What on earth?

[AudreyF]

I don't think I really have a question but need to say all this to someone!

Elias Hawkins born to James Hawkins and Deborah Brown Mathew in Blandford Forum, Dorset. James was a hairdresser. The birth certificate gives a birth date of 15th June 1844 but no name on the birth certificate. Elias had an older brother (Abraham) born/baptised in 1842. James died young. I haven't confirmed his death yet but Deborah is a widow in the 1851 census. In the 1851 census she has Abraham and Elias with her and a William Domoney noted as a 13 year old son born in Blandford.

William Thomas Domoney born in 3Q 1838 in Blandford with mother's maiden name of Hayden/Haydon. A baptism record of William Thomas Domoney in Blandford on 16th November 1835 with John and Jane as parents. John was a carpenter. John Domoney married Jane Haydon on 16th November 1835.

Deborah seems to have had a son before she married James Hawkins. James Beverstock Mathew baptised on 4.1.1838 to Deborah Mathew. No father and the remark ‘Base Born’. 1834 Banns of James Beverstock to Deborah Brown Mathew. Married 4.5.1834.

Deborah is a 'spinster' on the marriage certificate to James Hawkins.

Add in that Isaac Hawkins married Sarah Mathew in 1823 in Blandford. The banns are available - Deborah Brown Mathew was witness.

Deborah and Sarah were sisters? James and Isaac were brothers? Sisters married brothers? Maybe, cousins?

It will be interesting to write this lot up in a biography - what a muddle …………

[Pam Downes]

I don't think I really have a question but need to say all this to someone!

Elias Hawkins born to James Hawkins and Deborah Brown Mathew in Blandford Forum, Dorset. James was a hairdresser. The birth certificate gives a birth date of 15th June 1844 but no name on the birth certificate. Elias had an older brother (Abraham) born/baptised in 1842.

See https://www.british-genealogy.com/fo...rth?highlight=

James died young. I haven't confirmed his death yet but Deborah is a widow in the 1851 census. In the 1851 census she has Abraham and Elias with her and a William Domoney noted as a 13 year old son born in Blandford.

William Thomas Domoney born in 3Q 1838 in Blandford with mother's maiden name of Hayden/Haydon. A baptism record of William Thomas Domoney in Blandford on 16th November 1835 with John and Jane as parents. John was a carpenter. John Domoney married Jane Haydon on 16th November 1835.

I expect William Domoney listed as son is simply enumerator error.

Deborah seems to have had a son before she married James Hawkins. James Beverstock Mathew baptised on 4.1.1838 to Deborah Mathew. No father and the remark ‘Base Born’.

Have you made a typo?
Records I've found say 4 January 1828.

1834 Banns of James Beverstock to Deborah Brown Mathew. Married 4.5.1834.
Deborah is a 'spinster' on the marriage certificate to James Hawkins.

May have been vicar error.
Unless the Beverstock/Mathew marriage didn't actually take place.
I found a 1851 marriage which is entered into the GRO Index, but which didn't actually take place as the register is noted 'This marriage was stopped immediately before celebration by a bystander the parties wishing to be married being within the prohibited degrees'. Obviously the register was not signed.
Do you have a copy of the PR entry for James and Deborah, and has it been signed by them and the witnesses?

For reference for anyone else reading this thread, James Hawkins and Deborah Brown Mathew (i.e. she didn't use her supposedly married name of Beverstock) were married September quarter 1841.

In the 1841 census Deborah is listed as Debora Mathews, aged 40, living in the same household as baby James Baverstock (sic), aged 13 in Blandford. HO107/294/2 folio 8 page 10

Add in that Isaac Hawkins married Sarah Mathew in 1823 in Blandford. The banns are available - Deborah Brown Mathew was witness.

Deborah and Sarah were sisters?

Highly likely.
There's a baptism in 1800 for a Deborah Brown Mathew in Blandford, parents Abraham and Ann.
With a Sarah baptised in Blandford, 3 June 1798, parents also Abraham and Ann.

