Family Dynamics Revealed From Parish Registers and Other Records

Often what is on baptism records tells you a lot about family dynamics. Take the family Hannah Edwards (nee Dodd) in Shropshire. She was the 2^nd great-grandmother of a friend of mine who I was helping with family history research.

The 1851 England census, for Wenlock parish, Shropshire, showed that Hannah Edwards, age 40, was a widow with three young children still living at home: Mary, age 8; Richard, age 6; and John, age 1. A brother, Richard Dodd, also was in the same house. All of the individuals had been born in Wenlock parish. From this record we had indications of Hannah’s year and place of birth, her maiden name and the possible time of her marriage (before 1843) if they had not had any children prior to Mary. We could also assume that her husband had died within a year or so, given the age of the youngest child. I did, in fact, find death and burial records for the husband and father, Richard Edwards. He died at the age of 41, on March 21, 1851, just a week before the census was taken, and was buried in Wenlock on March 25^th.

 

Portion of 1851 England census for Wenlock parish showing family of Hannah Edwards, widow 

(image accessed from Ancestry October 19, 2013, copyright The National Archives)

But what other information could we find about Hannah, her parents and siblings, her marriage and her children.

Ancestry had other census records. FamilySearch and FreeBMD were helpful in identifying possible birth, marriage and death records. From that information pertinent BMD certificates for post 1837 events could be ordered from the General Record Office. Fortunately many of the Shropshire parish records are now available on FindMyPast courtesy of the Shropshire Council. I was able to find the images for the baptisms of most of Hannah’s children.

Hannah’s first child, Elizabeth, was baptized on December 4, 1841. The baptism entry showed the surnames of both Richard and Hannah; so there was a question about whether they were, in fact, married at the time. Elizabeth does not appear to be listed on the 1851 census and may have died prior to when the census was taken.

The baptism record for daughter Mary has not yet been found. Son Richard was baptized on December 30, 1844 although the entry shows his mother’s name as Susannah, not Hannah. The date does fit with the 1851 census information, however, so this entry may be the right one and the name recorded for the mother may have been an error. Another son, Nicholas, was baptized on January 24, 1847 but apparently died in 1849. John, the youngest child, was baptized on November 11, 1849 which information fits with the 1851 census of him being only one year old on his last birthday prior to when the census was taken on March 30^th. His father was shown on the baptism entry indicating he was probably alive at the time of the baptism.

I did end up finding their marriage information – December 23, 1844, just a week before Richard Junior’s baptism. It appeared they had two children together prior to their marriage – almost three!

 

Marriage certificate for Richard Edwards and Hannah Dodd, December 23, 1844 at Linley parish, Shropshire (certificate acquired from General Record Office)

Hannah Edwards appeared on the 1851, 1861 and 1871 England censuses, living in Much Wenlock parish, Shropshire although on the last one she is shown aged 50, rather than 60. I am quite sure this is the same person, though. She died in 1879 and was buried in Much Wenlock.

Finding other personal information for Hannah also posed some problems. The marriage record did not show her father’s name so it was not known whether he was alive, dead or estranged at the time of the marriage. Other information would be needed. The censuses all indicated she was born in Wenlock. A search was made for a Hannah Dodd, born about 1811. The only data that fit was an 1812 baptism in the Much Wenlock Parish register for a base child born to Sarah Dodd, a widow. This precise wording on the baptism entry establishes important facts about the family. The status of Hannah’s birth is entirely missing from indexes of the event.

Later searches revealed that Richard Dodd had married Sarah Browne in 1796 and that they had at least five children: Joseph, born in 1796; William, born in 1799; Anne, born in 1798; John, born in 1803; and Richard, born in 1804. The eight-year gap between Hannah and the last child is interesting. With Sarah indicated as being widowed, along with the illegitimate designation for Hannah, the possibility is raised that her mother was perhaps involved with someone other than Richard Dodd at the time of Hannah’s conception and may explain why Hannah chose to not show a father's name on her marriage record. There is a burial record for a Richard Dodd in Much Wenlock parish dated October 14, 1803, which is five months before the birth of Richard Dodd Junior. The baptism record for Richard Junior does not indicate the father was deceased but this is the only record of death in the parish for someone of that name and that fits the time frame.

Lots of questions still surround the life of Hannah (Dodd) Edwards but I believe I have found much of the pertinent information. The question that may never be answered is who her father actually was.

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.

Old Homes and Homesteads – Part 10 – Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

As I indicated in a previous post, my grandfather, James Pearson Shepheard, was born in Torquay, Devon, England on March 12, 1891 and came to Canada in 1907. He spent a short time working on a farm in Ontario, presumably to pay off his fare over to Canada, and then moved west to settle in Alberta.

With his familiarity with horses – he had helped out with his uncle’s dairy business in Torquay, Devon and Taunton, Somerset – he ended up as a ranch and farm hand in Eastern Alberta. As my cousin, Betty Thompson wrote in the family memoirs in 2005, “Jimmy was a respected and locally renowned horseman, also noted for becoming the master over any and all mean broncos. He was hired during the first years the family was at Keoma, enjoying a good life as one of Newton [Isaac Thompson]’s cowboys. Whether Jimmy or Newton’s daughter, Carrie [Jane Thompson], had eyes for the other one first, is lost in history, but whichever way the romance started, the attraction grew into love and they were married on April 8, 1914.”

