Finding Mercy - Venting, Brainstorming

[t@nya]

Update:

Dingley line

The will of Mercy's mother did not mention her. Not necessarily a crushing blow to this candidate as my Mercy was dead by now but I was hoping for a mention of my Mercy's children.

The will of Joseph Dingley, most likely Mercy's brother, did not mention her. It did mention his sister Mary Wall and her daughter Abigail Wall so, if this is the right Joseph, his sister Mary Pearce nee Dingley remarried. I'll need to further investigate this.

The genealogist couldn't find a burial or a marriage for her, or for Mercy Smyth either. I still don't know what happened to two of children of Clement Dingley and Ann Allen. I may have discovered the burial of her daughter Elizabeth in 1710 but, without a will, I can't confirm that.

Smyth line

The document didn't reveal anything about Mercy. It did confirm the marriage of Thomas Smyth and Ann Allen and the names of the four daughters of that marriage, as well as the second marriage to Clement Dingley.

The documents also reveal that two of the brothers of Mercy Smith, John and Anthony were alive in 1651. Another possible brother, Samuel (buried in 1663), wasn't mentioned.

I haven't spent much time investigating John Smith, due to his common name. I will have to look for this in the future.

As for Anthony Smyth, I found a possible burial for him, but this man left no will. I'm going to have to look for other possible burials.

Just yesterday I discovered the 1645 marriage of Grace Smyth, Mercy's sister, to William Powell of Llantillo
Crossenny, Monmouthshire. Sadly, she died as a widow in 1649, without a will. Her husband left a will (having died in 1647), but it didn't reveal anything about Mercy. Their only child died later that year. A diary of a probable relative of the husband revealed that she and "widow Smyth of Badsey" visited him in 1648. The only candidate for "widow Smyth" is Ann Smyth nee Allen since Grace's mother was dead by then and Ann had not yet remarried Clement Dingley. This is a clue that Ann was close to her sister-in-law Grace.

Finally, yesterday I may have discovered the third marriage of Ann Dingley previously Smyth, nee Allen, 1664 in Wickingford, to William Millington aged 60. One online source says it was Anne Dingley, others Anne Bingley, so I need to get someone to look at the original and perhaps get me an image of it for me to examine myself. If the name is Dingley, I'll have to look for a will for Anne Millington.

Well, that's it! I welcome any feedback or ideas for other avenues of research.

[cicilysmith]

It's fascinating to read and you are doing some wonderful work. Congratulations, cicilysmith

[t@nya]

Thanks.

I just wish I could afford to do more research before next year.

[t@nya]

Another update.

I still don't know if the Jane, wife of Edward Bedford, mentioned as the cousin of Isabella Anderson (nee Allen) in the latter's will, was Jane Smith, daughter of Thomas Smith and Ann Allen. Unfortunately, neither she nor her husband left wills. One of her sons (Edmund) did, but didn't reveal any relevant clues that I can see. I believe the couple had three other sons, John, Edward, and Samuel, but I haven't traced them as yet.

On a brighter note, I believe I have found out what happened to another of Ann's daughters, Chrysogon, due to her unusual name. She firstly married a man called either Cox or James Stephens, possibly in Wyre Piddle before 1665. They had several children, but I believe only a single son (Sheldon Stephens) survived to adulthood. There's a document dated to 1691 which is a legal dispute involving Sheldon and Chrysogon, about land that Chrysogon had owned in Badsey - I have ordered this from the PCC. Secondly, she married a man called Philip Perkes and had a number of children in Fladbury.

Interestingly, a few wills of spinster nieces of Ann (daughters of her sister Jane and her husband Robert Norbury), mention children of Elizabeth Stephens (I don't know her maiden name), including another (separate) Sheldon Stephens. Their father was Charles Stephens. I'm not sure if their is any direct connection, due to the timing of events.

Finally, those same wills mention cousins Henry Wood and his wife Elizabeth. I still don't know how they fit into the family.

Well, that's about it. I'll be following up on these leads, possibly in a couple of months.

[geneius]

Have you looked at

booksgoogle.co.uk

I entered the name Clement DINGLEY and found he and Thomas SMYTH were Churchwardens in Badsey 1651

The Midland antiquary, ed. by W.F. Carter, Volumes 1-2

Reprints of the book are for sale on ebay!!!!!

[t@nya]

Interesting, thanks.

Both Thomas Smith (Ann's husband) and Thomas Smith (her father-in-law) were dead by that time, so it must be a cousin.

[t@nya]

I did a search myself, and I think I'll buy a copy of the book some time later this year. So thanks very much.

[t@nya]

Another update, for those still interested.

I received the documents yesterday. Had a brief read through the pages with the bigger script, and will check out the others when I clean off my housemate's magnifying glass.

Confirmed that Chrysogon married Cox Stephens. Also confirmed she was dead by 1691, so I'll have to do some research to see if she could be the same woman as the one who married Philip Perkes. If not, time to do research into that Chrysogon, since it can't be a coincidence having two women with the same unusual name marrying in the same area at the (relatively) same time.

I also confirmed, from those documents, the third marriage of Anne Allen to William Millington and the marriage of her daughter, Anne (who was one of the witnesses in this legal dispute). I already knew that her first cousin, Robert Norbery, had married an Anne Smith and, initially, suspected it was her, but the age given in the marriage license was way off. Now I know for certain.

I love old legal disagreements.

On the dark side, this hasn't really helped me figure out if Mercy Smith was my ancestor or not.

Anyway, I'm now getting quite burnt out on this wall, and so will shift for a while to other family mysteries, though on the same (Allen) line.

[cicilysmith]

I find it fascinating, but I get dizzy just trying to understand it. You are living it. You will have put together a whole community by the time you have finished and I'm sure a lot of other people will have cause to be grateful to you, cicilysmith

[t@nya]

I hope so. I wish I could do more (and more quickly); I'd definitely be doing a lot more if I ever won the lottery.

Like, buying all the TNA documents mentioning any person remotely related to me.

Sadly, being on a limited income, I have to be much more careful.