Who and What I Find (TE version)

Category: England

  • The Hill Family in the England Censuses

    I’ve been trying to determine Ellen Clarke Hill Measom’s birth name, and finally found references in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 England Censuses. I also found a Birth Registration for Ellen Clarke Hill in 1848 in Billesdon (FreeBDM).  

    In 1841, the Hills had returned to England from India, after James Bird (Hill) had died when the 2nd Foot (Queen’s Royal) fought at the Battle of Ghazni on 31 Jul 1839, either from wounds or illness. Ann nee Jarvis, widow of James Bird (Hill) is shown as the head of the house in Burton Overy with her two sons John and James, and two daughters, Sarah and Esther.  

     Name         Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
     Ann Hill       F   35             
     John Hill     M   15             
     James Hill  M   14             
     Sarah Hill  F   12             
     Esther Hill F   10             
    1841 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

    In 1851, some of the children have married and have families of their own in Burton Overy:

    • Ann nee Jarvis is the head of her house with her daughter Ester and granddaughter Ann, daughter of Ester.
    • She has a Lodger, William Berd, most probably a relation of the Birds (James Bird Hill’s mother’s family)
    • Son James has married Jane nee Smalley and his sister Sarah is living in the same house with her daughter shown as Sarah, but is most probably Ellen, as she has the same birth year (1848) as Ellen, and is shown as James’ niece.  
    • There is no sign of son John Hill in Burton Overy.

     Name  Relation Status  Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
     Ann Hill Head  F 49  Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
     Ester Hill Daughter  F 20  East Indies British Subject
     Ann Hill Granddaughter  F 3  Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     William Berd Lodger  M 50  Kings Norton, Leicestershire, England
    1851 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

    Name       Relation Status Sex Age Occupation Birth Place
     James Hill Head            M   25             India
     Jane Hill   Wife            F   22             Frowlesworth, Leicestershire, England
     Sarah Hill Sister          F   21             India
     Sarah Hill Niece           F   1              Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    1851 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

    In 1861, Ann nee Jarvis is shown in her house alone in Burton Overy.  

    Daughter Sarah has married Thomas Measom and has her daughter Ellen Hill living with her in the Measom household.

    This fact implies that Ellen is not Thomas Measom’s biological daughter. Of interest is that the 4 Measom children – Job, Charles, Pheobe, and Agnes – are all shown as MEASON.  

    Son James is living with his wife Jane nee Smalley and his three children.   1861 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

    Name Relation Status Sex Age Occupation  Birth Place
     Ann Hill Head  F 61 Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
    1861 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

     Name           Relation Status  Sex  Age  Occupation  Birth Place
     Thomas Measom  Head            M   33            Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Sarah Measom   Wife            F   31            Coonah East Indies Brit Subject [Poona]
     Ellen Hill     Daughter        F   12            Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Job Meason     Son             M   8             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Charles Meason Son             M   6             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Phoebe Meason  Daughter        F   4             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Agnes Meason   Daughter        F   2             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    1861 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

    Name         Relation Status  Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
    James Hill  Head            M   33            East Indies British Subject
    Jane Hill   Wife            F   34            Celton Basset, Northamptonshire, England [Sutton Bassett]
    James Hill  Son             M   9             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    Esther HillDaughter        F   5             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    Tom Hill    Son             M   2             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    1861 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

        In 1871, Ann is still living alone in her house in Burton Overy.  

    Son James and his wife Jane nee Smalley have added three more children to their household.  

    Ellen and her step-brother Job had emigrated to Utah in 1869.  

    Daughter Sarah and her husband Thomas Measom and their children had left Burton Overy on 7 September 1870 for Utah, thus missing both the 1871 England Census (02 Apr 1871) and the 1870 US Federal Census (01 Jun 1870).  

    Name Relation Status  Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
     Ann Hill Head  F 71  Birmingham
    1871 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

     Name        Relation Status  Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
     James Hill  Head            M   43            IndiaLoona [British East India, Poona]
     Jane Hill   Wife            F   44            Lutton Balset, Northamptonshire, England [Sutton Bassett]
     Esther Hill Daughter        F   15            Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Tom Hill    Son             M   12            Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Esson Hill  Son             M   9             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Percey Hill Son             M   6             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     George Hill Son             M   2             Leicestershire England
    1871 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

        While the only reference to Ellen Clarke Hill is in her Birth Registration, the social norms of the day meant that often an illegitimate child often carried the name of the father in the baptismal name, so Ellen Clarke Hill may indicate that her father is a “Clark/e”. Of interest is the Daniel Clarke family of Burton Overy whose son Thomas is of an age as Sarah Hill, mother of Ellen.  