Abraham Mathew, widower, married Ann Davy, spinster, 25 March 1798.

The 1800 baptism is near enough correct for Deborah aged 60 in 1861.(Post #4.)
https://www.british-genealogy.com/fo...sus?highlight=

James and Isaac were brothers? Sisters married brothers? Maybe, cousins?

It will be interesting to write this lot up in a biography - what a muddle …………

FreeBMD have a death registration for a James Hawkins in 1850, though it's not showing on the GRO's own site. FMP have a burial in Blandford for James, aged 53, therefore born c1787.
Likely the James baptised in Blandford in 1797, son of Isaac and Peggy. Only other child they seem to have had is Ann, baptised in 1793.

Pam

[AudreyF]

Thank you for looking at this and for helpful comments.

You may be right re enumerator error for William Domoney being a son of Deborah but I wonder what he was doing in her household. A visitor or lodger maybe.

Yes, I did make a typing mistake and the birth year should have been 1828 - sorry.

The only record of James Beverstock and Deborah Mathew marrying is their Banns which were read on 20th April, 27th April and 4th May. There is a curly bracket to the right of the three dates on the record and it is signed by someone who seems to have signed several other similar records on the same page - the vicar?? There is another record available on Ancestry which gives the marriage date of 4th May but there is no image. I'm not sure where I could find one unless better/other Dorset parish records are available on line. Tracking James Beverstock forward might also give a few clues.

I hadn't found Deborah in the 1841 census so thank you for that information.

I feel sure Deborah and Sarah were sisters and have found the records you refer to which take me back another generation - thank you, again.

I've seen the possible death record of James Hawkins in 1850 on GRO and found a 'matching' burial record (as you refer to above)so I will order the certificate - at the risk of it adding another twist in the tale!

[AudreyF]

An update: James Baverstock Mathew married Grace Old in 1849 and the spaces for his father's name and occupation are left blank.

[AudreyF]

Another update: Looking at the 1851 census for Blandford, Dorset with Deborah Hawkins as a 50 year old widow and her two sons Abraham and Isaac. Ancestry transcribed William Domoney as a son and it is suggested this is enumerator error but I think it is 'transcription error'. Looking carefully at the word in the column for 'Relation' it doesn't look like the word 'son' as written in the entry above. It looks more like 'lodger'. William is also described, under 'Occupation' as 'Invalid' and then a word I can't read. Deborah was a nurse so maybe she was looking after this lad? Could someone please take a look and see what they think about it?

[Pam Downes]

Another update: Looking at the 1851 census for Blandford, Dorset with Deborah Hawkins as a 50 year old widow and her two sons Abraham and Isaac. Ancestry transcribed William Domoney as a son and it is suggested this is enumerator error but I think it is 'transcription error'. Looking carefully at the word in the column for 'Relation' it doesn't look like the word 'son' as written i originally checking n the entry above. It looks more like 'lodger'. William is also described, under 'Occupation' as 'Invalid' and then a word I can't read. Deborah was a nurse so maybe she was looking after this lad? Could someone please take a look and see what they think about it?

You are indeed correct, Audrey, that it is transcription error. It says 'lod' and has been correctly transcribed on FMP as 'lodger'. (I stand guilty of not originally checking the image - I just relied on what I was told.)

What's written after invalid isn't a word. It's the letter U, followed by what appears to be two more letters. You'd need to look at other pages either side to see if you can match any capital letters to those two 'shapes'. I did wonder if was supposed to be U(under) 16, but although the last shape bears some resemblance to a 6 the other one doesn't look anything like a 1.

Pam

[AudreyF]

Thanks again Pam. Yes, it does look like a 'U'. I might try seeing if William appears in the 1861 census with any more clues but will take your advice and look at other pages to match the shapes.

[AudreyF]

No luck with the lettering at a quick look so more work is needed on it. No sign of William Domoney in the 1861 census or death records but FMP has a William Domoney (Grocer) in the 1881 census with a wife - Sarah. No sign of their marriage yet. I think 'Domoney' was probably mis-transcribed in a lot of records!