, no. 304.
14. Birth certificate of Mary Ann Butler, born 1 March 1847, registered June quarter 1847, Whitechapel registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 564, no. 233.
15. Birth certificate of Charles Henry Butler, born 2 April 1849, registered June quarter 1849, Whitechapel registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 625, no. 629.
16. Birth certificate of Catherine Butler, born 11 September 1851, registered December quarter 1851, Bethnal Green registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 73, no. 119.
17. Baptism of Fanny Maria Fletcher, baptised 29 September 1811, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 171, unnumbered. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/001.
18. Census record for John Fletcher, aged 70, 5 Greenwood’s Rents, Bishopsgate, Middlesex, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1524/521, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 22 Aug 2006.
19. Census record for Henry Fletcher, aged 58, 13 Fleur de Lis Court, Spitalfields, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/710/13/10, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
20. Census record for Henry Fletcher, aged 66, Lockhurst Lane, Foleshill, Warwickshire, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/2066/229, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
21. Baptism of Henry Fletcher, baptised 15 January 1801, St Leonard Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com.au,  accessed 3 Sep 2011.
22. Marriage of Jonah Fletcher and Em Barkby, married 28 December 1767, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, Page 22, No. 88, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1910, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Mar 2016.
23. Baptism of Jonah Fletcher, baptised 18 August 1745, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 20 Oct 2010.
24. Baptism of Ame Barkby, baptised 5 May 1745, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 20 Oct 2010.
25. Baptism of John Fletcher, baptised 19 October 1782, St Michael’s Church Bishop’s Transcript, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire County Record Office microfilm DR0090/13.
26. Burke, Arthur Meredyth, Key to the Ancient Parish Registers of England & Wales, The Sackville Press, London, 1908, https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/430032-key-to-the-ancient-parish-registers-of-england-wales?offset=4.
27. Baptism of James Fletcher, baptised 16 July 1771, St Michael’s Church Parish Register, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire Baptisms, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 30 Sep 2017.
28. Baptism of Martha Fletcher, baptised 13 April 1806, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 110, unnumbered. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/001.
29. Baptism of Ann Fletcher, baptised 7 December 1806, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 118, unnumbered, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
30. Ancestry Australia, ‘Susan Law DNA Test: Thru-Lines for John Fletcher’, https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-geneticfamily/thrulines/tree/1333931960:9009:66/for/080AB020-82F7-4145-BC9C-3BF177830102, accessed 1 Sep 2021 (not accessible without login).
    

Which Thomas Beckwith?

My 2xGreat-grandfather, Zachariah Beckwith, was the youngest of fourteen children of Thomas Beckwith and his wife Sarah.¹ Thomas Beckwith married Sarah Rebecca Hall, on 6 Jun 1824 at St John of Hackney.² The couple appeared in the 1841 census: Thomas Beckwith, a silk weaver aged 36, and Sarah at 2 Shacklewell Street, Bethnal Green.³ Thomas’ age is not rounded down, so we can infer that Thomas was born 1804-5.

There are two Thomas Beckwiths born in East London in 1804-5, one in Whitechapel and one in Shoreditch.^4,5 By comparing the histories of the two families we can deduce which Thomas Beckwith was the father of Zachariah.

Whitechapel	Shoreditch
Thomas, son of Thomas Beckwith & Mary of Church Lane, ch 26 Aug 1804, St Mary Whitechapel4	Thomas, son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 12 Dec 1804, ch 1 Jan 1805, St Leonard Shoreditch5/td>
Marriages
Thomas Beckwith married Mary Finch, 10 Jan 1791, All Saints West Ham Essex6	John Beckwith married Ann Lamson, 7 Jun 1800, St John at Hackney7
Other Offspring
Sarah Ann daughter of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Colchester Street, ch 5 Jul 1795, St Mary Whitechapel8	Ann daughter of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 16 Nov 1800, ch 25 Dec 1800, St Leonard Shoreditch12
George son of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Colchester Street, ch 19 Feb 1797, St Mary Whitechapel9	John Mitchelson son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 28 Dec 1802, ch 8 Dec 1811, St Leonard Shoreditch13
Harriet daughter of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Church Lane, ch 17 Mar 1799, St Mary Whitechapel10	Edward son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 25 Dec 1808, ch 22 Jun 1809, St Leonard Shoreditch14
Samuel Cox Beckwith son of Thomas & Mary of Church Lane, ch 24 Jul 1801, St Mary Whitechapel11	William Henry son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 7 Jul 1811, ch 8 Dec 1811, St Leonard Shoreditch15
	Charles son of John Beckwith (weaver) & Ann of Swan Street, bn 27 Feb 1817, ch 23 Mar 1817, St Matthew Bethnal Green16
	Edmund son of John Beckwith (weaver) & Ann of Swan street, bn 19 Oct 1918, ch 3 Jan 1819, St Matthew Bethnal Green17
1841 England Census
Samuel & George Beckwith, carriage makers of Devonshire Street West, Mile End Old Town18	John, Edward, William, Charles & Edmund Beckwith, silk weavers of Old Nichol St, Bethnal Green19

We don’t have any indications of the occupation of Thomas, husband of Mary, but by 1841 two of his sons were carriage makers.¹⁸ In contrast John Beckwith, husband of Ann, is listed as a weaver in the baptism entries of his last two sons and as a silk weaver in his death certificate.²⁰ In 1841 five of his sons are living together and are all weavers.¹⁹

Looking at locations, John Beckwith & Ann lived in the Shoreditch/Bethnal Green area and five of his sons were living in Bethnal Green in 1841 (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Locations associated with the families of Thomas & Mary Beckwith and John & Ann Beckwith. 

