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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Bedfordshire => England => Bedfordshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: austerfield1 on Saturday 21 March 15 17:40 GMT (UK)

Title: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: austerfield1 on Saturday 21 March 15 17:40 GMT (UK)
Looking to see if anyone can help with possible birth date and parents for Mary Bowyer from Stevington. Her age in 1851 census, living in Astwood, Bucks, puts her birth around 1798/99. She married Robert Hart in 1830 in Stevington and was buried Stevington Baptist in 1858 as Mary Hart.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: trish1120 on Sunday 22 March 15 12:12 GMT (UK)
Given Marys age in 1831 was she a Widow?

I cant find confirmation of the 1831 Marriage.
Do you have the Parish Record?

Did you get Marys maiden name from Robert/Marys Daughter Marias Birth Cert?


Trish :)
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: austerfield1 on Sunday 22 March 15 12:56 GMT (UK)
Trish,
I have the marriage date to Robert Hart as 30th September 1830 in Stevington. She was buried in 23rd September 1858 and record says Stevington Baptist. Marriage record has a witness of John Bowyer. 1841 census has with two daughter and 1851 has only daughter Sarah. Sarah married James Wright, who was living with them in Astwood, Buckinghamshire as a lodger in 1851 census. Age given for eldest daughter in 1841 census gives birth year circa 1836, so before BMD's and registration of mother's maiden name on certificates.
Trying to sort this out for a relative in Canada who is doing this for a friend.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: johnP-bedford on Saturday 04 April 15 11:32 BST (UK)
Astwood marriage

Marriage  7 Aug 1855   by Banns
             James X WRIGHT, aged Fa, Bachelor of Astwood, Labourer son of John Wright, Labourer
             Sarah X HART, aged 19, Spinster of Astwood, Lacemaker daughter of Robert Hart, Labourer
             Witnesses John X Sanders Susan X Wright 
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: johnP-bedford on Tuesday 07 April 15 10:59 BST (UK)
Have you accounted for the Mary Hart age 59 buried at Astwood on 29 Sept 1858?

Does the Stevington Baptist burial say her abode was Astwood?

On the 1830 marriage did it say that Robert Hart was of Astwood?
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: flateric999 on Sunday 12 April 15 17:03 BST (UK)
Well it should be easy but...

I couldnt find a Bowyer birth on family search, but i did find a Mary Barefoot, circa 1805 to John and elizabeth Barefoot.

These records are often scanned so error in translation do happen.

Might be worth a look?

Mike
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: bedfordshire boy on Sunday 12 April 15 17:15 BST (UK)
This entry on the IGI was taken from Bedfordshire Archives transcription which compared the parish register with the bishops' transcript. I doubt that there was a transcription error.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: flateric999 on Sunday 12 April 15 21:19 BST (UK)
Oh I don't know, i have a John Wright in my tree that was born, and died in 1797 and yet was alive and well in 1798.

This is even after finding the entry confirming his baptism, and burial in the records as microfiched. So yes, errors do happen, so if someone cant be found, think outside the box!!

Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: johnP-bedford on Monday 13 April 15 08:18 BST (UK)
That John Wright issue.... as discussed before..

... see http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=659536.0

to me it's an IGI transcription error and unreliable... it doesn't occur when Bucks FHS transcribed the register
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: bedfordshire boy on Monday 13 April 15 09:40 BST (UK)
If Mary Bowyer's family were Baptist then she wouldn't have been baptised as an infant, which might explain why there's no baptism on the IGI.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: flateric999 on Monday 13 April 15 12:21 BST (UK)
That John Wright issue.... as discussed before..

... see http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=659536.0

to me it's an IGI transcription error and unreliable... it doesn't occur when Bucks FHS transcribed the register

Indeed John, but the fact remains that errors exist, old records are damaged and unreadable and sometimes what is written on the original document differs from what is found online.

"bedfordshireboy" is also correct, the Baptism may well not be recorded (but a dedication service would be) so maybe the records from the church are worth a look.

All I am saying is clearly the person is not an easy one to find, so you have to dig a bit and find other evidence to support a hypothesis.

I never found a reliable birth record in MK library for John Wright. The pages for 1798 are gone and Bishops Transcripts for that year don't include it either.

It may well be the case that she used her middle name in life and we are trying to find a differnt person!!

Mike
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: Galium on Monday 13 April 15 15:09 BST (UK)
Do you know whether the marriage record shows the marital condition of Mary Bowyer?  If not there is always the possibility that she was previously married. 
The birth certificate of the younger daughter, Maria, who is aged 1 in 1841, will confirm Mary's maiden name.  There is only one Maria Hart registered in Newport Pagnell district (includes Astwood) for the years 1839-40.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: bedfordshire boy on Monday 13 April 15 16:17 BST (UK)
Extract from http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Stevington/WestEndBaptistMeeting.aspx regarding Stevington Church book: "On 2nd October 1798 the 1720 meeting house was registered by the minister John Millard along with William Bowyer, Robert Bowyer, John Tyso. Millard was a Congregational minister trained at the academy at Newport Pagnell [Buckinghamshire]. William and Robert Bowyer were Baptists, as shown by the fact that they helped to register a house occupied by Sarah Bowyer in October 1807 along with the minister, Joseph Such, William Prall, Lawrence Cumberland, John Wheaton, Thomas Cox, Richard Barcock and Sarah Bowyer herself [ABN1/1 and 2/133].

So the Bowyers were pretty staunch Baptists. I have a couple of transcripts of Baptist Church books from Bedfordshire (Southill and Blunham) and there is no reference to any dedication services. Baptisms yes, as adults.
Title: Re: Mary Bowyer born circa 1798, possibly baptist in Stevington
Post by: johnP-bedford on Monday 13 April 15 17:00 BST (UK)
The Stevington parish register transcipt has in the baptisms a number of children to Bowyer parents with the word 'born', which to me suggests they were not baptised. Also in the burials are a number of entries for unbaptised son/daughter of Bowyer parents.