Find Ancestors

I am trying to fill in gaps and have started with the family of the brother of my ggg-grandmother.

Joseph Marchant, son of John Marchant and Sarah Sainsbury. Joseph was born in 1781 and married Mary Clift in 1818.

Their son Richard was born 1823 in Trowbridge Wiltshire. Trees on Ancestry (which have obviously all copied each other) have him marrying Ann Pinchen in 1846

Name: Richard Marchant
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1846
Registration district: Melksham
Inferred County: Wiltshire
Volume Number: 8
Page Number: 656
Records on Page:
Name
Richard Marchant
Ann Pinchen

I can go with this......and in 1851 find them as follows:

Name: Richard Marchant
Age: 28
Estimated birth year: abt 1823
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Ann Marchant
Gender: Male
Where born: Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
Civil Parish: Trowbridge
County/Island: Wiltshire
Country: England
Registration district: Melksham
Sub-registration district: Melksham
ED, institution, or vessel: 2a
Household schedule number: 185
Piece: 1840
Folio: 297
Page Number: 47
Household Members:
Name Age
Richard Marchant 28
Ann Marchant 27
Ruth Pinchen 6
Mary Marchant 24
John Marchant 3

Mary is his sister and John, her son.

The trees on Ancestry then have him dying as follows:

Name: Richard Merchant
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1859
Registration district: Crickhowell
Inferred County: Breconshire
Volume: 11b
Page: 90
There is an actual date of 07 March.

And then they have Ann in 1871

Name: Anne Merchant
Age: 46
Estimated birth year: abt 1825
Relation: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Frowbridge, Wiltshire, England
Civil Parish: Llangattock
County/Island: Breconshire
Country: Wales
Registration district: Crickhowell
Sub-registration district: Llangattock
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Household schedule number: 98
Piece: 5586
Folio: 13
Page Number: 20
Household Members:
Name Age
Anne Merchant 46
Ruth Merchant 25
Jane Merchant 20
Fanney Merchant 9
William Brown 46

with her dying (unevidenced) in Llangattock on 10 July 1879

But that means that Fanney was born after Richard dies - nothing strange about that except she was born in Trowbridge three years after he died in Wales...why would Ann go back to Trowbridge and then come back to Llangattock to die?

I cannot find Ann or Ruth in 1861 census to check or Jane who would have been born around 1851 - she may have been Sarah Jane....

Can anyone find anything in 1861 that might be them? Or a death in Llangattock in 1879 that might be Ann?

Jude

1861 possible

Class: RG 9; Piece: 1294; Folio: 139; Page: 8; GSU roll: 542791


Name: Ann Marchant
Age: 48 Estimated birth year: 1813 Relation: Head Gender: Female
Where born: Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
Civil Parish: Steeple Ashton County/Island: Wiltshire Country: England
Registration district: Melksham
Sub-registration district: Melksham ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Household schedule number: 36 Piece: 1294 Folio: 139 Page Number: 8 Household Members:
Name Age
Ann Marchant 48
J Marchant 10 - daughter born Trowbridge
F Marchant 1/12
F Marchant 2
Henry Nash 41
John Paradice 73

Yes GB..one of the trees on Ancestry has this one - I am not sure about it...

The address is the union workhouse. F Marchant 1/12 fits with Fanny

F Marchant 2 - is a male aged 12 - so where is "he" in 1851?????

Jude

:-S :-S :-S :-S :-S :-S :-S :-S :-S

That Ann is about 14 years too old I think?

Yes Christine..think you're right!!!!

The more I look at some of the assumptions on Ancestry the more I am gagging :-)

So I think large pinches of salt are needed with anything from other trees.....

1851 is as kosher as it goes I think - sister Mary is a clincher - he had a sister Mary and she was that age :-)

But from thereon it's a blank canvas....and I am not convinced about the Breconshire connection......

Jude

I notice that Richard was a Boatman, so the family could have been on the canal when the census was taken.

