FINDING YOUR ENGLISH ANCESTORS IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTIES AND A TWIST IN THE TALE!

Think Outside the County

      Image Wikimedia Commons

When we hit a brick wall in our family history research, and we have elusive ancestors, quite often it is because we are simply looking in the wrong place. Even when everything points to a person or family having firm roots in one place, it pays to look for family members, even distant ones, who may have moved elsewhere, and to search in that location for your missing person. 

If your English ancestors were anything like mine, then some will be more difficult to trace than others. My maternal HOYES ancestors can be traced back to distant times in Nottinghamshire, England, but several generations of my HOYES family, from Girton and Winthorpe in Nottinghamshire, led me on a merry chase to a neighbouring county. I discovered, while researching a missing ancestor, that during the 18th and 19th centuries, a number of family members regularly moved back and forth across the border between Nottinghamshire to Claypole, Marston and Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Some of these Hoyes folk adopted Lincolnshire as a long term place of residence, while others, including later generations of the Hoyes family, returned to Nottinghamshire. This multi-generational migration between two the counties caused much confusion when researching this family. You can read about this in my two blogs "The Tale of Two Williams" and "The Twist in the Tale of Two Williams".

The migration of my Hoyes family between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Google Earth Pro. 

[NOTE: In this blog I use the term multi-generational as opposed to inter-generational, since I am referring to more than one generation. I am not specifically discussing interactions between generations, although I imply that interactions occur.] 

While researching ancestors on the move, I observed that when people settled in a neighbouring county, they not only established themselves within a new geographic and social landscape, but significantly, they often retained ties with their place of origin and the family and friends they had left behind. 

Following the paths of ancestors, Image Free to Use. 

I have discovered, in some of my ancestral families, evidence of multi-generational patterns of movement, in particular, between neighbouring counties and I have  concluded that these were ostensibly the result of family ties which maintained a strong connection between a place of origin and a place where a family member had moved to. 

When you are researching, consider that if one family member moved to another place, there is a high likelihood that others might have gone their first and others followed.

Generations of one family might follow others to a new county. Image in possession of author. ©

Migration from a traditional place of residence to a nearby county occurred for a number of reasons, and quite often the destination was determined by active family ties. Some people moved away from a home place to seek employment while others married and resettled in a new place. Because of the geographical challenges that travel presented in the past, people tended not to move very far from their home, unless they migrated overseas. Those who dwelt near a county border were more easily able to move to a neighbouring county because of its proximity. I am convinced that a few of my ancestors, over generations, wore a path back and forth between two counties! 

When people settled in a new place of residence, and that place, was within a reasonable travelling distance from home, inevitably it became a destination which attracted family and friends to visit or move to. The movement of people between two counties established connections between two places that had the potential to continue for generations. One member of a family who settled in a new county might then attract siblings, nieces and nephews or cousins to visit or resettle there. 

Grantham, Lincolnshire, Image Wikipedia Commons

The social contact which people sustained with family members who settled in neighbouring counties, increased the likelihood that later generations of family who followed in their footsteps would find a future spouse away from home. 

WHY ARE MULTI-GENERATIONAL MIGRATION PATTERNS IMPORTANT?

If you have an ancestor who moved around, it is possible that they chose a place to move to where they had existing family ties. 

A family connection between two counties is not always immediately obvious when we are searching for ancestors. Uncovering a family pattern of movement between places can be the pivotal discovery that knocks down a brick wall in your research. Understanding family patterns of migration can help you to know where to look for missing family members. 

It is important to factor the possibility of multi-generational patterns of migration between neighbouring counties into family history research.

Often, 'visitors' who were listed staying with families in census records, were family members visiting from nearby counties. Visitors can be an overlooked as valuable clues in our research because they do not necessarily bear the same surname as our family householder.  Often it is these people visiting who can often help us to find family members and extend our family trees.

Hugh WHITE on the 1911 Irish Census below. Image belongs to author. ©
 

I discovered that three surnames WHITE, JUNK and GALWAY, which were recorded in the one household in Portstewart, Londonderry, in the 1911 Census of Ireland [1] (shown below) were  those of people related. Two of the surnames - Galway and White - were names of visitors. This led to the discovery of a multi-generational migration pattern in one of my Northern Irish families. Members of family had moved between the counties of Londonderry and Tyrone from as far back as the early 19th century. It is much easier to find ancestors if you find the clues as to where they were likely to be. 

