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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Dorset => Topic started by: Mallon Dene on Monday 21 May 07 14:12 BST (UK)
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My Great Grandfather John Bennett was born Feb 2nd 1843 at Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, illegitimate son of Eliza Bennett. John was Baptised Apr 9th 1843. I can find no other record of John or Eliza until 1865 when John married Sarah Ann Prince in Sixpenny Handley. I can find no record at all of Eliza since or prior to John's birth. On John's marriage certificate he puts an Isaac Taper as his father.
Is there anyone out there who may be able to suggest where I go next. Thanks ???
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Hi Mallon Dene,
Welcome to RootsChat! Have you looked at www.dorset-opc.com? There is a variety of data available for Sixpenny Handley.
Nanny Jan
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Welcome Mallon !
Well, there IS a John Bennett - b1843, born and still living in Sixpenny Handley - but a Harriet is the only young female there (altho the page suggests a 60 year old Ann is the mother - just possible of course !)
1851 - HO107/1854; Folio: 119; Page: 7 - Sixpenny Handley
Deanland
Ann Bennet 60 Widow Head Pauper born Wiltshire
Harriett Bennet 17 dau Dorset Handley
John Bennet 8 son do
Maybe there's an older daughter Eliza somewhere in Service ?
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I can see the family in 1841 - but no Eliza there (nor Harriet).
Also no death registered / yet transcribed 1843 - 1851 for Eliza in the Wimborne District .... :(
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Hi Mallon
Will be seeing a friend at weekend who does Dorset research so I will see if I can 'fixit' to get her to check next time she's at the records offices.
Jean
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This looks likes the 1841 entry for family found above in 1851 -
1841 HO107/228/14 Folio 11 Page 14
Handley Street, Handley, Dorset
John Bennett 40 Ag Lab Y
Ann 45 Y
Phebe 14 Y
Able 12 Y
Simeon 9 Y
Rebeccah 7 Y
Ann 4 Y
And looking on the IGI, there are these christenings, with parents John and Ann -
Mary Elizabeth chr. 26th September 1824 Gussage St Michael, Dorset
Phoebe chr.10th December 1826 Gussage St Michael, Dorset
Harriet Rebecca chr, 14th June 1834 Gussage St Michael, Dorset
so, is Mary Elizabeth your Eliza? Harriet Rebecca must be the 7yr old Rebecca above.....
Regards
Catherine :)
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Thankyou for these replies and I will certainly follow them up. As for the 1841 Census this does have possibilities as the name on John's Birth certificate as who registered the birth is another John Bennett.
Thanks again ;)
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Has anyone made any progress with this? John Bennett who married Sarah Ann Prince is my Great-Great-Grandfather and I have come to conclusion that Mary Elizabeth is probably his mother. Haven't made any progress with Taper/Tapper although I think the William Isaac Salmon Tapper is a red herring, as that Eliza is 18 in 1951, and comes from a Bennett family in Wiltshire. Would be grateful for any hints.
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7 Apr 1844 Sixpenny Handley
Mary Eliza Bennett d John Bennett, lab
m George Green s Joseph Green
She signs herself M Eliza Bennett so is presumably known as Eliza.
The witnesses are William and Phebe Bennett (see 1841 census).
Richard
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Thanks for this clue - I had overlooked this marriage. More circumstantial evidence that this is the right Eliza. Also found an Eliza at Tarrant Hinton vineyard, in 1941. Not far from Blandford, where William Tapper (William Isaac?) was also in 1941.
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Hello, It's me again - Rev Isaac William Salmon Tapper was my great, great Uncle - I have a fair bit of knowledge about his background if anyone is interested and yes he did have a female servant by the name of Bennet - no family stories of him fathering an illegitimate child though.
Best regards
Jane
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I have got no further with this, other than I really don't think the servant Bennett is the right Eliza to be the mother of John Bennett.
It's a puzzle, as the first we see of "Isaac Taper" is on John's marriage certificate, not his birth certificate, so I don't know where he got the name. It's probably spelt wrongly, and there are other Tapers or Tappers around at that time.
Family tradition (his daughter, my great-grandmother, told my own mother) is that John was later in life a Methodist Lay preacher. I have looked in the Primitive Methodist records and can find nothing about him, but the non-conformist tradition would be some kind of obscure link to William Isaac Tapper.