Given that Thomas father of Zachariah is a weaver living in Bethnal Green in 1841, not far from five of the sons of John and Ann, the balance of probability is that Zachariah’s father is the other son of John and Ann Lamson.

Sources

1. Birth of Zachariah Beckwith, born 4 Jul 1851; citing II/77/442, September quarter 1851, Bethnal Green registration district, Town sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

2. Marriage of Thomas Beckwith and Sarah Hall, married 6 June 1824, St John at Hackney Church Registers, Hackney, Middlesex, Page 236, No. 707.

3. Census record for Thomas Beckwith, aged 36, 2 Shacklewell Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/694/11/42/20, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 23 Apr 2006.

4. Baptism of Thomas Beckwith, baptised 26 August 1804, St Mary’s Church Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 12 Dec 2009.

5. Baptism of Thomas Beckwith, baptised 12 December 1804, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, England, FHL Film 396232.

6. Marriage of Thomas Beckwith and Mary Finch married 10 January 1791, Parish of West Ham, Essex, England, Essex, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1935 (Index only, no image currently available), Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

7. Marriage of John Beckwith and Ann Lamson, married 7 June 1800, St John at Hackney Church Registers, Hackney, Middlesex, unpaginated, unnumbered.

8. Baptism of Sarah Ann Beckwith, baptised 5 July 1795,  St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

9. Baptism of George Beckwith, baptised 19 February 1797, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

10. Baptism of Harriet Beckwith, baptised 17 March 1799, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

11. Baptism of Samuel Cox Beckwith, baptised 24 July 1801,  St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

12. Baptism of Ann Beckwith, baptised 25 December 1800, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, FHL Film 396232.

13. Baptism of John Mitchelson Beckwith, baptised 8 December 1811, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

14. Baptism of Edward Beckwith, baptised 22 June 1809, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, FHL Film 396232.

15. Baptism of William Henry Beckwith, baptised 8 December 1811, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

16. Baptism of Charles Beckwith, baptised 23 March 1817, St Matthew’s Church Parish Register, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, Page 63, No. 502, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

17. Baptism of Edmund Beckwith, baptised 3 January 1819, St Matthew’s Church Parish Register, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, Page 231, No. 1841, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

18. Census record for Samuel Beckwith, aged 35, Devonshire Street West, Mile End Old Town , 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/713/4/48, UK Census Collection, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

19. Census record for John Beckwith, aged 35, Old Nichol Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/693/1/20, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 11 Nov 2006.

20. Death of John Beckwith, died 6 March 1838, citing II/28/381, March quarter 1838, Bethnal Green registration district, Hackney Road sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

Railways and Genealogy

When researching my 3xgreat-grandparents, Walter Thomas Piller and Susanna Davies, I hit a problem. Walter and Susanna married in Great Yarmouth and had two short-lived children there, the second of whom was buried in August 1851.^1-5 In August 1852 they had a child, Betsey and in August 1853 a son, Walter, both born in Shoreditch.^6,7 Walter grew up to become my 2xgreat-grandfather, but Betsey seemed to just vanish. The solution lay in the railways.

Railways had a major impact on the development of modern Britain.⁸ Towns which missed out on a route slowly degenerated into villages and formerly remote villages grew into towns. In other locations (such as Amersham) development steadily migrated to a nearby station, leaving the ancient village hanging loose.

With their capacity for both bulk freight and mass human transport, railways significantly reduced both travel times and travel costs while increasing availability. Before the railways, most travel for lower income families was by foot, cart or canal, all at pretty much walking pace (5-7 kph).⁹ Only the wealthy could afford coaches (private, stage or mail) which travelled at about twice the speed (8-14 kph). The frequency with which these services were publicly offered would only be, at most, a few times per week. The early trains frequently travelled at 30-50 kph and often provided several services per day.^{8 (p118),10} After 1844 all new railway companies were required to provide low cost travel at 1d per mile. The existing companies rapidly followed suit as these low cost services provided access to a new, mass market and were extremely profitable.^{8 (p89)} Offering affordability and speed, railways were a key facilitator of migration within the UK.

