john henry fewings

[kylejustin]

the first evidence i have is john henry fewings marrying margaret roberts on 25 jun 1852, cheltenham, gloucester. father given as 'edward fewings, labourer'. address was 292 high st, cheltenham. witts: john james palmer and kesiah maisey. neither have any obvious connection.

the next piece of evidence is the ship's list. 'irene' left liverpool on 10 jul 1852, and arrived in sydney on 16 oct 1852.

the list said john was 31, b.1821. he was a farm labourer. native place was given as 'bampton, worcestershire'. parents were given as 'edward and mary, father dead. mother living at bampton, worcestershire'.

i cannot find john in any census. however, there is an edward fewings with wife mary in bampton, devon, in 1841. (i cannot locate a bampton in worcester.) this edward dies in 1847, tiverton district which includes bampton. in the same grave is an edward john fewings, which i have tracked as his son who was a soldier, and his wife mary, died in 1874, bampton.

the parish registers for bampton, devon are missing for 1813-1833, so i cannot check baptisms for john henry fewings. also the edward fewings on the 1841 has no occupation, but later census his widow mary claims he was a chain maker.

is there any way i have not yet explored, that john henry fewings could be confirmed as the son of edward the chain maker and mary?

[Caroline]

There is a Bampton in Oxfordshire not so far from the Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Worcestershire borders:

http://www.bamptonoxon.co.uk/

Google map

I have some bits and pieces from that Bampton, and can look them up later if Family search doesn't help.

[kylejustin]

thanx caroline, that bampton is much closer to cheltenham than the devon one. but there are no 'fewings' or variants in worcestershire or oxfordshire in the 1841 and 1851 census. and i know that there should be a mary fewings at least in bampton in those years.

[Caroline]

Before I got the fiche reader set up, I had a quick look at the Oxon Marriages CD - ther are no Fewing/s male or female on the index at all, so it does look more likely to be the Devon one.

[Darksecretz]

I was about to say that Bampton, or more likely the area, can sometimes be on the borders between Staffordshire/Warwickshire/Worcestershire and depending on which area you are in can shift between the three.

[kylejustin]

thanx ladies i was wondering if it was something like that. though there does not appear to be any 'fewings' in that area at all. the devon family looks very good, going by what the ship's list says. i do not think the parents were on the deaths of john and margaret in NSW. i have found that the mother mary in devon left a will, im wondering if it's likely a son in australia could be mentioned on it. i have no other options for his family atm, but the devon one.