Burial
Last name:Merchant
First Name:Ann
County:Brecknockshire
Place / Parish:Llanelli
Age:50
Burial Year:1879
Burial Month July
Burial Day:12
Record source:Powys Burials - Transcripts
Data provider:Welsh Archive Services / Gwasanaethau Archifau Cymru
(abode, Llangattock Union)

Chris :)

Marriage
1846 MARCHANT Richard PINCHEN Ann Trowbridge St. James History Centre C25/2/43

Births (if relating)
1847 MARCHANT Martha Trowbridge History Centre PINCHIN TROW/8/441

1850 MARCHANT Mary A Trowbridge History Centre PINCHIN TROW/10/437

http://www.wiltshirebmd.org.uk/


Deaths Mar 1850 (>99%)
-------------------------------------------------------
MARCHANT Martha Melksham 8 299


Deaths Sep 1850 (>99%)
---------------------------------------------------------
MARCHANT Mary Ann Melksham 8 245

Christine..I hadn't noticed that - another blooming boatman (they ARE the bain of my family tree!!!!)

Chris - OK that burial is neither the same area as the Richard "death" nor is she the right age!

And further inspection of trees on Ancestry has them in two places at once in 1851....two counties no less!

Those births are interesting Chris...there are corresponding deaths for Martha and Mary A in 1850 :-( which explains why they are not on the 1851 census

Jude

I would advise you to ignore trees on Ancestry - most of them are works of fiction

Only give credence to any info which has documentary backup quoted by the person compiling the tree

One of the trees has - at least for Ann - several attestations to actual certificates and has Ann as his direct line ancestor. So I might contact them and see what info they actually have on the certificates.

I am not yet convinced or unconvinced because I can't find any alternatives to the Brecon connection.

Will update when I am in a position to - thanks everyone!

Jude

I would wonder about this death index as Bath is not that far from Trowbridge

Name:
Richard Marchant
Date of Registration:Oct-Nov-Dec 1859
Registration district: Bath
Inferred County: Somerset
Volume:5c
Page:487

Yes Jan I saw that one this morning......

Jude

County Somerset
Place Bath
Church Weston - All Saints Tr
RegisterNumber
BurialDate 15 Dec 1859
Forename Richard
Relationship
Rel1MaleForename
Rel1FemaleForename
Rel1Surname
Surname MARCHANT
Age 76

(looks like above)

Chris :)

http://www.freereg.org.uk/cgi/Search.pl

BRECONSHIRE.
Publication: Hereford Times
Publication date: Saturday 12 March 1859

On Monday last, a poor man, named Richard Merchant, who was "tipper" on one of the cinder tips at these works, was killed by the blocking of two trams. A blow which he received on his head proved to be fatal, as he expired a few minutes after it was inflicted.

Chris :)

Ah so it can't be my Richard :-) Too old .....

Thanks Chris

It's looking more and more like there might be something in the Brecon connection although Fanny is a worry for me! I wonder about that 1861 census in the Trowbridge Union workhouse .....but there's so much wrong with it! Ann is shown as unmarried....Daughter J could be Jane - age is correct. Then daughter F could be Fanney - age is correct. And then the next entry is the oddest of all - it's a male aged 12 not 2 but he's not entered as a son but as a pauper. So is he actually anything to do with her?

I'll have a play this evening and see what I can find out from theowner of the tree that looks the most reliable

Jude

????

Name: Ruth Merchant
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Relationship to Head of Household: Lodger
Birthplace: Beaufort, Breconshire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Crickhowell
Sub-District: 3 Llangattock
Ecclesiastical Parish:
Parish:
Residence County: Brecknockshire

(1881 Ruth needed!)

1891
ROGERS, Wm Head Married M 54 1837 Collier
Chilton, Somersetshire
ROGERS, Jane Daughter Single F 34 1857
Victoria, Monmouthshire
MARCHORST, Ruth Boarder Single F 44 1847 Washerwoman
Beaufort
Piece: 4576
Folio: 95
Page: 10
Registration District: Crickhowell
Civil Parish: Llanelly
Municipal Borough: Brecon
Address: King Street, Llanelly, Aberbaidan, Brecon
County: Brecknockshire

1901
MARCHANT, Ruth Head Single F 51 1850 Charwoman
Trowbridge, Wiltshire
Piece: 5174
Folio: 31
Page: 7
Registration District: Crickhowell
Civil Parish: Brynmawr
Municipal Borough:
Address: 4, Swains Square, Brynmawr
County: Brecknockshire

(William Davies and Family at No. 3) (Lovely Handwriting!)

