Very grateful for any ideas.............

[plack150]

I think I've done reasonably well so far but have now hit a brick wall..........

I have traced back to William Noyes who married Hannah Gregory in Winnall, Winchester 1779, moved to Bishops Sutton and was finally buried in Winnall in 1834.

Then I have to assume.....there was a William baptised in Itchen Stoke (just up the road) in 1754 who was the son of a Thomas and a Sarah Noyes One of the witnesses at the marriage of William and Hannah was Thomas Noyes. I would be interested to know if anyone thinks this is a safe or unprobable assumption to make.

My second problem - where do I go from Thomas and Sarah. I know they were married in Itchen Stoke in 1743 but the parish records don't show any further Noyes, Noyce etc for Itchen Stoke. Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Thanks for anyones help!

[Olde Crone Holden]

Hi Plack, welcome to FTF.

Assumptions are never safe!

However, what you could now do, is follow the couple you have found and do some mini trees. Did they have more children? What happened to them? Is the area full of Noyes, or are they the only family who has ever lived there?

You could also look for settlement/removal orders for Noyes in the area. These can be very helpful in tracing people's movements. Monumental inscriptions too, can give you a whole family.

What was their occupation? A trade will usually be accompanied by an apprenticeship which will again give you clues.

The usual advice is, if you cannot find them in one parish, you move outwards in five mile circles. People didn't GENERALLY move far from their home parish, but there are always exceptions of course.

OC

[Expat in Oz]

Hi Plack
Enter the WDWTYA for November - see the sticky thread at the top of Q & A forum. You never know, you might win & have a whole week of free help! I did & it was brilliant.

Happy hunting
Expat

[KiteRunner]

Do you know whether Noyes was a common or rare surname in the area? If it was a rare surname then it could be likely that you have the right family, but if there were lots of Noyes families around then it could well be a coincidence - William and Thomas were certainly both very common first names. I would try to find out whether Thomas Noyes left a will if I were you.

[plack150]

Hi all

Thanks for your suggestions; I think they point me in the right direction and I am at the Records Office on Friday to have a further delve.

Doubtless I will be back to ask further advice!

P