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Coventry was a town which needed transport. Surrounded by a major coalfield and with industries developing, Coventry welcomed developments in transport systems.¹¹ Major road improvements began in the early eighteenth century, with turnpike trusts steadily being set up to convert bridle ways to carriage ways. Canal development begain in 1768 connecting the Bedworth coalfield to Coventry and by 1790 the Coventry Canal provided connections to canals reaching Liverpool and the Thames. Coventry station was built in 1838 as a stop on the London (Euston) to Birmingham railway.^11,12 By 1843 trains were taking 4-5 hrs for the 150 kilometre trip from London to Coventry, with ~8 services per day.¹⁰ This was quicker, more convenient and much cheaper than a stage coach (~10 hours), and also much quicker than by canal (~36 hours over several days).⁹

My 4xgreat-grandparents, Catherine Randal and Edward Butler, married in 1822 at Foleshill, north-east of Coventry.¹³ Edward died in 1826 leaving one child (James born 1823) and Catherine remarried to Henry Fletcher in 1827, again at Foleshill.^14,15,16 Their first three children - Henry (1828), Hannah (1831) and Jonas Henry (1832) - were all born near Foleshill but the last two children - George Henry (1834) and Charles Henry (1837) - were born at Tower Hamlets, east of the City of London.^17-21,24 The move from Foleshill to Tower Hamlets in about 1833 would most conveniently have been made by canal.

In 1840 Henry Fletcher died in Tower Hamlets.²² In the 1841 census Catherine was still living in Tower Hamlets, but by 1851 she was back in the Coventry area with Jonas Henry and George Henry where she remarried in 1856.^23-25 By this time the trip could have made by railway.

Her eldest son (my ancestor), James Butler lived in Tower Hamlets until his death in 1867 but his eldest daughter, Louisa, was staying with her half-uncle, Jonas Henry Fletcher, in the Coventry area in 1861 returning to London by 1871.^26,27,28

Catherine’s second son, Henry Fletcher, also stayed in Tower Hamlets for the rest of his life, but her two youngest surviving sons (Jonas Henry and George Henry) having moved back to the Coventry area with their mother in 1851 married in the area and had families there.^29,24,30 During this time Louisa, daughter of James Butler, visited Jonas Henry. However, Jonas Henry and George Henry, with their families, were back in Tower Hamlets by 1871.^31,32

It is doubtful whether this hopping back and forth, especially of entire families, could have happened were it not for the existence of the railway.

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Norfolk had been a relatively isolated area of England for centuries, cut off from the rest of the country by the fens. In addition there was only one (short) canal built in the North-east of the county, so that travel was limited to the rivers and the roads.^33,34,35 The Norwich Thorpe to Great Yarmouth railway line opened in 1844, greatly reducing travel time between the two towns.³⁶ In 1845 Norwich Thorpe was connected to the Shoreditch (Bishopsgate) terminus in London.³⁶ This would have greatly simplified travel from the Norfolk coast to London with a single change of train at Norwich. A faster route from Norwich to Shoreditch (Liverpool Street) via Ipswich was opened in 1851.³⁶ By 1859 London could be reached from Great Yarmouth in eight hours.³⁷

It turns out that Betsey, third child of Walter and Susanna, while born and baptised at Shoreditch, was buried at Great Yarmouth in March 1853 (no death registration found).³⁸ Then in August 1853 their fourth (and first surviving) child was born at Shoreditch.⁷ The family seems to have settled down in Tower Hamlets after this. I have very little doubt that most of the family’s travelling between Yarmouth and the East End of London was done by rail and undoubtedly they made many more trips for which we have no evidence.

----------

It is difficult to see the amount of travelling to and fro between place of origin and London shown above occurring without the railways and the existence of the railways needs to be taken into account when searching for sources. When people vanish in the mid nineteenth century, check when nearby stations were built and where the rail lines could take people. It took me a long time to find Betsey Piller’s death simply because it didn’t occur to me to look for a death outside London once the family had initially moved there!

Was John Common a Bigamist?

My 4xgreat-grandfather, John Common, was baptised in Longhorsley, Northumberland (north of Newcastle), on 30 Aug 1779.¹ By 1805 he was resident in Red Lion Street, Wapping and on 27 July 1806 he married Mary Oldfield, daughter of a Yorkshire-born coal-ship owner.^2,3,4

 

Figure 1: The Ruins of St Helen, Longhorsley, photographed by Susan Law, 27 June 2019.

The couple lived around the Wapping waterfront producing children at regular intervals up to 1815 (William Oldfield 1808 at 115 Wapping St, Frances born 1809 at Wapping Wall, Mary born 1811 at 64 Wapping Wall, Henry born 1813 at 64 Wapping Wall, Ann Maria born 1815 at 64 Wapping Wall). In the baptism records for these children, John is listed as a grocer, not very different from the “victuallers” who organised the work gangs who unloaded the coal ships.^5,6,7

The production of children continued in 1817 with Sarah Barbara Common but she was born and baptised in St George in the East. Two final children followed: Robert Robinson born 1819 in Wapping and Jane born 1822 in St George in the East. In these baptism records, John is stated to be a “Coal Undertaker”.^5,7 Note that Robert, Robinson, Sarah and Barbara are all names in the pedigree of the Commons family in Longhorsley (see Figure 2).

