Christopher Pottinger

[Jeanv]

Hello,

I hope that one of you clever people can help me trace my great, great, great grandfather Christopher Pottinger.
I cannot find him before his marriage to Elizabeth Clark on 27 Dec 1813 at St Andrews, Holborn, London.

I have found a number of trees on Ancestry which have him as being born in 1766. I don't know where this information came from, and it would make him 47 years old at the time of his marriage. (Not unheard of)

Elizabeth Clark/Pottinger died in 1834 aged 41 years. Her youngest child, Frederick also died in 1834 aged 1 year. This would make her about 20 years old at the time of her marriage and would tie up nicely with her childbaring years.
So Christopher was 27 years older than her at the time of their marriage?
Their marriage record does not say that either of them were single, widowed or divorced and it does not give their parents' names.
It just says that they were both 'Of this Parish' although I know that doesn't mean they were born there. Just that they were living there at the time of their marriage.

Christopher was a butcher by trade.

I really want to find the parents of Christopher and so be able to go back further.

Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

Fingers crossed
Jeanv

[Elaine ..Spain]

I would think the birth date of 1766 comes from this record

London, England, Deaths and Burials, 1813-1980
Christopher Nicholls Pottinger
Record Type: Burial
Age: 71
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1766
Death Date: abt 1837
Burial Date: 16 Jun 1837
Burial Place: St Mary, Lambeth, England
Parish - St Mary, Lambeth
Register Type: Parish Register

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=lmadeaths&MS_AdvCB=1&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=2&msT=1&gss=angs-d&gsfn=christopher&gsfn_x=XO&gsln=pottinger&gsln_x=NP_NN&cpxt=1&catBucket=rstp&uidh=pb3&cp=11&pcat=34&fh=2&h=8770866&recoff=8+10&ml_rpos=3

I see Elizabeth was also buried St Mary Lambeth
London, England, Deaths and Burials, 1813-1980
Elizabeth Pottinger
Record Type: Burial
Age: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1793
Death Date: abt 1834
Burial Date: 27 Oct 1834
Burial Place: St Mary, Lambeth, England
Parish - St Mary, Lambeth
Register Type: Parish Register

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&MS_AdvCB=1&db=LMAdeaths&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=2&gss=angs-d&gsfn=elizabeth&gsfn_x=XO&gsln=pottinger&gsln_x=NP_NN&msddy=1834&msddy_x=1&dbOnly=_F0005A5E%7c_F0005A5E_x%2c_F0005A49%7c_F0005A49_x%2c_F000576D%7c_F000576D_x&uidh=pb3&pcat=34&fh=0&h=8773428&recoff=8+9&ml_rpos=1

[Jeanv]

I have seen that record, but I'm still puzzled. This man is Christopher Nicholls Pottinger. In none of the baptism records of my Christopher's children is 'Nicholls' mentioned.

I also have some birth and marriage certificates in which he is simply Christopher Pottinger. Not once is 'Nicholls' mentioned.

I understand that doesn't mean they are not the same person.

But I can't find a birth record for either of them.

You'd think with an unusual name like that, it would be a doddle, I wish!

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Its an amazingly common name isnt it! Just looking at ancestry baps etc. and there are lots of them. What are the kids names? There seems to be quite a bunch of pottingers in the st olave area.

[bcbrit]

Hi Jean,

I came across this marriage:

25 March 1838 at St Marylebone Church, Westminster

William Comber, full age, servant, residence Lambeth
Sarah Pottinger, of full age, residence Lambeth, father Christopher Nicolls Pottinger, butcher, deceased.

Does your Christopher have a daughter Sarah ?

bcbrit

[Jeanv]

Thank you all for coming back to me.
The children of Christopher and Elizabeth who I have found are, Elizabeth, Sarah. Alfred, Robert, Walter, Mary Ann, Peter, Jane, Thomas, Charles, Emma, Adelaid and Frederick. (I was surprised not to find a son named Christopher)

I have found baptism records for all the children except, Elizabeth and Sarah.

Sarah did marry William Coomber and when she died, her sister Elizabeth took in Sarah's daughter Mary Ann Coomber.

Elizabeth, as the eldest seems to have been a mother hen to her siblings. She registered Peter's death and also looked after her siblings, Mary Ann, Jane and Charles when their parents died.

The eldest two children are a bit of an enigma, rather like their father Christopher.
I have found baptism records for all the children except the eldest two, Elizabeth and Sarah. (Although I've found marriage and death records for both)
I did wonder if Christopher had been married previously and Elizabeth and Sarah were from his first marriage. But I can't find a first marriage or even a birth for Christopher.

Even if Christopher Nicholls/Nicholas Pottinger is my Christopher, where and when was he born?

My Christopher appears to have had his own butchers shop and some of his sons also had their own shops. All in London.

I keep coming back to Christopher Pottinger but so far he is keeping his air of mystery. Help!

[Rick]

So to recap:

Christopher Nicholls Pottinger buried 1837 aged 71 abode Grove Park. Approx year of birth 1766
Sarah names father as Christopher Nicholls Pottinger on marriage cert. Sarah dies aged 35 in 1849 - approx. year of birth 1814
Sarah's daughter Mary Ann Coomber is niece to Elizabeth Sheppard (nee Pottinger) in 1851. Elizabeth is 39 - approx. year of birth 1812
Elizabeth is unmarried and living in Grove Park (where Christopher lived) in 1841, with siblings Mary Ann, Jane & Charles.
You have baptisms at St Mary Newington beginning 1814 for Alfred onwards, abode is Lower Marsh, Lambeth

Noting there is a Christopher Pottinger in 1841, butcher at James Street which intersects Lower Marsh and that he is 40 in 1851 - approx. year of birth 1811, I reckon Christopher, Elizabeth & Sarah were born before the marriage (Dec 1813).

Christopher Clarke (1811) and Elizabeth Clarke (1812) were baptised at St Mary Newington, parents Christopher & Elizabeth. The registers are the old style (and look like BTs), so no further info on them.
Sarah Clark, mistranscribed as Sarah Charles was baptised 5 Sep 1813 at St Mary Newington, parents Christopher (a printer) & Elizabeth, abode Kings Bench Walk. This is just the other side of the Thames and his profession doesn't match, but the couple did marry in Holborn so presumably needed to establish residency to marry in that parish. Also there are no other contemporary baptisms to Christopher & Elizabeth Clark(e).

[Jeanv]

Thanks for that Rick.

I hadn't thought that Christopher Pottinger and Elizabeth Clark might not have been married when their first children were born.
Now I've got somewhere completely different to search tomorrow. Goodie!

Jeanv