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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Dorset Lookup Requests => Dorset => England => Dorset Completed Look up Requests => Topic started by: Kells on Wednesday 07 September 11 03:36 BST (UK)
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I am posting a new thread about this topic as more has come to light since I first began looking at the Childs family.
I have two Childs ancestral lines but no idea if the earliest known ancestors, Samuel born c1748, and David, are related.
Samuel Childs married Mary Elford in 1775. Their eldest son Samuel Elford Childs (b1774 before parent's marriage) married Elizabeth Childs (born 1779), daughter of David Childs and Mary nee Wellman (no trace of Mary anywhere, perhaps another parish?).
I have found a baptism for a David Childs 15 June 1729 in Axmouth Devon to Joseph and Mary Childs. Joseph Childs married Mary Hurlstone 1 June 1728 in Axmouth. Mary Hurlstone was baptised 5 Oct 1707 to Christopher Hurlstone. This all seems to fit nicely so I assume I am on the right track, and Axmouth is not a great distance from Melbury Osmond. It appears that Joseph and Mary moved to Melbury shortly after David's baptism, as other children, Joanna, Maria, Joseph, Catherine and William, were baptised there. The difficult part is that I have found Joseph Childs' will, where he mentions all of these children in addition to a son Christopher and daughter Martha, but no David. David died in 1787, the will was made in 1770.
I am also interested in the Hurlstone origins. I found a will for Lawrence Hurlstone dated 1677 which mentions a brother Christopher (father of the Mary baptised 1707?).
Can anyone help with the earlier Childs and Hurlstone ancestry? Most online records (i.e. Dorset OPC) don't go back before the 1730's and I cannot access anything without paying the Dorset County Council a huge amount of money to search the parish records they have.
Any help gratefully received.
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Hi Kells,
I guess the Joseph Childs will you have is the one dated 1770. Are you aware that there are also two other Childs wills? Both are for William Childs, both in Witcombe (sic.). They are dated 1704 and 1713. There is an "A" against their entries so they may just be letters of administration. There is also a will dated 1661 for a Benjamin Childs from Hale (24, 1661).
Good luck.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
Thanks for your message. I'm not sure as yet if William or Benjamin fit into my tree but I will keep those in mind for the future if I am able to get more information about my earlier Childs ancestry.
Thanks,
Kells.
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Hi Kelly,
I was wondering whether you have resolved your query.
I am also interested in Christopher Hurlstone and his connections to Melbury Osmond. If you have any further information I'd be very grateful, but as I am in the UK and a member of SOG, I can probably search the PRs easier and cheaper than you can. So if I can help, please let me know.
Regards,
Grahame.
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Hello Grahame,
Thank you for your message. I haven't progressed all that much with regards to Hurlstone and the likelihood of David being the son of Joseph Childs and Mary Hurlstone. There are several Hurlstones in the Melbury records but I haven't as yet mapped them all and worked out relationships. I think I may have located the Samuel Childs I was seeking, it seems to be a separate line to David's.
I have accessed records through Ancestry which has taken me back a bit further with the Childs but it is still a bit unclear how they all tie in.
If you have anything on Christopher Hurlstone, and the Melbury and Childs family connections, I would be most grateful for anything. If you would like to see what I have gathered, I'd be happy to share. I can send my email in a private message.
Thanks,
Kelly.
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Hi Kelly,
There is a transcript (in book form) of the Melbury Osmond Register at the Dorset Record Office. I have hand-written copies from this for Marriages from about 1530 to 1730 (when the online transcripts become available) and births from 1660 to 1730. I need to do some more next time I visit. Like you, the idea was to use this information to map out all the major families in the village, but I haven't gotten very far. However I can do lookups for the information that I have.
My tree is a public tree on Ancestry, if you want to take a look. It should be fairly easy to find. if you have any information that I haven't, I'd be grateful if you could share.
Regards,
Grahame.
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Hi Kelly,
My 5 times great grandmother was Lydia Childs of Melbury Osmond. Her parents were David Childs and Mary Wellman. David's parents were Joseph Childs and Mary Hurlestone. Mary's father is Christopher Hurlestone. I can't find her mother. David and Mary were married in St Osmond's Church in Melbury Osmond on 5th July 1763. From every bit of information that I find on Mary, it looks as though she was a widow when she married David Childs.