     Name  Relation  Status  Sex  Age  Occupation  Birth Place
     Daniel Clark Head  M 52  Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Bel Clark Wife  F 50  Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Thomas Clark Son  M 21  Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    1851 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

     

     Name           Relation Status  Sex  Age Occupation  Birth Place
     Daniel Clarke  Head            M   62             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Jemimah Clarke Wife            F   60             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
     Thomas Clarke  Son             M   32             Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England
    1861 Census of England: Burton Overy, Leicestershire, England

        The difference in the mother’s name is unusual, and may just be a misunderstanding by the enumerator.

  • What IS the UK?

    I was in a conversation with an American friend of mine who constantly interchanged the words “England”, “Britain”, and “UK” all to describe the country that Leicestershire was located in.

    It made me curious to find out how the UK was actually comprised and I found this YouTube video entitled:

    “The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained”

     https://youtu.be/rNu8XDBSn10

     It is a TED Talk found here: https://ed.ted.com/best_of_web/OC1XASxp

  • Timothy Hoy

    TIMOTHY HOY (1782-1838)
    Timothy was born in Herefordshire, Essex, England. He was tried for breaking and entering the dwelling house of James Hawkins at Thorley, and stealing various articles of wearing apparel valued at £52.10s.0d. He was convicted at the Lent Assizes in Hertford in 1807 and sentenced to death. This was changed to transportation for 7 years. He came on the ship “Admiral Gambier” (1), which departed Portsmouth on 2nd July 1808 with 200 male convicts. The voyage took 171 days, arriving in Sydney on 22nd December 1808. Three convicts died on the voyage.

    Timothy was a brickmaker and stonemason, and helped in the construction of St Luke’s in Liverpool. In 1811 he married Bethia Edwards (1794-1864), daughter of James Freeman (Alexander 1788) & Mary Edwards (Mary Ann 1791). He was granted a Conditional Pardon by Governor Macquarie on 31st January 1820, and was granted land at Liverpool 5 months later on 1st July 1820. On his pardon he is described as 5 ft. 6 1/2 in. tall, dark ruddy complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes.

    In the 1822 Muster he was also renting land from Mr Dixon, with 15 acres of wheat, 1 of barley,1 horse, 2 horned cattle, and 2 hogs. This was most probably John Dickson, the husband of Susannah Martin, Bethia’s half sister. In the 1828 Census he had 100 acres at Liverpool called ‘White Hills’, 43 cleared, 30 cultivated, 4 horses, 30 cattle, and 1 convict working for him, named Begley.

    Timothy and Bethia had 11 children; William, James Harris, Susannah, Mary Ann, James, John, Elizabeth, Timothy, Regecca, Henry & Charlotte. Timothy died on 28th July 1838, and Bethia died on 1st December 1794. They were both buried at St Luke’s in Liverpool, Sydney

  • James Freeman (Update)

    James was born in Watford, Herefordshire, England, around 1768. He lost his father when less than 18 months of age. By his teens, he was associating with a gang of thieves. In August 1783, James and his accomplices, Thomas Taylor & Thomas Rust, stole a watch & chain and a seal, worth eleven shillings, from John Seymour of Watford. On 11 Dec 1783, James and Thomas Taylor stole a half guinea, a shilling and sixpence from Thomas Baldwin. Thomas Taylor stole again in January 1784. Thomas Taylor, aged 30, & Thomas Rust, aged 21, were both hanged. 

    At 16 years of age, James was tried at the Lent session of the Hertford Assizes on 3rd March 1784, by Sir William Henry Ashurst Knight & Jerome Knapp Esq. Justices. He was convicted of highway robbery on the King’s Highway at Aldenham and was sentenced to death by hanging, but this was changed to 7 years transportation. This was the first prosecution from the Hertfordshire County which resulted in the convict being transported. He was sent to the Justitia hulk, where he spent 3 years before being transferred to the Alexander on 27th February 1787. 

    Three months later, at 19 years of age, he sailed from Portsmouth with the First Fleet on 12th May 1787. There were 11 ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip, who was commissioned as the first Governor of Australia. The 15,000 mile journey took just over eight months. The Fleet anchored at Botany Bay on 18th January 1788, then finally settled at Sydney Cove on 26th January. It arrived with 717 convicts, of whom 180 were women, guarded by 191 marines under 19 officers. The convicts’ average age was about twenty-seven years. The Alexander was Captained by Duncan Sinclair. It was the ship that had the most number of deaths on board. Sixteen deaths occurred before the ship had even set sail, mostly from typhus. 

