First Generation Completed

When I started this blog in 2009, there were a lot of blanks in the first generation. Thanks to the GRO raising its price for vital registration certificates in April of 2010, I got to work filling in the blanks. The original first generation blog is available here.

At left, is a new chart with the results of my latest research. I apologize for its fuzziness but I had to rotate it twice to capture it as one image and it loses something in the process. You can view it in a larger format by double clicking it.

The big news is:

(1) Solving Jane Ann's death date of 06 Apr 1872 Hellingly. Although her death was registered as Jane Ann BENNETT she never married either William Cooke or John BENNETT as her first husband, Thomas CHATFIELD, was transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1832.

(2) Finding a marriage for Susannah on 10 Sep 1836 to Leonard PAGE in Glynde.

Once I had her married name, I also found her death on 02 Jul 1885 also in Glynde.

(3) Finding a death date for Sarah on 21 Apr 1864 in Uckfield.

(4) Confirming the marriage of Frances to Henry HEMSLEY on 18 Oct 1840 in Uckfield. I also got her full death date of 22 Jan 1892 in Uckfield.

(5) Confirming the marriage of Elizabeth to Henry MITCHELL on 28 Jun 1846 in Glynde. I also got her full death date of 27 Aug 1879 in Glynde.

(6) Finding a death date for Mary on 04 Dec 1875 in Uckfield.

(7) Finding a first marriage for George to Sarah PECKHAM on 01 Dec 1844 in Uckfield. Unfortunately, Sarah died in 1845. I also got the marriage date for George's second marriage to Esther COTTINGTON on 18 Feb 1840 in Uckfield.

(8) Finding a marriage for Harriett to John TAYLOR on 17 May 1856 in Glynde. I also got her death date of 31 Dec 1892 in Beddingham. This one was a real find because Harriett's marriage proved her father as Thomas DAWES - Labourer and she and John had 6 children carrying on into the twentieth century so some new cousins may turn up.

If anyone researching this DAWES family is interested in copies of any of these certificates, send me an email.

The Saga of Jane Ann DAWES Continued

When I updated the information on Jane Ann DAWES, which can be viewed here , I pointed out that the death certificate I received for Jane BENNETT was dated 16 January 1851. Since that was before the 1851 census was taken it couldn't be for Jane Ann as she was recorded on the census in March of 1851. I also mentioned that several of her children by different husbands were with her in 1851 so I assumed that she was ill and died shortly afterwards because I couldn't find her in the 1861 census. Well, I was WRONG because I just used an old genealogy trick and jumped to the next census in 1871 where I found her and John Bennett still living in Hellingly. I don't know why several of her children were visiting (maybe she had finally married John) or why she and John are missing in 1861 but she is still living in 1871.

As you can see in the above image from 1871 Jane is alive and well and her birth location is recorded as Hadlow, Kent further adding to her continued existence. I then decided to look in later years for a death and found a likely entry in FreeBMD for 1872. Unlike the census, her full name is shown and the age at death matches with her birth year of 1805 so I suspect that this is her. I also found a death for John in 1878. I have ordered the certificate for this Jane Ann and will update this posting when it arrives. I hope that it doesn't take more than a month like the ones for her sisters Susannah and Mary did. They arrived last week having been ordered on April 5th just before the GRO price increase but I am still waiting for Harriett's and will update all of their death dates after I have all the facts.

I still can't find a marriage for Jane Ann and John Bennett. Maybe she was "once burned and twice shy" since she appears to have started living with him before her second husband, William COOKE, died and we now know that her first husband, Thomas CHATFIELD, didn't die in 1832 but was transported to VanDiemen's land in 1831 for 14 years. And, I am not sure that she ever actually married William COOKE although her first child with him is listed as illegitimate while the second child isn't but there is no record of a marriage between them and given this new information about Thomas CHATFIELD I suspect that she didn't marry either William COOKE or John BENNETT.

This blog is starting to pay off because I was contacted by a CHATFIELD descendant with the information on Thomas and his legal problems.