Visitors in the 1911 Ireland Census helped to connect three families.  [2]

Importantly, multi-generational patterns of movement between counties can reveal why our ancestors were in a particular place. This is especially significant when someone is not where we expect to find them.

MY MULTI-GENERATIONAL MIGRATORY OSBORN ANCESTORS 

One of my maternal fourth great grandfathers was a carpenter named William TURNER. He was born in Ipswich Suffolk in 1786 [3] and he married Anne Mayer OSBORN at St Matthew's Church, Ipswich on the 25 June, 1811 [4]. 

Soane Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, where William and Ann (nee Osborn) Turner lived  Creative Commons

Ann Mayer Osborn was a mystery to me for many years. I began researching William and Ann Turner (nee Osborn) some years ago and from the 1851 [5] and 1861 [6] UK census records for St Margaret's, Ipswich, Suffolk, where the couple lived, I could see that Ann came from Dedham in Essex. At the time I was searching, the parish records for Dedham were not not available online, so Ann remained a Brick Wall in my research. I simply assumed she had moved from Essex to Suffolk to seek employment. Ipswich, a large town, just over 11 miles from the small village of Dedham, across the border in nearby Essex [7], would have certainly offered a greater opportunity for employment for a young woman.  

The Village of Dedham in Essex, 2019  ©
 

Despite there being the large city of Colchester in the county of Essex where Ann lived, it was about 4 miles further from Dedham [8] than Ipswich in Suffolk. It seemed a reasonable assumption that Ann would have traveled to the nearest large town to find work even if it meant moving to a new county. I wondered though if there could have been another reason that Ann Mayer Osborn had chosen to move outside the county of Essex, but for some time I had to be content with my theory.

Ann Mayer Turner nee Osborn in the 1851 Census, St Margaret, Suffolk [9]

As soon as I discovered that the Essex Records Office [10] had made parish records available on their website, Essex Archives Online, I began researching my Essex OSBORN ancestors. It is useful to know that these records are now also on Ancestry.com and other genealogy websites. I was eager to get to know my ancestors from the county of Essex.

Searching the digitised microfiche that held the Register of Baptisms for St Mary the Virgin Church in Dedham Essex [11], I discovered that Ann Mayer Osborn was baptised on 20 June, 1788, by parents Robert and Ann Osborn (nee MAYER) [12]. Ann's middle name of Mayer was her mother's maiden name and it was this middle name enabled me to verify that I had the correct baptism. Finding Ann Mayer Osborn's baptism, opened up a completely new line of research in the county of Essex, a place I had not explored before. 

I was especially excited to have a connection to Dedham in Essex, since I knew that this was where a favourite artist of mine, John Constable (born East Bergholt, Suffolk 1776) was schooled and spent much of his time painting [13]. How thrilling to think that my Osborn ancestors might have known him!

Baptism of Ann Mayer Osborn in 1788 [14]

I visited St Mary the Virgin Church in Dedham, Essex, 2019 ©

St Mary the Virgin Church, Dedham Essex, Image owned by author ©

While adding my newly discovered 5th great grandparents, Robert Osborn and Ann Mayer of Dedham Essex to my family tree, I was immediately reminded of the importance of searching outside of a county for records. 

A number of online trees which had my 5th great grandfather Robert Osborn on them, were displaying a marriage for his daughter Ann Mayer Osborn in Essex. My 4th great grandmother, Ann Mayer Osborn, born in Dedham, Essex, most definitely married and lived all of her married life in Ipswich Suffolk. Certainly there were several other females by the name of Ann Osborn who did marry in the county of Essex, but crucially, none of them were named Ann Mayer Osborn. It had simply not occurred to people, that Ann may have married outside of her home county of Essex, and so they attached a marriage in Essex, which seemed to fit for Ann Osborn, but one which was incorrect. 

Ann Mayer Osborn, for some reason, left her home in the village of Dedham, Essex and traveled the 11 miles to Ipswich, Suffolk where she met and married William Turner. I wasn't far into researching my Essex Osborn family when I discovered a plausible explanation for Ann's move to Suffolk.

Ann's father Robert Osborn, was baptised at St Mary the Virgin Church, Dedham, Essex on 13 December 1759, to parents Samuel and Clementine Osborn (nee STOWE) [14]. Before researching Robert's parents, I set out to find his marriage to Ann Mayer, and I quickly discovered that Ann Mayer Osborn was not the first member of her family to cross the county border into Suffolk from Essex. 