 

Figure 2: Ancestors and siblings of John Common of Longhorsley (generated from Legacy Family Tree).

At this time the surname Common was rare in the East End of London. However in 1815 a John Common of unknown origin married Elizabeth Mary Sheffield in Bethnal Green.⁸ In 1822 William John Sheffield Common was baptised in Shadwell, close to where the first John Common resided. William had been born in 1818.⁹ This family was living at 18 Star Street, Wapping and John was a “Hat Maker”, different from the “Coal Undertaker” listed in the later “John and Mary” baptisms.¹⁰

However, there were changes made to the baptism entry: William John’s surname had originally been entered as “Sheffield” but this was struck through and replaced with “Common”, then “Sheffield” added as a third given name. The handwriting on the correction is different from that of the original entry.⁹

 

Figure 3: Baptism entry of John William Sheffield Common.

Note that the marriage took place in Bethnal Green, where the first John would have been unknown, but the baptism took place in Shadwell, the area in which he had been living for nearly twenty years. The modified baptism entry could support possible bigamy because if it was the same John Common the Shadwell clerics would have known of the pre-existing marriage. There is no indication of when the correction was made.

In 1826 the last two children of John & Mary (Robert, 1819 and Jane, 1822) were baptised at St John of Wapping and the 1829 the Post Office Directory lists a single John Common as a silk hat manufacturer of 48 High Street Shadwell.^5,10

In 1830 Elizabeth Common age 34 of High Street was buried at St Paul, Shadwell.¹¹ This is the right age for the wife of the 1815 marriage. In 1834 Mary Common of Spring Street Shadwell died age 50 and was buried in the Ebenezer Chapel, Shadwell.¹² This is the right age for the wife of the 1806 marriage. On 18 July 1836 John Common witnessed the marriage of William John Sheffield Common.¹³ The signature is similar to the other John Common signatures.

Figure 4: Signatures of "John Common" from: Marriage Licence Allegation 1806; Marriage entry 1806; Marriage entry 1815; Marriage entry of W. J. S. Common 1836 (witness).

 

So between 1815 and 1836 we apparently have two Johns with two families. Unfortunately from this point on the records indicate the existence of only one John Common. Apart from his death registration, the age is correct for the John from Northumberland, but the records are inconsistent with regard to his occupation:

• 24 July 1840: John Common of Shadwell, widowed, disabled labourer born c. 1781 admitted to the Mile End Workhouse at Ratcliff.¹⁴
• 23 October 1840: John Common of Shadwell, widowed, disabled hatter, born c. 1780 admitted to the Mile End Workhouse at Ratcliff.¹⁴
• 6 June 1841: Census, John Common, age 60, hatter, not born in Middlesex resident in the Mile End Workhouse in Ratcliff.¹⁵

The age in these records is consistent with John from Northumberland. The crucial piece of evidence is the 1851 Census where John Comnon is listed as a widowed pauper, age 69 (i.e. born c. 1782), a journeyman hatter born Northumberland/Newcastle.¹⁶ This information combines the occupation of the second John with the age and rough birth place of the first.

The death and burial entries in 1858 which form a series with the workhouse and census records give John’s age as 71, but this could be a transcription error for 77, consistent with the earlier information from the Workhouse.^17,18

So was John Common from Northumberland a bigamist? If so it was a risky thing to do because at this period in time bigamy was a criminal offence which carried a jail term (though there is no record of this happening to John Common). This is one case where a genetic link would be helpful.

Emily Beckwith's Bible

Well it's not been a great year, but I have managed to complete six out of the seven remaining Units I need to complete my Diploma of Family History and I'm looking forward to having more time to spend on my blog. This post is from an assessment for one of the most recent Units "Place, Image, Object", part of which involved identification of inherited objects and placing them in context. I looked at the bible which originally belonged to my great-grandmother, Emily Beckwith.

The Muddled Trail of Mary Ann

According to the birth certificate of my great-grandmother, Emily Beckwith, the maiden name of my great-great-grandmother was Mary Ann Butler.¹ Emily was the second child of Zachariah and Mary Ann Beckwith, the oldest being Mary Ann Beckwith born 1865.²

The first muddle occurs in the maiden names given in the birth registrations of Zachariah and Mary Ann’s children. For Mary Ann, Emily, Alfred (1881) and Zachariah (1883) the mother’s name is given as Mary Ann Beckwith formerly Butler.³ Importantly, on the certificate of Martha Ann (1879) the mother’s name is given as Mary Ann Beckwith late Stevens formerly Butler.⁴ This indicates the existence of a previous marriage, supported by the list of names in Emily’s Bible, which includes Joseph Stevens (1868).⁵ Confusingly in the registrations of the last two children, Arthur (1886) and Elizabeth (1888), the mother’s name is given as Mary Ann Beckwith formerly Fletcher!⁶

End paper of Emily Beckwith’s Bible⁵

The next muddle is in the Beckwith-Stephens marriage certificate.⁷ The bride, who quite correctly gives her name as Mary Ann Stephens, is mistakenly listed as a spinster. Therefore, as far as the clerk is concerned, her father’s name must be James Stephens, mustn’t it? Thankfully the “James” is correct.

