A Cautionary Tale

So here I've been, merrily researching away, tracking Savages and Whites, Philips and others.

Many, many, others. Many.

And it's all a sham. A waste of time. And why? Because there's one small detail incorrect. One small detail like; John Martin born in Bosham in 1802 is not the father of William Martin, born 1829 in Lyminster, or Birdham, or Sidlesham (depending on which Census you look at).

And nor is his mother, therefore, Patience Savage, born 1809 in Westbourne.

All the hours I've spent going through Parish records and back in to the Census records, tracing through all the descendants to 1901. Wasted.

How bloody annoying. And how did this happen?

Well: early in my research, when I was just dabbling, I didn't make reference to the sources of information as I do now. And I was contacted by some relatives on Genesreunited who had already traced some of the ancestors of the people in my tree so, fascinated, I copied them.

So now I have based my research on someone else's findings. Which now turn out to be inaccurate. It appears that I've cut off the branch I'm sitting on, to use a tree analogy.

Damn it! I've got some unpicking to do now!

The moral: NEVER trust anyone else's research. Seriously. Just don't.


:c

William Martin b.c1768 in Bosham

....another of those instances where a central database of parish registers would really help.

I have William in the Bosham Baptism register, born to Edmund Martin and Mercy Bennet (1743 Bosham). William was born c1768, but there is no marriage record.

On 18.5.1848, I have a burial record for an 80-year-old William Martin, from Boxgrove.

Assuming this is the same guy, he appears in the 1841 Census, listed as birth in 1768 in Sussex, living in Chidham, just across the channel from Bosham. In the same household is Elizabeth Rossell (Russell?) b1803 in Sussex.

Unfortunately, the relationship to the head of household was not recorded in 1841, so I can't tell if they are related.

I guess the only way to find out what happened in William's life is to find the Parish records for Chidham.

Bennett | Souter | Wright

According to my research in the Westbourne Parish records, Henry Souter and Elizabeth Bennett (1743 Bosham) married in Bosham on 25 June 1765 and had two children:

William Souter b 1767
Elizabeth Souter b1769

Although I can find no marriage or death record for William, Elizabeth appears to have married James Wright, from Warblington.
Now the annoying thing is that there are no further records for James and Elizabeth in the Westbourne records. I've assumed that this is because they went off to procreate in Warblington.

I guess I need the Warblington records now....

Jane Trevett (nee Batchelor?)

Whilst tracing the Batchelors through the Census records, William (1817, Bosham) appears in 1881 with sisters Ann Batchelor and a married Jane Trevett (c1818, Bosham). After checking the Bosham and Westbourne Parish records, I can find no Baptism or Marriage record for Jane Batchelor.

In earlier Census records, 1851-1871, Jane Trevett appears with husband Edward Trevett (c1801, Bosham) and their children. Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate a record of them, married or not, in 1841. The oldest child in 1851 is born c1840, possibly indicating a marriage before 1837.

In 1871, Ann Batchelor is shown in the same house as Jane Trevett. Shown again as a sister in law to the head, Edward Trevett, Jane's husband.

It's difficult to prove that Jane is the sibling of Ann and William, but the circumstantial evidence is compelling.

Ann West?

Button-Fly Genes: Frederick Batchelor

The Ann born 1811 in London, Middlesex could be Ann West. This is based only on the evidence of a possible marriage record for son henry W Batchlor:

Henry West Batchelor, Q3 1858, Lambeth to Charlotte Harwood

and for daughter Ann W Batchlor:

Ann West Batchlor, Q2 1858, Brentford

[male record appears missing]

Frederick Batchelor

or Batchlor, Bachelor etc

Throughout the Census records, there are so many misspellings of this surname, it's proving difficult to track this family down. So far as I can determine, Frederick is:

son of Ann (1811, London, Middlesex) and Henry Bachelor (1809, Bosham) who is
son of Henry Bachelor (1775, Sussex) and Mary Philips (1782, Bosham) who is
daughter of William Philips and Sarah Barrow (1745, Bosham) who is
daughter of Richard Barrow and Ann (my 7th great grand parents)

..which I guess makes him my 3rd cousin, 5 times removed.