Searching Essex marriages for a marriage between Robert OSBORN and Ann MAYER turned up nothing. With a little lateral thinking, I decided that if Ann had married in Suffolk, perhaps it would be worth searching Suffolk marriage records for her father's marriage. It occurred to me that if Ann's mother had come from Suffolk, it would provide a family connection that could well explain why Ann had left Essex and gone to Suffolk. 

John Constable, View on the Stour Near Dedham, 1822 Wikimedia Commons

Following my hunch, I found the marriage of Ann Mayer Osborn's parents, Robert OSBORN and Ann MAYER in East Bergholt, Suffolk on 22 June 1783 [15]. And here was yet another connection to artist John Constable, because this was his birthplace in 1776. Since he attended school in Dedham, Essex, [16] it appears that my Osborn family were not the only folk who moved back and forth across the county border between Suffolk and Dedham, Essex. 

In around 1811, John Constable painted the church in East Bergholt where my 5th great grandparents Robert Osborn and Ann Mayer were married in 1783 [17]. I like to think that this great artist crossed paths with my Osborn family...

Church East Bergholt, Suffolk, John Constable c 1811, Wikimedia Commons

Ann Mayer Osborn's mother, Ann Mayer was born in Great Wenham, Suffolk in 1762 to parents John and Ann Mayer. [18] Here was the Suffolk connection I was looking for. Ann Mayer Osborn, although born in Dedham in Essex, would have certainly had family ties to her mother's Mayer family in the county of Suffolk. It was these ties which were very likely a motivating factor towards her visiting or seeking employment in that county and it was while in Suffolk, she met and married her husband, William Turner. 

It adds richness to our ancestors' stories when we better understand the context of their lives and the reasons behind the decisions they made. 

Having found a family connection that helped me understand why my 4th great grandmother married outside of her home county of Essex, I was intrigued as to what might have drawn Ann Mayer Osborn's father Robert Osborn to travel from Dedham, Essex to East Bergholt in Suffolk to marry her mother, Ann Mayer. I wondered if there were any earlier existing family bonds between the Osborn family from village of Dedham in Essex, and the county of Suffolk. 

My theory was confirmed when I found the marriage of Robert Osborn's parents, my 6th great grandparents, Samuel OSBORN and Clementine STOWE, on 17 June 1746 in Stratford St Mary, Suffolk [19]. 

Ann Mayer Osborn, her father Robert Osborn, and his father Samuel Osborn, all from Essex, had married in the county of Suffolk. While Ann remained in Suffolk with her husband, both Robert Osborn and his father Samuel had taken their brides back to Dedham in Essex to live. Samuel may have been working in Stratford, St Mary, Suffolk, at the time of his marriage to Clementine Stowe since their first two children were baptised there. [20] 

By 1751, when Samuel and Clementine Osborn's third child William was born, the couple were living in Dedham, Essex. [21] I had uncovered a pattern of migration between the counties of Essex and Suffolk, which spanned three generations of the Osborn family. 

Cottage at East Bergholt, John Constable, 1833, Wikimedia Commons

It seemed likely, that if Ann Mayer Osborn's grandparents, Samuel Osborn and Clementine Stowe had married in Suffolk, that Clementine was from Suffolk. I searched for her baptism there and found that Clementine Stowe was baptised on 7 June 1722 at St Mary's Church in Polstead, Suffolk [22]. Her parents were Clement and Frances Stowe and her baptism took place in the beautiful old church, pictured below, which I visited in 2019. In the second photograph below, is the actual baptismal font which was used when my 6th great grandmother Clementine Stowe was baptised in 1722. 

St Mary's Polstead where Ann Mayer Osborn was baptised in 1788. Image 2019, owned by author. ©  

The baptismal font where Clementine Stowe was baptised in Polstead in 1722 ©  

Three generations of my Osborn family from Essex had married in the nearby county of Suffolk. It is without doubt, that family ties would have encouraged members of the Osborn family from Dedham in Essex to travel to Suffolk to visit or to work, and there they met future spouses. Dedham was a small village in Essex and so my Osborn ancestors clearly looked further afield for partners in marriage.

