More Antenuptial Fornication

Applegarth Church, Dumfriesshire, Scotland

via geograph

This is almost a continuation of my post about antenuptial fornication but I have decided to post separately as I am still not sure whether this is the same person.

In the Dumfries Kirk Sessions of 1822 (which are searchable online), James BROWN was "named as the father of Jean Smith's child; [and] gave satisfaction for this in the parish of Applegarth" (Archive Ref: CH2/537/12).  I believe 'gave satisfaction' (in this sense), meant that the father gave monetary compensation to the parish for their support of the child.

So was this James BROWN my ancestor, who appeared in the Dunscore parish records 6 years later for antenuptial fornication?  With such a common name I cannot be sure but I can assess the likelihood of it being the same man for future reference.

First, was he old enough to be involved in this?  Although I don't have his birth record, the 1851 census suggests he was born in 1801, which means he would have been 21 at the time - a prime age for this kind of crime. ;)

James Brown and family on the 1851 census

(Interestingly, their neighbour, Andrew Lorimer (appearing at bottom of image above) was the certifying physician on James' death certificate.)

Next, was he near enough to be involved?  Applegarth is roughly 20 miles from Dunscore and about 30 miles from my James' home, Glencairn.  Not a short walk, but not impossible distances.

Map showing locations of Applegarth, Dunscore and Glencairn (Moniaive) in relation to each other

via multimap

So I can't rule out my James Brown as the father of Jean Smith's illegitimate child and I have kept hold of this genealogical tidbit. To get any closer to proving this, I would need to check for further information in the Kirk Session records and the Applegarth parish records for any further information on Jean SMITH and her child.

Next Steps:

• Check for further information in the Kirk Session records
• Check Applegarth parish records for the child's birth

Update: Checked Applegarth, Dunscore, Glencairn and Lochmaben parishes (via ScotlandsPeople) for any  birth with Jean SMITH as parent (between 1800 - 1825) and any SMITH birth (between 1816 - 1825) - no likely entries found (all have listed fathers).

Marriage Entries vs Marriage Certificates II

In 1848, George Wright PALMER married Mary Ann ALLEN in the parish church of Gillingham, Kent (St Mary Magdalene). George was a gunner in the Royal Navy and Mary was a carpenter's daughter. Here is the certified copy of their marriage entry ordered from the GRO (click on the images to see a larger version):

George Wright PALMER and Mary Ann ALLEN marriage certificate - 1848

The next image is of the marriage entry from the Gillingham Parish Church records:

George Wright PALMER and Mary Ann ALLEN marriage entry -1848

I am lucky enough to be able to view the parish records on the Medway Council's City Ark website. These images have been published as part of the 'Medway Ancestors' project, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. If you have ancestors in the Medway district - it's well worth a look.

Again, I now have my ancestor's signatures, as well as that of Mary Ann's father, William Henry ALLEN. Fortunately in this case, the certificate was an accurate copy of the actual marriage entry. You may however find otherwise. If family historians ever have the opportunity to check parish records, they should. One small transcription error can lead to years of frustration. The information gleaned from these have been known to break down 'brick walls' in the past.

And hey, even if the information is the same, at least you'll have your ancestors' signatures or marks.

Tombstone Tuesday - Broadhembury Stilings

Broadhembury Church

While in Devon I paid a visit to the lovely village of Broadhembury. I had hopes of finding the graves of my STILING forebears to give me some new leads - this wasn't to be. I did however, find the graves of some other Stilings. These Stilings are bound to be related somewhere along the line so I post these photos of their gravestones to help out distant family members who may be looking for these guys.

Affectionate Remembrance of

Thomas Stiling

Died Sep 18th 1848

Aged 38 years

[...] in death

ALSO Jane his wife

Died March 26 1875

Aged 75 years

Thy Will Be Done

ALSO John their son

Died November 27 1892

Aged 63 years

In Loving Memory

Of

William Stiling

Who died March 20 1865

Aged 43 years

*note* - These inscriptions were extremely difficult to read. Most of the last one was deciphered through touch and educated guesswork so may not be entirely accurate.