Her birth and death dates match those of a Mary Wellman who was married to a William Wellman. They married in 1755 and had 2 sons. William Wellman died in early 1763. Mary Wellman was born in Melbury Sampford.
For more detailed information on David and Mary Childs, look up a site called "The Old Parramattans". It gives a detailed account of their daughter Lydia Childs. Another site that may give you more information is the "familysearch.org/family-trees" site. It has been helpful to me when looking for my ancestors. I hope this information has been helpful. :)
Regards,
Gail
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Hi Kelly,
My 5 times great grandmother was Lydia Childs of Melbury Osmond. Her parents were David Childs and Mary Wellman. David's parents were Joseph Childs and Mary Hurlestone. Mary's father is Christopher Hurlestone. I can't find her mother. David and Mary were married in St Osmond's Church in Melbury Osmond on 5th July 1763. From every bit of information that I find on Mary, it looks as though she was a widow when she married David Childs.
Her birth and death dates match those of a Mary Wellman who was married to a William Wellman. They married in 1755 and had 2 sons. William Wellman died in early 1763. Mary Wellman was born in Melbury Sampford.
For more detailed information on David and Mary Childs, look up a site called "The Old Parramattans". It gives a detailed account of their daughter Lydia Childs. Another site that may give you more information is the "familysearch.org/family-trees" site. It has been helpful to me when looking for my ancestors. I hope this information has been helpful. :)
Regards,
Gail
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Hi Gail,
Thanks for your message. I have since made a breakthrough with this research. I was never happy with the parentage that others had been publishing for David Childs, a tenuous link which I too had accepted in the absence of anything else, until recently. I did some extensive trawling through digitised images of Dorset parish registers and have found him, erroneously named as Edward Childs in the Ancestry indexes. He was baptised Dec 1735 in Yetminster, a son of Samuel Childs and his wife Elizabeth Mose (Mose - spelling unclear). The images are very hard to read but there are other factors which have helped to confirm this. Samuel Childs's marriage in Yetminster names his parish as Melbury Osmond. His and Elizabeth's other children also turn up back in Melbury Osmond later, along with David and his brother Samuel (born 1748 and baptised 1752 in Chetnole). What was also troubling, the supposed father of David, Joseph Childs, makes no mention of a son David in his will but includes all of his children who were baptised in Dorset. I think the baptism record for David Childs in Axmouth which once appeared on Family Search (and now doesn't appear to exist) was in error.
I haven't yet seen anything which confirms Mary Wellman being a widow, apart from some dubious records on Family Search. Though there are several Wellman families in the area I haven't yet placed her in one. I had discounted her as the spouse of William Wellman of Melbury Sampford (married 1744) mainly because they were having children between 1746 and 1757 which means that to have still borne children in 1787 (her youngest) she would have been about 57-60 years old.
I have heard about Lydia's story from Michaela, the author of that site, who I have discussed my early Childs research with. She writes it up very well though obviously reluctant to add the Childs ancestry I have as the proof, while sound, is subjective due to the poor quality of the records.
In any case we are definitely related through your Lydia. I am a descendant of her sister Elizabeth, who married her own cousin Samuel.
Thanks again and if you'd like to get in touch I'd be happy to share info with you.
Kind regards,
Kelly.
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Hi Kelly,
Thank you for responding so fast. I have done some more searching of David [Edward] Childs and Mary Wellman. Mary was born in 1734 and died in 1778/1779. as far as I can ascertain. According to Family search she married William Wellman in 1755 and he died in March 1763. She married David Childs in July 1763 and from the info I found, they had 7 children, the last one being Elizabeth in 1779. All 7 children were born in Melbury Osmond, so I presume that this info is correct. I haven't found anything to the contrary.
If Mary married William Wellman, according to the info I found, they had 1 daughter, Betty, born 1755; and 2 sons, Andrew born 1756 and Alexander born 1757. I am still looking into this info.
I would like to be in touch with you, as it is great to find more of my relatives. How do I go about getting in touch with you privately?
