Was the minister wrong - or am I just wishfully thinking ?

[dicole]

In the new LMA records on Ancestry, I was seeking the baptism of one BILBY FARROW who appears in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census at the St John Hackney Union Workhouse (1841 - transcribed Bailey, 1851 transcribed Rilby) as a cripple. in the census, Bilby was consistently born 1816 in Homerton.

I thought he might be the son of William Berry Farrow and his first wife, name unknown.

WBF married for the second time in 1817 to Catherine Albins and I successfully found baptisms for four more children 1818-1824, two of whom died as infants. All the family records give their birthplace/residences as Homerton, all events, except the Farrow-Albins marriage, were at St John Hackney.

The only "Bilby" I could find in the LMA baptisms was Bilby James Berry, the son of William and Sarah Berry (28 Mar 1816, St John Hackney). I also found an 1816 marriage for William Farrow and Sarah Evans, and a Dec 1816 death for Sarah Farrow. Also I cannot find a Hackney marriage for William Berry and Sarah.

So, am I clutching at straws thinking maybe the minster recorded the surname wrongly after the baptism ? In all the other baptisms, William Berry Farrow is clearly identified.

If I am wrong, where is Bilby Farrow's baptism ? i would love to be able to solve this mystery of William Berry Farrows first wife.

Di

[JudithM]

Looks good to me. Bilby and Berry are unusual enough names to make your theory probable. Either the minister misheard or William was sometimes known by the surname Berry. Perhaps he was illegitimate (which often explains a surname used as middle name) but used his father's surname. Does William's occupation on the Berry and Farrow entries help?

[dicole]

Both Williams were Labourers ! Well, at least its consistent with my theory. William Berry Farrow had served in the Army until 1814, but was supposedly born in Bungay Suffolk. (no Baptism found, yet).

There are two other Bilby Farrows in the IGI - one baptised in Norfolk in 1737 and one who married in Suffolk in 1818. You have to think they are related in some way to "my" Bilby, otherwise, its not the kind of name you would run across in a novel or the newspaper.

Di

[kylejustin]

it looks like you have the right family. and the bilby name, probably a match way back when. good luck making the connection! :smilee:

[dicole]

Thanks kylejustin. I am just sending the information off to my fellow FARROW researcher to see what he thinks !!

Di

[Christine in Herts]

There's one in Norfolk on FreeREG, too: baptised 8 May 1737 at St Mary the Virgin, Pulham, s of Henry & Elizabeth FARROW

It seems to be the same one as the submitted IGI one, which names the place as Burston.

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

LOOK - on the FreeREG marriages

Bilby FARROW, widower, marries Hester BERRY, single woman, 21 Oct 1766, at St Peter & St Paul's, Brockdish, Norfolk!

Christine

[dicole]

Ooh, Christine thanks for that !!

It looks like a piece of the puzzle !!!
I don't look at Freereg very often, as few of the areas I am interested are listed, but I use freebmd all the time.

At first glance, William Berry Farrow b 1778 could easily be their child. And his first daughter was called Mary Esther !
And Brockdish and Bungay are on the same road betwen Diss and Lowestoft !

Di

[dicole]

I looked at freereg and found baptisms for two children for Bilby Farrow - both baptisms appear three times, but also two burials also.

Diana Farrow daughter of Bilby and Ann, baptised at Brockdish 18 Aug 1765, but buried 12 Aug 1764 - someones dates wrong, so this needs checking more.

Elizabeth Farrow daughter of Bilby and Hester baptised 20 Sep 1765,

Burial for Elizabeth Farrow, daughter of Bilby and Ann, buried 12 May 1765.
Burial for Ann Farrow, wife of Bilby 27 Jun 1765.

IGI - Marriage for Bilby Farrow and Ann Gooch at Thorpe Abbots Norfolk 11 Oct 1759. (Submitted entry). Baptism Hester Berry 19 Oct 1740 Stradbroke, Norfolk.

Also a settlement certificate at Norfolk RO - certifying parish Thorpe Abbotts, in Brockdish overseers of the Poor accounts for one Bilby Farrow.

Bilbys family seems to be coming together a bit more - so now I need to find another settlement certificate for Bilby moving to Bungay. I would say that William Berry Farrow must have been their only son.

Thanks Christine for spotting the freereg entry.

Di

[dicole]

Another settlement certificate !!!
From the National Archives

"Settlement certificate; Billeby Farrow, Hester his wife, with Dinah, Elizabeth, Mary and Hester their children FC 91/G4/84 2nd February 1774"

looks like Mefield parish, part-way between Brockdish and Bungay, so things are moving along nicely..

I can see I am going to have to invest in some settlement certificates. An occupation for Bilby would be good, might explain their moving around so much.

Di

[Christine in Herts]

I'm so glad I spotted that. FreeREG is getting updated from time to time, just as FreeBMD is, so worth a trip back now and then.

I see that Diana and Elizabeth both appear to be buried before they are baptised. It would be worth setting yourself some timelines - to see if there may have been more than one child with each name, and the later baptisms are the second children to hold the names. (It can't be explained by calendar anomalies, because the dates aren't between 1 Jan and 25 Mar.)

I had a thought about that name - Bil(le)by. It might be worth watching out for Willoughby as a family name: it's easy to see how Willoughby could be morphed into Billeby - or even just Wilb(e)y to Bilby.

Christine

[dicole]

Hi Christine,

That second settlement certificate shows that a daughter Dinah (or Diana) and an Elizabeth went with them to Metfield, so I now think there were two Dianas, both daughters of Ann,and two Elizabeths, one of Ann and the other of Hester.

Freereg also has a death in Pulham for Henry Farrow. There's nothing in the IGI, and I cannot seem to reinstall my NBI properly, so I will just have to wait for more freereg updates.

And as for the Bibly Farrow who married in 1818 in Wingfield Suffolk - he must belong to this family somehow - just marrying late in life perhaps.

Di