Mary Ann and Joseph both appear in the 1871 census with a younger child, George (~1870), with Mary Ann giving her marital status as “widow”.⁸

In the birth certificates of Joseph and George their parents are given as George Stephens/Stevens and Mary Ann Butler.⁹ George senior’s death had occurred on 22nd March 1871, just before the census.¹⁰ But when did Mary Ann marry George Stevens? Given that Mary Ann was born in 1847 and was twenty when she gave birth to Joseph one would expect it to be a year or so before Joseph’s birth.¹¹

It turns out that George Stevens married Mary Ann Butler (daughter of James Butler) on 27th July 1843, when Mary Ann was sixteen (though she gave her age as eighteen).¹² The witnesses were from George’s family. There were no children prior to Joseph in 1868 (shortly after the death of James Butler).¹³ Did James drag Mary Ann back to her childhood home? We’ll never know, but it is possible that George started working for James before James’ death as on Joseph’s birth certificate his father’s trade is given as chairmaker (which was James’ trade).¹⁴

You won’t find Mary Ann Butler or James Butler in the 1861 or 1851 censuses. The family appears under the surname “Fletcher”.¹⁵ Throughout this time the family still registered their children using the surname “Butler”.¹⁶ The reasons behind this are rather involved and will have to wait for another blog, but it seems that somehow the surname “Fletcher” caught up with Mary Ann again, later in her life.

St Leonard, Shoreditch photographed by John Salmon 27th September 2011

The final muddle in Mary Ann’s trail is a clerk’s error in her baptism entry. St Leonard Shoreditch was a busy, crowded parish in the nineteenth century. The clerks were entering multiple entries in multiple registers every day and made mistakes. When entering James Butler’s surname the clerk seems to have accidentally repeated his given name. Thus on 4th April 1847 Mary Ann daughter of James and Fanny Maria “James” was baptised having been born on 1st March.¹⁷ Apart from the surname this matches Mary Ann birth certificate details.

The documentary trail of my great-great-grandmother is muddled, but when pulled together all the parts fit neatly together like a jigsaw.

Sources

1. England, Bethnal Green Register Office, birth certificate for Emily Beckwith, born 10 Mar 1877; Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district
2. England and Wales, birth certificate for Mary Ann Beckwith, born 12 Mar 1875; citing 1c/267/450, Jun quarter 1875, Bethnal Green registration district, Church Bethnal Green sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
3. England and Wales, birth certificate, Mary Ann Beckwith, 12 Mar 1875, citing 1c/267/450, Jun quarter 1875, Bethnal Green registration district, Church Bethnal Green sub-district; England, Bethnal Green Register Office, birth certificate, Emily Beckwith, 10 Mar 1877; Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; England and Wales, birth certificate for Alfred Beckwith, born 9 Sep 1881; citing 1c/261/144, Dec quarter 1881, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Zachariah Beckwith, born 31 Oct 1883; citing 1c/258a/269, Dec quarter 1883, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
4. England and Wales, birth certificate for Martha Ann Beckwith, born 1 Jul 1879; citing 1c/288/393, Sep quarter 1879, Bethnal Green registration district, Town sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.
5. Emily Beckwith’s Bible - The Holy Bible (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1890)
6. England and Wales, birth certificate for Arthur Beckwith, born 17 Jan 1886; citing 1c/261/86, Mar quarter 1886, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Elizabeth Beckwith, born 4 Mar 1888; citing 1c/264/213, Mar quarter 1888, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
7. England and Wales, marriage certificate for Zacharia Beckwith and Mary Ann Stephens, married 25 Dec 1875; citing 1c/839/177, Dec quarter 1873, Bethnal Green registration district; General Register Office, Southport
8. 1871 census of England, London, Bethnal Green, folio 96, page 39, Mary A Stevens; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 29 Apr 2006); citing PRO RG 10/491
9. England and Wales, birth certificate for Joseph Charles Stephens, born 9 Jan 1868; citing 1c/267/270, Mar quarter 1868, Bethnal Green registration district, Green sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for George Stevens, born 23 Mar 1870; citing 1c/279/102, Jun quarter 1870, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
10. England and Wales, death certificate for George Stevens, died 22 Mar 1871; citing 1c/249/30, Mar quarter 1871, Bethnal Green registration district, Church, Bethnal Green sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
11. England and Wales, birth certificate for Mary Ann Butler, born 1 Mar 1847; citing II/564/233, Jun quarter 1847, Whitechapel registration district, Spitalfields sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
12. England and Wales, marriage certificate for George Stevens and Mary Ann Butler, married 27 Jul 1863; citing 1c/596/369, Sep quarter 1863, Bethnal Green registration district; General Register Office, Southport.
13. England and Wales, death certificate for James Butler, died 26 Oct 1867; citing 1c/225/288, Dec quarter 1867, Bethnal Green registration district, Town sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
14. England and Wales, birth certificate, Joseph Charles Stephens, 9 Jan 1868, citing 1c/267/270, Mar quarter 1868, Bethnal Green registration district, Green sub-district
15. 1861 census of England, Middlesex, Bethnal Green, folio 70, page 42, James Fletcher; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 8 Aug 2006); citing PRO RG 9/262; 1851 census of England, Middlesex, Bethnal Green, folio 376, page 30, James Fletcher; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 8 Aug 2006); citing PRO HO 107/1542
16. England and Wales, birth certificate for Louisa Butler, born 28 May 1844; citing II/537/304, Sep quarter 1844, Whitechapel Union registration district, Spitalfields sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate, Mary Ann Butler, 1 Mar 1847, citing II/564/233, Jun quarter 1847, Whitechapel registration district, Spitalfields sub-district; England and Wales, birth certificate for Charles Henry Butler, born 2 Apr 1849; citing II/625/621, Jun quarter 1849, Whitechapel registration district, Spitalfields sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Catherine Butler, born 11 Sep 1851; citing II/73/119, Dec quarter 1851, Bethnal Green registration district, Town sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
17. St Leonard (Shoreditch, Middlesex, England), Parish Registers, "London Metropolitan Archives P91/LEN/A/01/Ms 7496/54, Register of baptisms 1846-1848,"  page 91, baptism of Mary Ann "James", 4 Apr 1847; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (www.ancestry.com.au : accessed 21 Nov 2009).

