Research Forum

In 1901 census Maud Emily THAYER was a ladies maid with the COLES family in Binegar. There were 2 sons of an age to father a child!(See below)

1907 shows her in a family photograph in Rodney Stoke.

In 1911 census she was in Brean in the house of Jesse Hawkings as a houseworker.

In 1912 she emigrated to America to join her brother Henry  in Auburn, NY state. 

The family story is that she had a child and aged 4yrs left him at home.

In the 1911 censuses for the family there does not appear any child born around the possible time frame. GRO shows no child with mother's maiden name THAYER, nor any child named COLES with no mother's maiden name  in the time frame or area.

Is this just a family story?

Pam & Brian

The society has received an email from Canada seeking information about a Louisa HORSINGTON from Weston super Mare who was buried in a pauper grave in a village outside Quebec in 1882.

There is a Louisa Horsington baptised in Winscombe 9 July 1837 daughter of William & Mary Horsington, father a labourer of Woodborough.

She is in 1851 census in Wsm with her 2 elder siblings. In 1861 she is a domestic servant in Paddington aged 22 years. She is back in Wsm in 1871 as a parlourmaid at a house called Glenwood.

Probate records show she died 2 October 1882 in Lorette, Quebec. I cannot find any passenger lists for that period or find any reason for her migrating. The enquirer in Canada has sent coroner's records etc, but they are in French. They are reasonably understandable to any schoolboy/girl, which I can forward should anyone be interested.

Father William died in 1866 and there is a probate record showing he was working on the railway. Her brother William was killed on the railway in 1880.

If anyone can supply other details which will be of interest to the enquirer please let me know.

My great grandfather was William Tripp Marshall married to Isabella Clara Gray.  His son my grandfather Victor Launcelot Marshall had several siblings.  His mother passed away, the male side of the family moved in with Victors sister and her husband, The Cousens.  The 2 younger daughters Violet and Mary appear to have been sent to a school in Enfield Middlesex. I am curious why this would have occurred.  
I wonder if anyone can enlighten me.  Would they have come back to Weston after finishing school. 

regards Sue 

I have just come across an entry in a Welsh paper dated 1950 concerning a Mrs CRITCHARD, of Axmouth Cottage donating funds to an organ in the local church. This is in memory of "her son Gunner Thomas LEWIS who died last year in Singapore"(CRITCHARD is an Axmouth name)

I have found a Thomas Brian Lewis born 1927 (no mother's maiden name given on GRO) in Bridgend District & died in Singapore in 1949 aged 22yrs. However I have not found any Lewis marrying a Critchard except for one in 1939 when Irene CRICHARD married Glandwyr LEWIS. Irene was not born until 1918 so could not be the mother of TB LEWIS

Any thoughts

Hubert STOKES was born in Birmingham in January 1881 - mother's maiden name PALMER.

He was just 2 months old on the 1881 census of Birmingham with his father, Charles STOKES – born in Portbury, a Policeman and his mother, Eleanor.  Charles and Eleanor (a widow) were married in Bristol in 1877.  Only the last two children on that census were Charles’s – the others should have had the surname HOWES as they were from Eleanor’s first marriage

Hubert was christened at Ss Philip & Jacob in Bristol in 1882 giving his birth date of 14 Jan 1881.

Eleanor died in 1885 and on the 1891 census Hubert can be found with his grandparents, Charles & Lavinia STOKES in Wraxall.  He was entered as Herbert and was said to have been born in Bristol.

Please can anyone find what happened to Hubert (Herbert) after 1891 and also what happened to his father, Policeman Charles STOKES, born 1849 in Portbury – he was not the Charles STOKES who was Landlord of the Priory Hotel at Portbury. Thank you.

I am researching my TUTTON family ancestry, but doing this from Yorkshire I am not easily able to visit Somerset.  I have a Will for Samuel Tutton, who was buried at Bleadon on 29 March 1771.  His Will includes the following statement "My first will and desire is that I may be buried in the parish church of Bleadon in the vault with my late dear deceased wife, which vault lies near the monument which I erected to her memory".  Would anyone local to the church know if that vault and the monument to his wife can still be seen in/ around the Church?  And if anyone has a transcription or photo of any inscription they would be able to send me, I would be very grateful.  Thanks in anticipation.