    Four weeks after their arrival, on 27th February 1788, James was again in trouble for stealing flour, with a mate, William Shearman from Berkshire. They were charged with feloniously and fraudulently taking and carrying away 15 half pounds of flour valued at 15 pence, the property of Michael Dennison, Robert Abel, and William Waterhouse. Shearman was sentenced to receive 300 lashes, and James was sentenced to death. He received Australia’s first Conditional Pardon on 1st March 1788, on the condition that he became the Public Executioner till he served out the remainder of his sentence, and remain in NSW for life. So James became Australia’s first hangman. He was reluctant to do his duty but complied when the Marines were ordered to shoot him. After he served out his sentence he worked as a farmhand. 


    James earned 100 lashes and stoppage of his grog 11 Dec 1789 for being drunk and out of his hut after 10.45pm, this was only two weeks after he had to hang Ann Davis. He remained a labourer, labouring at Richmond N.S.W. He died a pauper at Windsor 28 Jan 1830, buried St Matthew’s Anglican Church in an unmarked grave, aged 67.

    He had two children by Mary Edwards (maiden name Mary Hopely (Maryann 1791)) [q.v. https://goo.gl/F1hwKw], Mary 1792-1801 and Berthina or Berthia 1794. Mary Edwards had left him by 1800 for Abraham Martin.

  • Townsend family of Coventry, Warwickshire

    I correspond with a third cousin I “met” through a collaboration website.

    She and I share a brickwall – the Townsend family of Coventry.

    My Great Great Grandmother was a lady called Harriet Mary Townsend, and she was born in 1811 to John and Mary Townsend, in Newmarket, Suffolk.

    Harriet Mary married a Charles Dixon in 1830 in Coventry.

    Harriet Mary and Charles appear to have had five children:

    • Ann Elizabeth Dixon b1832
    • a son Dixon b1833 (the register is burn-damaged and the name is unreadable)
    • Charles Matthew Dixon b1835
    • Henry Miller Dixon b1837

    Charles disappears – I would love to know where to! Thoughts are many and varied – he was in prison, he died, he was transported to Australia as a convict, he left the marriage – as I say, I would love to know…

    Meanwhile, Harriet Mary is living in Little Park Street with her mother Mary, who apparently ran a boarding house – as there were “lodgers” in the 1841 census. Namely, one Emanuel Miller…. see any coincidences, yet?

    Birth registrations show that Harriet Mary and Emanuel had at least 6 children and possibly 7:

    • Henry Miller Dixon b1837
    • Harriet Fanny Miller b1838
    • John James Miller b1840
    • Emma Barbara Miller b1842
    • Jane Ann Miller b1843
    • Fanny Miller b1844
    • Harriet Mary Miller b1850

    Henry Miller Dixon b1837 is my Great Grandfather. He arrived in Australia per the ship ALFRED in 1860 under the name Henry Dixon. He died in 1906 in Australia under the name Henry Miller.

    My third cousin is descended from John James Miller, so she has no difficulties in identifying Emanuel as her Great Great Grandfather!

    But, back to the Townsends – for a long time, I didn’t understand the Census entries that shows Harriet Mary’s mother Mary as INDEPENDENT. My cousin found a will for a William Townsend – it appears that William was Harriet Mary’s uncle, brother to her father John. It also appears that William was quite wealthy! His will allocates £1000s to a number of his nieces and nephews. Including Harriet Mary… and to his sister-in-law Mary, property.

    Who was William Townsend? Better still, who were William’s parents? They would be my 3Greats Grandparents!

    So – the first question is – “why was Harriet Mary born in Suffolk?”

    Second question – “who IS Henry Miller Dixon’s father? – Emanuel Miller or Charles Dixon?”

    Third question – “where did Charles Dixon disappear to?’

    Fourth question – “who are William (and John’s) parents – my 3GGrandparents?”

    Fifth question  – “how did William make his money?”

  • New website found – The Extended Craxford Family Web Site

    An email exchange has opened up new investigative avenues for the Tilley and associated families in Leicestershire.

    The Extended Craxford Family Web Site is, of course, about the Craxford Family in Cottingham, Northamptonshire. However, a branch of the Tilley family relocated there from Thorpe Langton, Leicestershire, in the late 1700s, thus creating the link!

    Alan Craxford has been most helpful in clarifying a number of questions I had, and I was most pleased when I could give a morsel back to him on a line he did not have!

    If you have ANY relations in the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire areas, I would suggest you check out the site:

    http://www.craxford-family.co.uk