1911
DAVIES, William Head Married21 years M 46 1865 Coal Miner Hewer Llanmouth Blanavon
DAVIES, Sarah Jane Wife Married F 40 1871 Garn Monmouth
DAVIES, Stiphen Son Single M 15 1896 Coal Miner Hewer Brecon Brynmawr
DAVIES, Sarah Jane Daughter F 12 1899 Brecon Brynmawr
DAVIES, Emily Daughter F 10 1901 Brecon Brynmawr
DAVIES, William Son M 5 1906 Brecon Brynmawr
DAVIES, George Son M 3 1908 Brecon Brynmawr
MARCHANT, Ruth Mother Single F 70 1841 Wiltshire (not known crossed through for age)
RG number: RG14
Piece: 33602
Reference: RG14PN33602 RG78PN1935 RD611 SD3 ED10 SN142
Registration District: Crickhowell
Sub District: Llanelly
Enumeration District: 10
Parish: Brynmawr
Address: 4 Well St Brynmawr
County

(1871 William Henry Davies, King Street, Llangattock)


Marriages Sep 1889 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------
DAVIES William Henry Crickhowell 11b 139
Merchant Sarah Jane Crickhowell 11b 139


Deaths Jun 1911 (>99%)
-----------------------------------------------------
Marchant Ruth 61 Crickhowell 11b 85

(not sure if relating here!)

Chris :)

1871 (reference FMP)
MERCHANT, Ann Head F 46 1825 Wiltshire (Laundress)
MERCHANT, Ruth Daughter F 25 1846 Wiltshire
MERCHANT, Jane Daughter F 20 1851 Wiltshire
MERCHANT, Fanney Daughter F 9 1862 Wiltshire
BROWN, William Boarder M 46 1825 Wiltshire
Piece: 5586
Folio: 13
Page: 20
Registration District: Crickhowell
Civil Parish: Llangattock
Municipal Borough:
Address: King Street, Llangattock
County: Brecknockshire

1851 (reference)
MARCHANT, Richard Head Married M 28 1823 Boatman
Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
MARCHANT, Ann Wife Married F 27 1824 Washerwoman
Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
PINCHEN, Ruth Daughter - F 6 1845 -
Semington, Wiltshire, England
MARCHANT, Mary Sister Unmarried F 24 1827 Dress Maker
Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
MARCHANT, John Nephew - M 3 1848 Dress Makers Son
Semington, Wiltshire, England
Piece: 1840
Folio: 297
Page: 47
Registration District: Melksham
Civil Parish: Trowbridge
Municipal Borough:
Address: Round Stone St, Trowbridge
County: Wiltshire


(1851 interesting, Round Stone Street, John Phillips/Ellenorah from other 'Thread' stay there for some time!)

safc/Chris thanks....

Chris - as you note with my thread about Maria Trollop/James Marchant/Selina Slade/Perkins/Marchant...nothing is simple about the Marchants :-)

And they seem to have had a propensity for moving to Wales!

I actually came across Richard Marchant's brother Jonah when looking for James Marchant junior! When I dug a bit I realised that Jonah was in fact a cousin to James Marchant Senior!

Ruth Pinchen was born 1844 (well she was baptised 1844) but I can't find a birth entry for her.

I also find that death report interesting...what was a boatman from Trowbridge doing on a tip in Crickhowell? And if the 1861 and 1871 census are the correct family, why did Ann leave Trowbridge and move to where her husband died (if that indeed was him)?

The problem is, I can't rule out the Breconshire links by finding them in Brecon earlier or finding others in Trowbridge earlier. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Back when I have any (hopefully) feedback from the best sourced tree on Ancestry!!

Jude

Births Sep 1844 (>99%)
------------------------------------------------
Pinchin Female Melksham 8 349

(a possible)

Chris :)

Chris thanks...I don't know why I couldn't find that. I tried just the surname, the range and Melksham with soundex on :-S

and couldn't see anything

I'd guess that is her

Jude