• Frederick appears in 1841 and 1851 with his parents, and then in 1861 living right next door with his wife Ann. The only relevant marriage record I can locate is to Annoime(!?) Charlotte Sharman in Q1 1860 in St James, Westminster, as yet unproven.
• In 1871, Frederick and Ann (c1814, Freston, Suffolk) appear again, still childless.
• In 1881, 91 and 1901, Frederick appears in the same area with his wife, Charlotte (1835/7, Scotland).
• I can't find a death record for Ann.
• There is a marriage record for Frederick Joseph Batchlor and Charlotte Duncan in Westminster, Q2 1877.
• I can't find Charlotte Duncan in the 1871 Census to confirm place of birth and age.
  

Are Ann and Charlotte the same person, just the birth places screwed up in the Census records? That would mean that the second marriage record is irrelevant and that for some reason, Ann decided to call herself Charlotte after 1871. I don't buy it.

Charlotte's birthplace is consistently listed as Scotland in 1881-1901 - I'm inclined to think that it's accurate.

So what happened to Ann?

And just to throw a spanner in the works (like it wasn't clear as mud already), there's a death record for Ann Bachelor in Brentford in Q3 1899, born 1835. It would match.

Perhaps Frederick and Ann separated and Frederick remarried Charlotte?

I'm lost!

Fanny Savage (c1851)

Fanny was born in Chichester in c1851 and is the daughter of Henry Savage (c1821, Westbourne) and Mary Anne Lane (c1827, Mundham). She appears in the Census records with her parents until 1871.
No matching Fanny Savage is listed in 1881, and I can't find a relevant marriage record for her either. Henry and Mary Anne have moved to St Pancras in Chichester with Frances' siblings.

A Fanny Jupp, b c1851 in Chichester appears with her husband George and a number of children in the 1881 Census, living in Chichester.

Could Frances have married George Jupp? Is there any evidence to support this?

George Martin

I've yet to trace them all fully, but this Obituary, kindly supplied by a fellow descendent, conveniently names a whole group of the family of George Martin b1841 in Bosham.

Glyn Martin mentioned was first an articled clerk and became and Auctioneer / Estate Agent in Bosham. His wife, mentioned is Christina Tennant Gourlay b1894 in London.

Grandchildren Vivian, Doreen and Phyllis are the children of Claude Martin.

Mrs Walter Durling is Ellen Catt, the daughter of George's sister, Eliza Martin (1847) and William Catt (1844), married in Medway in 1865.

My best guess right now would be that Mrs L B Skerrin is Ella Gertrude Martin, although I've been unable to locate a marriage record for any Skerrin in the BMD Index. Perhaps it is misspelled on this obit?

There is a baptism record for George William Baldwin in Bosham 07 November 1920; parents George Arthur Baldwin and Mary Ann Aldous Baldwin. George's sister, Mary Ann Martin (1833) married Harry Aldous (1828), although I've yet to establish any children. It's quite possible that Mary Ann Aldous Baldwin is descended from this union, I guess.

Bygone Bosham: George Martin

Emma Kent (Jan 1851)

Researching Savage descendants of William through the Census records, born 1787 in Westbourne.

William's daughter Mary Sarah Savage (c1815) marries William Kent (c1807) in 1848 in Westbourne. Mary already has two daughters before the union, both by unknown fathers, and William has been married before, bringing four of his own children to the union. They all appear together in Westbourne in 1851, along with two new children; Richard Kent (Nov 1848) and Emma Kent (Jan 1851).

Emma Kent is recorded again in 1861 with the family and then with her father in 1871 in Warblington.

...then it all gets a bit vague..

There's a marriage record for Emma Kent in Oct-Dec 1876 in Havant, very close to Warblington, but it's not possible to confirm whether she married George Betterworth or Henry Shawyer. Emma Shawyer (1853) appears in 1881 with Henry, but then disappears without trace, as does Henry.

Friend Harry Savage

Born c1845 in Westbourne, Sussex to Friend and Sarah Savage, Friend (junior) left Sussex for the lure of London. Like many of his siblings and cousins, ending up in Lee, Kent.
He appears in the 1861 Census, working as a servant for Jane Campbell in Lee, Kent, London.
However, there is a Death record for Friend Harry in Lewisham in Apr-Jun 1869, but not before he was married in Greenwich, Jan-Mar 1867.

Were there any children? Who did he marry?