Anyway, thanks again for your help,
Cheers,
Gail :)
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Hi Gail,
I'd be happy to make contact privately, I'll send you a message.
I have the last child for David and Mary being David baptised 11 March 1787. There was also a daughter Rachel in 1781 following Elizabeth in 1779. This is where I have made the conclusion that Mary the wife of William Wellman was just too old to be the wife of David Childs.
The marriage for William Wellman and Mary Orchard was in Melbury Osmond in 1744. The children of this couple were baptised in Melbury Sampford between 1746 and 1757 (William 1746, William 1750, Joan 1752, Betty 1755 and Alexander 1757). There was also a base born son of Mary Wellman named John baptised 10 June 1764, after the marriage of David and Mary, possibly suggesting another Mary Wellman in the area. The Wellman's are quite numerous in Dorset. Though I haven't found an alternative for our Mary, I'm not confident that the records on Family Search can be relied upon. Ancestry and the Dorset OPC are much more comprehensive.
Sadly the marriage record doesn't name either David or Mary's status as bachelor or spinster or widow or whatever the case may be, which makes it difficult to know either way. Looking at others it appears that the vicar was not recording this information for anyone!
I've looked a little deeper into William Wellman. I believe he was a son of Alexander and Joan, baptised 1711 in Melbury Sampford. His parents had come from West Chelborough. To have been married in 1744 (there is no marriage recorded in 1755), his wife Mary would have to have been born at the very latest in the mid 1720s. To then be married to David Childs in 1763 and have children up to 1787 while aged in her 60s, it doesn't quite check out. I'm sure there is a connection between the families somehow, but placing Mary wife of David in there is proving difficult so far.
It is unfortunate that the Yetminster registers are so unreadable at the time both David and Samuel Childs were born, but it still seems the best bet. Nearly all of the Ancestry trees have David's parents as Joseph and Mary nee Hurlstone though. Yetminster is so close by so it should not be discounted. Many clues are there.
I'd be interested to hear of your link to Lydia also. She would never have known about her nieces going to South Australia :)
Cheers,
Kelly.
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Hi Gail,
I have a copy of David Childs baptism in Axmouth, Devon. Jun 15th David son of Joseph Childs had private baptism. (South West Heritage Trust Archive Ref: 2749A/PR/1/2). Joseph name is given as Cilds (bad transcription)
Also I have a copy of Joseph Childs of Melbury Osmond and Mary Hurlstone marriage at St Michaels, Axmouth, Devon on 11 Jun 1728.
I am descended from Joseph Childs 1703 and David Childs 1729. My Great Grandmother was Emily Childs 1821 - 1870 of Melbury Osmond. Plus a some intermarriages with other Childs/Chiles
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The baptism record of a David Childs in Axmouth has been fairly well proven to be incorrect in fitting with this family.
David Childs who married Mary Wellman was baptised in Yetminster in Dec 1735. Samuel and Elizabeth Childs (nee Mores) were living there at the time as this is where they married in July 1735, it was Elizabeth's parish. Samuel moved his family back to his parish, Melbury Osmond, some time after Samuel jnr. was born in 1748. Other children included Josiah, Thomas, and Margaret (the latter two named after Samuel's parents). Sadly the Yetminster registers are almost illegible. Ancestry has transcribed David's baptism there as "Edward".
Joseph Childs (who married Mary Hurlstone) provided for each of his children in his will but made no mention of David. I would take this as strong evidence that David does not belong there.
Cheers,
Kelly.
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Hi Gail,
David Childs baptism at Axmouth, Devon appears on both Ancestry and Findmypast sites. Ancestry transcription is "Dauvid Childs" and Findmypast is "David Cilds". Familysearch appears to have nil records for Axmouth at all. I do know about the baptism of a son either (David or Edward) to Samuel and Elizabeth Childs of Yetminster.
As to Joseph will it could be that he disowned him? I have a couple of relatives one still living that have be disowned by their families.
The Axmouth baptism image I have of David is from the Findmypast website.
Regards,
Richard
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Hi Richard,
I had once accepted the David Childs from Axmouth as my ancestor but since the original images of the Dorset parish records and wills became available through Ancestry I re-examined everything.
