Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Am I just grasping at straws here, or is this a legitimate mystery?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Am I just grasping at straws here, or is this a legitimate mystery?

    Hi everyone,

    I've just started researching my direct paternal line again, and have come across something strange.
    On the 1851 census, Stephen Keen c1810 is living in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, with his wife Sophia, 8 kids and a Mary Quarrier- listed as mother.
    My first thought was that something must have happened to Stephen's dad and possibly Mary remarried, this was then backed up when I found the following on the IGI:

    James Quaryer born 27/09/1812, Little Missenden, to George Quaryer and Mary Keen
    Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.

    This would make James 2 years or so younger than Stephen Keen.

    But then I expanded the date range and found this:
    Sophia Quarier baptised 19/02/1797, Amersham (less than 4 miles from Little Missenden), to George Quarier and Mary (no surname)
    Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.


    So this has got me all confuddled. I guess there's no way of knowing for sure if Mary is the mother of all three children, but it seems strange. Also Mary Quarrier on the 1851 census is the only Quarrier to be found in Buckinghamshire on any of the censuses available (as far as I can see), and the two births listed above, are the only Quarrier's mentioned on IGI between 1700 and 1900.

    So does anyone have any hunches about why a woman could have 2 children with the same man 15 years apart, but one in between with a different surname- previous marriage or maiden name?
    Why is my name Keen, and not Quarrier??? Or am I just way off the mark?

    Thanks,

    Craig

  • #2
    Sorry Craig..I haven't checked your links but.....you could well be correct with the 1812 birth being a half sibling to your Stephen.

    When it comes to the 1797 Sophia....could she be a younger sister of George, rather than his daughter. George and Mary are both common names so nothing to stop George's parents being George and Mary as well.

    I'll have a look around.

    Comment


    • #3
      This is not going to solve anything but thought I would add to the mix.

      Did you see these 2 entries in the Little Missenden records?

      William Quayouer born 8/9/1805 Little Missenden
      Parents Geo Quayouer and Mary Keen

      Hannah Quarye born 17/9/1809
      Parents George Quarye and Mary Keen

      Comment


      • #4
        From the same Little Missenden records - Index Project (batch) I075922

        George Keen born 8/11/1799 Little Missenden
        Mother Mary Keen, no father listed

        Mary Keen b 8/7/1770 Little Missenden
        Parents John and Sarah Keen
        Could this be the Mary Keen that is the mother of the above children?????

        Comment


        • #5
          Just a suggestion .... but is it possible that she is mother in law to Stephen rather than mother. I have quite often seen someone listed as "mother" when in fact she may be mother in law or even step mother.

          Anne

          Comment


          • #6
            I'd thought of that, but according to the marriage record on familysearch, his wife was Sophia Horton.

            Has anyone found a death for Mary? I haven't found anything at all in Bucks.
            Last edited by Mary from Italy; 27-08-12, 13:42.

            Comment


            • #7
              There's a rather irritating entry in the National Archives:

              COUNTY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE QUARTER SESSIONS
              Michaelmas Session 1824
              R. v James Holt Chesham, Stealing iron, the property of Robert Ball Witnesses: Robert Ball, Chesham, Butcher and miller Henry How, blacksmith, Chesham, ironfounder, Stephen Keen, Quarrier, Little Missenden, Elias Jones, constable, Guilty - 4 calendar months hard labour
              The placenames and occupations seem to be a bit mixed up; Quarrier may have been one of the witness's names, as I think the occupation would normally be called quarryman, not quarrier. Your Stephen would have been a bit young to be a witness in 1824, but it's not impossible, and I'm wondering if he was known as Stephen Keen Quarrier.
              Last edited by Mary from Italy; 27-08-12, 13:40.

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks everyone. The other births make it even more confusing!
                And as Keen is my paternal name I shouldn't - in theory- be decended from any female Keens.
                Possible that Mary Keen was with George Quarrier (or however it was spelled that particular day), had all the kids and Stephen used his mothers maiden name for some reason. Seems strange though that he would drop the Quarrier bit.

                Harry's Mum- Thanks, it's a possibility- I'm trying to keep an open mind so my head doesn't explode

                Frazzled- many thanks for those, as they aren't on the IGI. Are those Little Missenden records online? edit: they came up on IGI when i put in those spellings

                Anne- I had considered that, but once I discovered Sophia's surname I moved on

                Mary- I'm not sure there were any quarries around the area anyway, I've never seen any ocupations deviating much from labourers and straw plait makers- Stephen was a hawker in later life. So it may be that he used both surnames. Mary must have died sometime after 1851, as she's 80 in that census.

                Not sure where to go from here. Possibly check criminal lists to see if George was up to no good and brought shame on the family or something, and try to find these Quarrier children and see if they changed into Keens as well! Has anyone come across this sort of thing before?

                Just had a thought- is it possible that Mary Keen and George Quarrier were never married?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Have you got Stephen on any other census?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Interestingly painful.......2 Stephen Keens married to Sophias......lol

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      One of the Stephen/Sophia combos can be discounted as he is born in a different town- Wingrave I think off the top of my head, and in later censuses are living in London.

                      I have all Stephens later censuses.
                      Last edited by Konovolov; 28-08-12, 02:36.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        OK....no worries. Have you found Mary in 1841?

                        I'm dashing in and out as I'm expecting visitors..

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Mary isn't on any other censuses, nor are any other Quarriers. With the discovery in another post of alternative spellings though, I need to check again with those.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I think I have foun stephen in 1841, BUT he appears t have a different bunch of children to the couple that I gather from your above post , is the correct chap in 1851
                            Jess

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              is it concievable that Sophia was a widow when she married Stephen? That perhaps she was borm Quarrier, married Horton, then Stephen keen?
                              Jess

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                I have Stephen on the 1841. He is already married to Sophia with 5 kids- the eldest 12, and their marriage was in March 1829. I know ages on the 1841 can be wildly innacurate, so I guess it is a possibility that the eldest child, Charlotte was a tiny baby when the marriage took place and not Stephen's. I need to head out to work this morning, but i'll get stuck back in this afternoon. Thanks for your input Jess.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Originally posted by Konovolov View Post
                                  One of the Stephen/Sophia combos can be discounted as he is born in a different town- Wingrave I think off the top of my head, and in later censuses are living in London.

                                  I have all Stephens later censuses.
                                  If you find you need to check back on Wingrave, then this link could be useful to you: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/index.php...ers&Itemid=182

                                  Christine
                                  Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

                                  Comment

                                  Working...
                                  X