My research had uncovered a multi-generational migration pattern in my Osborn family - a well worn path between Dedham in Essex and Suffolk. This pattern provided me with a valuable clue as to why Ann Mayer Osborn left Essex, traveled to the nearby county of Suffolk and married William Turner - both her mother Ann Mayer and her paternal grandmother Clementine Stowe had come from Suffolk.  Although Ann Mayer Osborn was born and raised in Dedham, Essex, she had strong family connections to the nearby county of Suffolk through her mother and grandmother.

St Mary's Church, Polstead, Suffolk, Wikimedia Commons

As was the 19th century custom, when people from different places married, the bride often moved to the parish or county where the groom lived and worked. Ann Mayer Osborne followed this tradition, and lived for the rest of her life in Ipswich Suffolk, following her marriage to William Turner [23]. When previously researching my Turner ancestors, I had imagined Ann to be living in Ipswich, Suffolk with no family other than her husband and children, however I was soon to find out that nothing could have been further from the truth.

As I researched my Osborn family further, I discovered that Ann's brother Abraham Osborn (born 1802) [24] and her sister Orina Clement Osborne (1804) [25] both left Dedham, Essex and like their older sister, they married in Ipswich, Suffolk. Not only did they marry there but they both lived close to their sister Ann and her family.

Abraham married Susan DOWNES in Ipswich, Suffolk on 2 November 1823 [26] and remained in Suffolk, living near his sister Ann in Ipswich, where he worked as a wheelwright. Abraham Osborn and his wife Susan had 14 children all born in Suffolk.[27]

The workshop of a Wheelwright, Wikimedia Commons

Ann Mayer Osborn's youngest sister Orina Clement Osborn also married in Ipswich Suffolk.[28] It is likely that while visiting her older sister Ann or her brother Abraham, in Suffolk, that Orina met her future spouse, a wheelwright named William SHULVER. She, like her sister Ann and brother Abraham, married and remained living in Ipswich, Suffolk. 

My 6th great grandparents, Samuel OSBORN (born ab 1722 Essex) [29] and Clementine STOWE (born 1722 Suffolk) [30] are as far back as I have determined to be correct to date. I have been able to trace Clementine's Stowe family back as far as Clement Stowe (born ab 1570) who married Margaret MAY in Polstead, Suffolk 5 October 1600. [31]  

The birth of my ancestor, Samuel Osborn has been more difficult to pinpoint, although I am convinced that Samuel was born in Essex since there were no births of a Samuel Osborn in nearby counties who fit his profile. Although a Samuel OSBORN who was baptised in Epping, Essex in 1722 [32] was the only Samuel using the  spelling of OSBORN that my ancestors consistently did, this on its own is not sufficient evidence to claim that particular Samuel as my ancestor.

I am currently researching my Osborn family in an effort to take them back as far as I can in the county of Essex, and hopefully soon I will be able to determine which Samuel Osborn married Clementine Stowe in Polstead, Suffolk and took her to live in Dedham, Essex.

St Mary the Virgin, Dedham, Essex where my ancestors are buried. © 

With my new found understanding of the pattern of migration which my Osborn family established over a number of generations, between the counties of Essex and Suffolk, and the family connections which prompted the movement of these people from one place to another, I now understand that it is prudent to search in both the counties of Essex and Suffolk when further researching my migratory Osborns from Essex. 

I have since discovered Osborn marriages, baptisms and burials in Polstead, Suffolk, dating back to the 17th century, and Osborn, Stowe and Turner baptisms and burials in Dedham, Essex, dating back to the early 17th century, so I will not be surprised to discover with some further research, that an even earlier OSBORN family migration occurred between Essex and Suffolk. It certainly provides me with an explanation as to why my 6th great grandfather Samuel Osborn from Essex, married Clementine Stowe in Suffolk in 1746.

My research into my Osborn ancestors is a work in progress, and I hope to find earlier family connections between Dedham Essex and Suffolk -  but what story would be complete without a twist to it? 

A TWIST IN THE TALE OF MY MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY MIGRATION STORY

It was while researching Essex born Orina Clement Osborn and her marriage to William Shulver in Suffolk, that I discovered a TWIST in my family history research -  one that involved both the Osborn and Turner families and brought my research surprisingly full circle.

COMING VERY SOON - THE NEXT INSTALLMENT " WHICH WILLIAM IS WHICH - IS THERE A TWIST IN MY TALE? " 

NOTE 

[Searching for Orina Osborn in records was challenging since her name was transcribed in online records with variations including Ortiner, Oriner, Susanna, Niner and Dinah. 

