Comments

Thanks Graham,

You've raised another point here - I had found a marriage of a Simon PALMER to an Anne PARKER on the 23rd Nov 1830 at St Paul's Church Portland Square, Bristol.  BUT the first christening of a child to a Simon & Ann was before this marriage - in March 1830 - in St John's Weston.

I had overlooked the marriage you have of a Simon PALMER to Sarah BADMAN - which just shows how helpful it is to get a 2nd opinion.

The 1851 census gives Ann's birth place as Kewstoke in about 1809. I wonder whether she was Sarah Ann and known by her 2nd name. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Simon Palmer baptised 21 Feb 1807 Lympsham the son of Samuel & Jane Palmer. Other children of Samuel & Jane baptised in Lympsham were;

• James 25 Nov 1810
• Henry 01 Nov 1812
• Hugh Gillin 03 July 1814
• Martha 04 July 1816
• Mary 28 June 1818
• Joseph 23 Apr1820
• Sarah 08 Dec 1822

The 1841 census shows Samuel & Jane residing in Lympsham both born abt 1791, Occupation Shoemaker.

There is also a marriage of a Simon Palmer to Sarah Badman 14 Apr 1829 Lympsham which is interesting as according to the 1851 census Simon was married to Ann living in Regent St. Weston Super Mare with 7 children. Occupation shoemaker employing 3 men.

Have received a query from a descendant of James and Ann BURGE - who would like more details of their children. In particular about Henry who was born in Weston 15th Jan 1827 and was christened at St John's Church 15th Feb 1827.

If anyone else is researching this family and can help please contact me and I will put you in touch.

My notes show that James & Ann (or Nancy) had at least 8 children. As I wrote in the Journal, James was the son of Simon BURGE and his wife Ann LOTT who were married in Stogursey Church 10th Feb 1767.

I've just had an email from the son of Lewis Stanley LEEKE who was born in Weston-super-Mare and would be happy to answer any questions about the family.  Contact him through me and I will forward any messages.

I found the birth of a Lewis Stanley LEEKE in 1905 on FreeBMD by searching for the surname LEEKE and with just L* as the first name.

By using my Library ticket for North Somerset Library I was able to access the Times Digital Archive and discovered that Lewis Stanley LEEKE, of Waveney House, Beach Road, Weston-super-Mare, a charabanc driver, had been made bankrupt in 1930 but having paid his debts in full the order was rescinded in 1958.

The National Archives online catalogue also revealed that in 1935 his wife, Lillian Dorothy LEEKE petitioned for divorce.

He died in Worcestershire in 1986 having married again in 1939 (In Bournemouth)

Waveney House was on the corner of Beach Road and Richmond Street - next to where Bakers run their Coaches today.

Lewis Stanley LEEKE appears on a couple of Family Trees on Ancestry.

I see from Familysearch that a Henry PEARSE married Ann HARSE on the 16th Sept 1840 at Temple Church in Bristol.  It gives Samuel PEARSE as Henry's father and William HARSE as Ann's father.

I haven't seen the original entry but perhaps the witnesses may give a clue to relations of Ann.

On the 1851 census of Worle there is a Labourer, Henry PEARCE born in Kewstoke in about 1816 with a wife, Ann who was born in Worle at about the same time with 5 children, Eliza, William Frederick, Agnes and John - is this your family?

From my experience of researching HASE - the names HARSE, HURST, HARES, HEARSE etc. are all variants and it was not uncommon for people from North Somerset to go to Bristol to get married.

I haven't found a suitable christening for Ann in Worle but there was a William & Ann HARSE who had a daughter, Betty, in 1820 christened in Worle and then another daughter, Mary, christened in Kewstoke in 1822.  William was a Farmer and appears to have the name William Ford HARSE.

A William Foord HARSE married an Ann Day WALKER on 7th October 1816 in St Thomas Church, Bristol (from a CD obtainable from the Bristol & Avon FHS)  I would have expected to find a daughter called Ann but haven't found one yet.

Perhaps someone else may know of this family?