Carrie was, at the time of their marriage, living at home in Irricana. She was the local “Central” which title was later changed to Telephone Operator. Jimmy worked farms in a number of areas in the Irricana-Keoma area. With the help of his friends, neighbours and brothers-in-law he built a new farm house for his family on lands originally purchased by his father-in-law, Newton Thompson just east of Keoma – the Northeast of Section 17, Township 26, Ranges 26, West of the 4^th Meridian.

 

The Shepheard farm house east of Keoma, Alberta, ca 1923

Carrie and Jim had five children, all born in the Irricana area. Unfortunately two little died in infancy and are buried in the Irricana town cemetery. Surviving children were Bill (born 1914), Ted (born 1916) and Ethel Mae (born 1935).

 

Shepheard “men” at work on their farm near Keoma, Alberta, with a steam driven tractor and threshing machine – left to right: James Shepheard (1865-1940), James Pearson Shepheard (1891-1965), Edward Newton Shepheard (1916-1997) and William Calvin Shepheard (1914-1983)

Carrie and Jimmy were both active in the community. He had a large part in developing school and community facilities, served on the local school board for many years and was a member of the Oddfellows Lodge. He was a great singer and entertainer and headlined many shows for fund-raising events. Besides running his farm, Jimmy and some of his neighbours spent time hauling grain to market using a train of wagons hitched to multiple teams of horses – up to eight pairs abreast. Carrie assisted with activities organized by the local ladies group and for the local Red Cross during the First World War.

In 1944 Jimmy retired and they moved to Nanaimo, British Columbia. Carrie died on August 29, 1959 and Jimmy on September 12, 1965. Both are buried in Port Alberni, BC.

 

Shepheard home in Nanaimo, British Columbia, 1945

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.

Old Homes and Homesteads – Part 9 – Alberta, Canada and Washington, USA

Another of my paternal great-grandfathers, Newton Isaac Thompson, was born in Dunnville, Haldimand County, Upper Canada, on October 29, 1859. We believe his father, John T. Thompson, had come from New York State around 1840 to settle on new farm lands that opened up in the area. Newton’s mother, Elizabeth Emerson, was born in Leicestershire, England, and had come to Canada in 1835 with her parents and three siblings.

John and Elizabeth had eight children, all born in Haldimand County. Elizabeth died around 1868 and John remarried to Nancy Van Der Vere. They had nine more children together! John and Nancy, and several of their children immigrated to North Dakota, USA, in 1878, as new farm lands opened up in that state. Newton followed in 1879.

Newton met his future wife, Margaret Mary Anderson, in North Dakota. She had arrived with members of her family from Goderich, Huron County, Ontario, Canada, in 1880. Margaret had been born in Goderich on November 5, 1857. They were married in Mapleton Township, Cass County, North Dakota, in 1884. Newton and other members of both his and Margaret’s families farmed in the Mapleton area until the early 1900s. They had five children, all born in North Dakota. My grandmother, Carrie Jane, was born there on September 26, 1889.

Newton heard about new farm lands available in Alberta and in 1909 travelled north to look at the opportunity. Eventually he and his sons bought two sections of irrigation land from the Canadian Pacific Railway, near the village of Keoma, about 40 miles east of the City of Calgary. In 1910 he moved his wife and three of his children to the new farm. They started building a home the first year, while living in a granary. Newton and Margaret’s other children arrived the following year.

Original Thompson family farm house on the home quarter east of Keoma, Alberta; original house is on the right with a later addition on the left

(photo taken by Wayne Shepheard, 2005)

Photo taken of Thompson family members in front of house in village of Keoma, Alberta, ca 1915

Carrie Jane (Thompson) Shepheard in front of Thompson family home in village of Keoma, Alberta, ca 1915; 

The home was site of local telephone exchange.

Newton turned the farm and new house over to his son and built a new home in the village of Keoma. It was at this house that the first area telephone exchange was installed in 1912. Newton’s youngest daughter, Mae was the local operator.

In 1916 Newton, Margaret and Mae moved a few miles north to the village of Irricana where he built a new home. He had purchased the local butcher shop and general store in the town in 1913. Daughter Carrie operated the telephone exchange in the rear of the store until her marriage in 1914.

View of the main street of the village of Irricana, looking west toward the Canadian Pacific Railway station, ca 1910

Newton Isaac and Margaret Mary Thompson with daughter, Elizabeth Mae, 

in front of their new home in the village of Irricana, Alberta, ca 1916

Photo of former Thompson family home in village of Irricana, Alberta (photo taken by Wayne Shepheard, 2005)

In 1918, Newton retired and he and Margaret moved to the City of Calgary. She died in 1919. Newton moved to Seaview, Washington, USA, in 1920 where he resided until his death in 1937. Both are buried in Union Cemetery in Calgary.

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.