The Address in the Bible

[This is a corrected and slightly expanded version of an essay submitted for a Diploma of Family History Unit]

In 1979 when my grandparents died, among their effects was a bible which had belonged to my great-grandmother Susan Orange. Inside it was written a date (9th May 1848) and an address:

John Orange

Butcher

Queens Town

Port Adelaide

S.A.¹

Searches at the time produced an 1849 marriage certificate for John Orange, butcher, and Caroline Hemsley in Adelaide, but nothing else.² Now, with the assistance of online records, we can complete John’s story.

John Orange was Susan Orange’s uncle, the son of Thomas John Orange, weaver of Bethnal Green, and his wife, Susan.³ He was born on 20th June 1823 and baptised in Saint Matthew’s Church on 13th January 1826. The 1841 census shows the whole family working as weavers in a dying industry.^4,5 John does not appear in the 1841 England census – in 1839 he appeared before the Central Criminal Court charged with stealing from his master.⁶

Then aged 15, John worked for a hearth-rug manufacturer in Little Moorfields. On 15th February 1839 he and a fellow employee stole a rug and took it to a pawnbroker to exchange for six shillings. The suspicious pawnbroker refused. Both boys were subsequently arrested, tried and sentenced to seven years transportation.⁶ They were transported aboard the “Runnymede” to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and Point Puer, a “reform institution” for boys.^7,8,9 On arrival (28th March 1840) John was 5’3”, with dark complexion and hair, pockmarked skin and a swan tattoo on his arm.^8,10 One wonders whether he had that tattoo when he left London. Point Puer was a hard place and John was fortunate in being nearly 17 on arrival and soon assigned to a work gang.¹¹

The Central Criminal Court, photographed by Alan Law of Concord West, NSW, 16th June 2019, reproduced with permission.

By 1840 convict administration was changing from the “assignment” to the “probation” system.^12,13,14 The probation system required convicts to live in “probation stations” while transitioning from work gang assignments to jobs in the community. Unfortunately, this change coincided with a depression in the local economy and a shortage of community employment.^13,14 John was fortunate. In 1841 John was transferred to Oatlands where he worked for Mr J. Lamb.^11,15 Censuses in 1841-48 show that John Lamb lived on High Street Oatlands, being an “other free person”, i.e. an emancipated convict.¹⁶ The most likely candidate is John Lamb, butcher, transported for life in 1821 but awarded a “free pardon” in 1837.¹⁷ The censuses indicate that John Orange did not reside with John Lamb.¹⁶ Probationers were housed in a special station close to Oatlands gaol.¹⁴ Our John stayed in Oatlands learning the butcher’s trade until 1844 when he moved to another location (possibly Port Sorell) perhaps in relation to his Ticket of Leave, as convicts were supposed to demonstrate self-sufficiency.¹¹ In 1845 he was back in Oatlands and granted a conditional pardon.^11,18 The following year (24th February 1846) he was made free by certificate and was able to move to the mainland where pay rates were higher.¹¹

In 1848 he wrote to his family from Port Adelaide.¹ He does not appear on any passenger lists and probably worked his way there.¹⁹ Also in 1848 Caroline Hemsley and her brother James arrived in Adelaide on the “Harpley”.²⁰ On 1st January 1849 John married Caroline in St John’s, Adelaide.² Both gave their address as “New Tiers” (a location near Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills). No children appear in the SA birth indexes for John and Caroline but the couple seemed to prosper.²² By 1859 John is a butcher in Queenstown with enough standing to appear as a witness in a court case.²³ In 1860, he purchased five blocks of land on Glebe Street, Alberton.^24,25