Baptism of Orina Clement OSBORN 24 June 1805 [26]

Clementine Stowe's name has also been transcribed in a number of variations including Clement, Clements and Clemence. It is always worthwhile looking at original or copies of original records where possible. ]

FOOTNOTES

1. 1911 Census Ireland, National Archives of Ireland, http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Londonderry/Portstewart/Victoria_Terrace/592985/
2. Ibid. 
3. 1861 England Census, Ipswich Suffolk,Class: RG9; Piece: 1164; Folio: 100; Page: 8; GSU roll: 542766, Ancestry.com.

4. Marriage of Ann Mayer Osborn and William Turner, Ipswich, Suffolk, England Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com
5.1851 England Census, Ipswich, St Margaret's, Suffolk, Class: HO107; Piece: 1800; Folio: 525; Page: 15; GSU roll: 207449.Ancestry.com

6. 1861 England Census, Ipswich, St Clement, Suffolk, Class: RG9; Piece: 1164; Folio: 100; Page: 8; GSU roll: 542766, Ancestry.com.
6. Essex Archives Online, Essex Records Office, https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/ParishRegisters.aspx\

7. Dedham, Essex to Ipswich, Suffolk, Google Maps.

8. Dedham, Essex to Colchester, Essex, Google Maps.

9.1851 England Census, Ipswich, St Margaret's, Suffolk, Class: HO107; Piece: 1800; Folio: 525; Page: 15; GSU roll: 207449.Ancestry.com 

10. Essex Archives Online, https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/

11.Ibid.

12. Baptism of Ann Mayer OSBORN, 1788, Dedham, Essex Register of Baptisms 1742-1812, D/P26/3, Image 29.

13. John Constable, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Constable

14. Baptism of Robert Osborn, Dedham Essex, 13 December 1759, Essex Register of Baptisms 1742-1812, D/P/26/1/3. Image 13, Essex Archives Online.

15. Marriage of Robert Osborn and Ann Mayer, East Bergholt, Suffolk, 23 July 1783, Suffolk Marriage Index, Suffolk Family History Society, Findmypast.com.uk

16. John Constable, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Constable

17. Marriage of Robert Osborn and Ann Mayer, East Bergholt, 23 July 1783, Suffolk Marriage Index, Suffolk Family History Society, Findmypast.com.uk

18. Baptism of Ann Mayer, Great Wenham, Suffolk, 17 October 1762, England Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, Ancestry.com.

19. Marriage of Samuel Osborn and Clementine Stowe, 17 June 1746, Stratford, St Mary, Suffolk, England Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com.

20. Baptisms of Samuel 1746, and John Osborn 1748, Stratford, St Mary, Suffolk, England Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975, Ancestry.com.

21. Baptism of William Osborn, 15 October 1751, St Mary the Virgin, Dedham Essex, Essex, England Church of England Baptisms, Ancestry.com.

22. Baptism of Clementine Stowe, 7 October 1722, Polstead, Suffolk, England, Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975, Ancestry.com.

23. Marriage of Ann Mayer Osborn and William Turner, Ipswich, Suffolk, England Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com

24. Baptism of Abraham Osborn, 28 February 1802, St Mary the Virgin, Dedham, Essex, Essex, England Church of England Baptisms, Ancestry.com.

25. Baptism of Orina Clement Osborn, 24 June 1806, St Mary the Virgin, Dedham, Essex, Essex, England Church of England Baptisms, Ancestry.com.

26. Marriage of Abraham Osborn and Susan Downes, 2 November 1823, St Nicholas, Ipswich, Suffolk, England Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com

27. 1841 census, St Margaret's, Ipswich, Suffolk, Ancestry.com.

28. Marriage of Orina Clement Osborn and William Shulver, 31 March 1834, St Nicholas, Ipswich, Suffolk, England Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com

29. Burial of Samuel Osborn, 86 years, St Mary the Virgin, Dedham, Essex, National Buriel Index for England and Wales, Essex Society for Family History, Findmypast.com

30. Baptism of Clementine Stowe, 7 October 1722, Polstead, Suffolk, England, Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975, Ancestry.com.

31. Marriage of Clement Stowe and Margaret May, 5 October, 1600, Polstead, Suffolk, England, Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975, Ancestry.com.

32. Baptism of Samuel Osborn, 24 February 1722, All Saints, Epping, Essex, Essex, England Church of England Baptisms, Ancestry.com.