It would be more likely that the David born to Joseph and Mary nee Hurlstone died before Joseph made his will, probably in early childhood. I don't think the Yetminster family can be easily dismissed. Yetminster is only 3 miles from Melbury. When Samuel Childs married Elizabeth Mores in 1735 his parish was given as Melbury Osmond. He was baptised in Melbury in 1711.
I can't provide the image for David's baptism in Yetminster (Dec 1735) here as it won't upload, but if you do look at it closely it says David son of Samuel and Elizabeth Childs. It is part of a page which is badly smudged and right at the bottom of the page, so easily missed. It is not unusual for the eldest children to be baptised in their mother's parish so it would seem they stayed in Yetminster for a time.
The fact that Samuel and Elizabeth had sons David and Samuel brings me to a link further along the chain - my ancestors were Samuel Childs born 1774 (son of Samuel) and Elizabeth Childs born 1779 (daughter of David) who married in 1803. Despite the numerous Childs families in the area I had worked on the likely possibility of a family connection between the two and plotted the various families and their relationships. Though there are gaps in the earlier records, I am convinced that the Samuel born in 1711 who went to Yetminster to get married is the common ancestor of both my David and Samuel. The omission of David in Joseph's will is the main issue for me.
I guess you could take it either way, both are plausible. Unless anything new comes to light to add further weight to it I'll go my way for now.
Cheers,
Kelly.
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Hi Kelly,
Yes I have the Yetminster image from Findmypast. I also found the Familysearch record of Axmouth thru "http://www.archersoftware.co.uk/igi/fs-dev.htm#A".
The dorset records are not all that good compared to some of the Yorkshire records (Dade) as the give the parents and grandparents.
Did you know that the Childs were the most prolific in the 1700s but in 1988 there was only one. Thomas Edward Childs. By 1995 there was none.
I have some more info of the Childs of Melbury Osmond. It a list the occupants, buildings and dated known to have lived in the village. If you are interested I can transcribe them for you.
Cheers,
Richard
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Hi Richard,
Quite a shame they died out given they were once so numerous. I'd be interested to see what you have if it isn't too much trouble to put together.
Thanks,
Kelly.
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Hi Kelly,
My Childs are great grandmother Emily (1848 - 1924) (widow of Joseph Bartlett) she was the daughter of George Childs (1822 - 1886) and Elizabeth Childs (1821 - 1870). George was the son of John Childs and Ann Bishop. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edmund Childs and Elizabeth Childs. Seems many Childs intermarried.
Families of Melbury Osmond
The dates are an indication when the person was first known to be in the parish or when they were first mentioned in a document. Does not include any Census data or all the Childs that lived in Melbury Osmond.
Chiles. 1635 Proprietor. An early Childs?
Childs, Christopher 1791
Childs, John 1794 Lived in Manor Farm Cottages.
Childs, Jane 1794 Wife of John.
Childs, Will Rowlson 1825 – 1882 A joiner. Lived in Manor Farm Cottages. Had one son 8 daughters.
Childs, Susannah 1828 – 1872 Wife of William Rowlson.
Childs, Absalom 1839 – 1904 Carpenter and “trusted man on the Estate”
One of Chapel founders.
Childs, Ellen 1845 – 1931 Wife of Absalom.
Childs, William 1841 Joiner.
Childs, Henry George 1844 – 1927 Lived at Drive End Farm. One of four brothers who worked for the Estate. Joiner. Wheelwright and and undertaker.
Childs, Elizabeth 1849 – 1933 Wife of Henry.
Childs, Fanny died 1965 Daughter of Henry George
Childs, John 1887 – 1972 Son of Henry George. Born Drive End Farm. Lived in Rock Cottage/House. Carpenter, wheelwright, undertaker and property owner.
Childs, Bessie Sister of John.
Childs, Thomas 1857 Labourer.
Childs, Philip c1840 Son of Thomas. Lived in The Nook.
Childs, Ada Daughter of Philip.
Childs, Edward 1857 Lived in School Cottage.
Childs, Samuel 1857 Lived in Chapel Cottage.
Childs, Isaac 1857 Lived in Little Hintock.
Childs, Jonathon 1857 Lived in Little Hintock.