Orange-Hemsley-Moxons family connections

Meanwhile in 1854 James Hemsley married Jane Moxons and had three children (James (1856), Caroline (1857) and Matilda (1860)) before dying on 9th July 1860.^26,27 It seems that in this crisis Jane turned to her prosperous in-laws and possibly moved in with the couple. However it happened, by 1862 Jane was pregnant by John. They moved to Melbourne and on 2nd September 1862 Martha Jane Orange daughter of John Orange (butcher) and Jane nee Moxam was born.²⁸ They claimed to have married in Adelaide in 1849 and have three children (James, 6, Caroline, 4 and Matilda, 2). Possibly rumour followed them, because they soon moved to Hobart and there on 2nd March 1863 Martha Jane Hemsley, a widow’s daughter, died.²⁹ Her heartbroken parents buried her under the surname Orange in St David’s Churchyard.³⁰

She scarcely knew the winter's breath
Sheltered beneath the almighty wing
And though she felt the stroke of death
Blessed baby she never felt the sting
Our child is now a child of bliss
Why should we weep for joy like this

Headstone of Martha Jane Orange, St David’s Park, photographed by Alan Law of Concord West, NSW, 2nd August 2010, reproduced with permission

With no reason to stay, in October 1863 John advertised for creditors to contact him as he was leaving the colony.³¹ The couple returned to Adelaide where further grief awaited them – Caroline Hemsley, daughter of Jane, died “at the residence of her uncle, Mr Orange” on 5th October 1864.³²

By 1870 John was back in Melbourne, as a butcher at 231 Swanston Street.³³ Caroline, his wife, was probably with him. On 9th January 1871 John committed her to Yarra Bend Mental Asylum where she died on 2nd February 1872.³⁴ A respectable year and a day later John married Jane at 231 Swanston Street.³⁵ But their trials were not over. In early 1874 John was still a butcher at 231 Swanston Street, but in 1875 he no longer appears in the trade section of Sands & McDougall’s Directory but only in the alphabetical section as James Orange of Errol Street, Hotham (now North Melbourne).³⁶ In December 1874 he had been declared insolvent.³⁷ He managed to sort his finances out rapidly, applying for a certificate of discharge in November 1875 and in the 1876 directory he appears as a butcher at 83 Queensbury Street, Hotham, with a residence on Curzon Street.³⁸ From this point on he seems to have respectably prospered, being a founder of the Hotham Master Butchers’ Association and joining the local Freemasons lodge in 1883.³⁹ In 1887 he acquired more land on Curzon Street.⁴⁰ By 1890 his stepson James Hemsley had joined him in the butchery business, becoming the sole operator by 1895, when John appeared purely as a resident at 68 Curzon Street.⁴¹

John died on 14th September 1896.⁴² He was buried in the same grave as his first wife, a “beloved husband … and beloved stepfather”.^43,44 Jane was buried in the same grave in 1924.⁴⁵

John Orange could be regarded as one of the success stories of the Tasmanian convict system. After committing a crime as a teenager, he took the opportunity to learn a trade then left his past behind by moving to Adelaide. Despite some behaviour which would have been frowned on at the time, the last twenty years of his life seem to have been spent in respectable, loving comfort.

