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Subject: [SMITH] John Smith's family:Somerset Co., England 1800s
Date: 24 Jul 2002 22:13:21 -0600
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Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/VJIBAEB/17753
Message Board Post:
My greatgrandmother was named Emma Smith. She married my greatgrandfather, William Westlake Gardiner, in 1876, and by 1882 they had immigrated to America, where my grandfather was born in Moberly, MO.
I have been trying to trace her family, with not too much success. I have, for example, been unable to locate a copy of her birth record, although I know when (March 28, 1852) and where (Street, Somerset County, England) she was born.
I know from her marriage record that her father was named John Smith. I know from the Census of 1851 of Street that John Smith was born in Meare, Somerset County. Finally, using some information that I got in different places, including the Censuses of 1851 and 1861, I learned that her mother was named Elizabeth Fox, and her grandparents were named George and Sarah Fox. Apparently her mother died when she was young, maybe with the birth of her younger sister, Elizabeth, and she and Elizabeth subsequently lived with the maternal grandparents.
>From the Meare parish registers, I learned some things about John Smith. Apparently he was born in about 1828, because I know from the 1851 Census that he was 22 in 1851. I found a baptismal record for him, showing that he was baptized April 13, 1828. His parents are shown as Jacob and Mary Smith, and I found two siblings for him: Ann and Rachel.
Now, here is where things get sticky. I found a marriage record for Jacob Smith and Ann Buxton on December 20, 1826. How then could his mother be named Mary? Surprisingly, there were very few Smiths in the various records I checked in Somerset County, and I don't think there were two Jacob Smiths in Meare.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who knows anything about any of these people. I will be doing more research, but hope to locate others researching the same family!
Thanks!
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