Childs, Jonas 1857 Lived in Oak Cottages.
Childs, George 1857 Lived in Oak Cottages.
Childs, Edwin 1863 – 1924 Lived in The Nook.
Childs, Fanny 1851 – 1924 Wife of Edwin.
Childs, Abraham Died 1913 Buried in same grave as his sister, Ann Pitcher.
Childs, Arthur Died 1923
Childs, Mary 1870 – 1956 Wife of Arthur.
Childs, Henry 1875 Founder member of Chapel.
Childs, Elizabeth 1866 – 1937
Childs, Wilf Walton 1880 – 1964 Served in WW1.
Childs, G. E. 1882
Childs, Mark 1888 Rector’s Clerk.
Childs, Charles Served WW1.
Childs, Herbert Served WW1.
Childs, Harry Served WW1.
Childs, George Served WW1. Lived in Drive End Cottages.
Childs, Ernest Served in WW1.
Childs, Thomas 1897
Childs, Cyril 1898 Served In WW1.
Childs, Marjorie 1904 – 1991
Childs, John Father of Arthur and Thomas Edward.
Childs, Bessie Wife of John. Lived 2 Townsend Cottages.
Childs, Mabel Daughter of John.
Childs, Annie Daughter of John
Childs, Arthur 1900 – 1987 Son of John. Head Gamekeeper for Lord Ilchester. Born 2 Townsend Cottages.
Childs, Mary Wife of John.
Childs, Gerald Son of Arthur. Lived in Holywell. Last of the Melbury Childs in this area.
Childs, Thos Edward 1906 – 1985 Son of John. Gardener at Melbury House. Live in 1 Townsend Cottage all his life, last of the Childs in the Village.
Childs, Frieda Frampton 1906 – 1985 Wife of Thomas Edward. From Dorchester.
Cheers,
Richard
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Hi Richard,
Thank you for taking the trouble.
I've documented some of the earlier families from the 1700s but only on paper. Too many names to mention here but if you're interested I could email.
My line ends with Judith, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Childs (nee Childs), born in 1806. She and her sister Harriet emigrated to South Australia in the 1840s. I haven't followed the families down from that generation but its nice to know about them.
Thanks again,
Kelly.
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Hi, Kelly
I have only really documented my line of the Childs and some of the branches, so yes if you could email them.
My family tree is available on Ancestry "Rowetribe New".
My Great Grandmother Emily Childs married a William Puckett from Evershot, Dorset a nearby village in 1871. They had six children.
Cheers,
Richard
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Hi Richard,
I've sent a message to you.
Cheers,
Kelly.
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Hello all,
I'm wondering if Samuel is related to Joseph? I was just updating my tree and noting David as the child of Joseph and Mary and now I'm holding off as, from what you've said Kelly I think your line makes good sense.
Another query - dose anyone have a Charlotte Childs (born about Oct 1844 Chetnole, Dorset), daughter of James Childs and Mary Ann Vine, in their tree?
Many thanks, Kirsten
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Hi Kirsten,
I haven't been able to connect Samuel to Joseph. There were so many Childs in the area and I was sure most would marry up but as yet they do not. Samuel's parents Thomas and Margaret were poor and I have not been able to find much about them.
My Childs research has not gone as far forward as the timeframe for your Charlotte. I hope someone else can help.
Cheers,
Kelly.
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Hi Kirsten,
I haven't been able to connect Samuel to Joseph. There were so many Childs in the area and I was sure most would marry up but as yet they do not. Samuel's parents Thomas and Margaret were poor and I have not been able to find much about them.
My Childs research has not gone as far forward as the timeframe for your Charlotte. I hope someone else can help.
Cheers,
Kelly.
Hi Kelly,
Thank you so much for the reply. I will remain hopeful. I keep thinking logically the link has to be somewhere :)
I have seen some trees on Ancestry that have both Samuel and Joseph in, from memory maybe as brothers but I could be wrong with that.
I have a lot of Brake family in my tree and I was hoping to make the connection from my Brake line to Charlotte's husband's line, Henry Peach Brake from memory.
Thanks so much, really lovely to hear from you.
Cheers, Kirsten