Sources

1. Alfred Commons to Susan Law, email 7 June 2006, original in author's possession
2. Marriage certificate for John Orange and Caroline Hemsley, married 1 January 1849, Adelaide, Office of the Principal Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Adelaide. S.A.
3. Baptism of John Orange, 13 Jan 1826, Saint Matthew's Church Baptism Registers Vol 14 1825-28, Bethnal Green, London, England, page 28, entry 221, FHL microfilm 855941 item 3, accessed 22 January 2009
4. Census record for Thomas Orange, aged 45, and family, Hare Marsh, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, TNA, HO107/694/6/5/2, ‘UK Census Collection’, Ancestry.com, Accessed 6 May 2006
5. Alfred Plummer, The London Weavers' Company 1600-1970, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972, Chapter 17
6. Trial Notes for John Orange, Central Criminal Court, 'The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court, 1674-1913', http://www.oldbaileyonline.org, Accessed 26 May 2007
7. John Orange, Runnymede, 1840, Appropriation Lists of Convicts, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CON27/1/8, page 34
8. Runnymede on 'AUS-Tasmanian Genealogy Mailing List' http://sites.rootsweb.com/~austashs/convicts/conships_r.htm, Accessed 17 September 2006
9. Terry Newman, Point Puer: boy convicts (extracts from an early draft of Becoming Tasmania), downloaded from 'Becoming Tasmania, Companion Web Site' http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/BTMainPage.htm, Accessed 1 Feb 2020
10. John Orange, Runnymede, 1840, Description Lists of Convicts, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CON18/1/1, page 246.
11. John Orange, Runnymede, 1840, Conduct Record, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CON31/1/32, page 239
12. Libraries Tasmania, 'Convict Life', https://libraries.tas.gov.au/convict-portal/pages/convict-life.aspx, Accessed 1 February 2020
13. Terry Newman, Convict Systems: Assignment, Probation & Exile (extracts from an early draft of Becoming Tasmania), downloaded from 'Becoming Tasmania, Companion Web Site' http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/BTMainPage.htm, Accessed 2 February 2020
14. Ian Brand, The Convict Probation System: Van Diemen's Land 1839-1854, Hobart, Blubber Head Press, 1990
15. The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England, HO 10/51, ‘New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia Convict Musters, 1806-1849’, Ancestry.com.au, Accessed 28 August 2007
16. John Lamb, 1842 Census of Van Diemen's Land, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CEN1/1/35/19-20, Accessed 2 January 2020; John Lamb, 1843 Census of Van Diemen's Land, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CEN1/1/71/129-30, Accessed 2 January 2020; John Lamb, 1848 Census of Van Diemen's Land, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CEN1/1/94/57, Accessed 2 January 2020
17. John Lamb, Malabar, #184, 1821, Conduct Record, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, CON31/1/27, page 116
18. The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England, HO 10/59, ‘New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859’, Ancestry.com.au, Accessed 28 August 2007
19. State Records of South Australia, 'Migrations and Crew', https://archives.sa.gov.au/finding-information/discover-our-collection/migration-and-crew, Accessed 8 February 2020
20. Caroline Hemsley Arrival in Adelaide, State Library of South Australia, 'Bound for South Australia, Passenger Lists 1836-1851', https://bound-for-south-australia.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm, Accessed 2 Jun 2006
21. Adelaide Hills Council 'History & Heritage', https://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/visitor/history-and-heritage, Accessed 1 Jan 2020
22. Search of South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc., Index of South Australia Births 1842-1928, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 1 Feb 2020
23. Local Court - Port Adelaide, South Australian Advertiser, 10 March 1859, page 3
24. Real Property Act Notices, South Australian Advertiser, 6 September 1860, page 1
25. State Library of South Australia Flickr Account, Map of Hundred of Yatala, 1957 (https://flickr.com/photos/32600408@N06/23487679250, uploaded 16th December 2015), Accessed 22nd March 2020.
26. Marriage of James Hemsley & Jane Moxons in South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc., Index of South Australia Marriages 1842-1937, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 1 Feb 2020; James, Caroline & Matilda He(l)msley births in South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc., Index of South Australia Births 1842-1928, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 1 Feb 2020; Death of James Hemsley in South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc., Index of South Australia Deaths 1842-1972, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 1 Feb 2020
27. ‘Died’, South Australian Advertiser, 11 July 1860
28. Birth Register entry for Martha Jane Orange, 2nd September 1862, The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria, PRO 1005259159
29. Death Register entry for Martha Jane Hemsley, died 2nd March 1863, Tasmanian Archives & Heritage Office, 'Tasmania Deaths 1803-1933', www.findmypast.com.au, Accessed 19 Jan 2020
30. Richard Lord, Inscriptions in stone, St David's Burial Ground 1804-1872, St George's Church, Battery Point, Hobart, 1976
31. e.g. ‘Notice', The Mercury, 12th October 1863, page 1
32. 'Deaths', South Australian Register, 6th October 1864, page 2
33. Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1870, Melbourne 1870, John sometimes appears as James
34. Mental Asylum Record for Caroline Orange, Public Record Office Victoria, VPRS 7446 P1 Alphabetical Lists of Patients in Asylums (VA 2863) Hospitals for the Insane Branch, Unit 1 (Yarra Bend), 26 Oct 1848 – 11 Nov 1912; Death Register entry for Caroline Orange, 2nd February 1872, The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria, PRO 606369365
35. Marriage Register entry for John Orange and Jane Hemsley, 3rd February 1873, The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria, PRO 303778491200161102
36. Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1874, Melbourne 1874; Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1875, Melbourne 1875
37. 'New Insolvents', The Advocate, 19th December 1874, page 15
38. 'Law List - This Day', The Age, 19th November 1875, page 2; Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1876, Melbourne 1876
39. 'The Hotham Master Butchers', The Argus, 6th March 1883, page 6, John Orange Admission in 'Freemasonry Membership Registers', www.ancesty.com.au, 'England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921', Accessed 27 Jan 2020
40. 'Transfer of Land Statute', The Argus, 9th March 1887, page 10
41. Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1890, Melbourne 1890; Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1895, Melbourne 1895
42. Death Register entry for John Orange, 14th September 1896, The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria, PRO 606369365
43. 'Deaths', The Age, 15th September 1896, page 1
44. John Orange headstone transcription, Genealogical Society of Victoria, 'Victorian cemetery records and headstone transcriptions', www.ancestry.com.au, 'Victoria, Australia, Cemetery Records and Headstone Transcriptions, 1844-1997', Accessed 27 Jan 2020
45. Death Register entry for Jane Orange, 4th August 1924, The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria, PRO 1122793109