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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: andrewdwilliams on Thursday 06 October 16 19:59 BST (UK)
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Hello all.
So, in 2004, we were sent a mystery from a relative of ours surrounding a distant ancestor, George Busby. The first appearance of George in the records (on Ancestry) is in the village of Culworth, Northamptonshire, when he married Mary Tack (1773-1835) in 1795. We also know about his children, and that he died in Culworth in 1823. The first mystery is that no single record exists of him before 1795, and we can find no reference to his parents anywhere.
So, in 2004, a relative sent us a family hearsay story passed down through the generations in his family. It goes like this. After the date of the Mayflower voyage, circa 1650, a group of men, maybe as many as a hundred, emigrated to America from Northampton. Among them was a man with the surname Busby.
On arrival, Busby married and had three children, at least one of whom was a son. Busby later returned to England. His son is said to have taken a Red Indian squaw as his common law wife, as Christian marriages were not then allowed with the Indians. They were therefore not recorded. Together they had two children, both boys.
Later, he was sent a message from England saying that his father, the original emigrant, had died and left him an inheritance of some land. He returned immediately to England taking his family with him. Once he returned, he discovered no inheritance, and shortly following arrival his wife and one of his sons died. He decided to remain in England, and his other son, who survived, is said to have been my direct ancestor and was either George Busby, or a relation of his.
I have done some research on this recently. I have found a Nicholas Busby who left Norwich in 1637, taking a family with him. Besides the surname, this man does not seem to match the man in question.
It may be that the family did not go to America at any point, but this lead is as convincing as any others, as no trace of George Busby prior to 1795 or of his parents can be found. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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The 1795 marriage record says George & Mary married by licence - have you tried obtaining a copy to see if that offers any clues?
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The 1795 marriage record says George & Mary married by licence - have you tried obtaining a copy to see if that offers any clues?
That's interesting, I didn't even know that existed. But from what I have read on the document there is no indication that they married by licence. I can't see that anywhere.
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The 1795 marriage record says George & Mary married by licence - have you tried obtaining a copy to see if that offers any clues?
That's interesting, I didn't even know that existed. But from what I have read on the document there is no indication that they married by licence. I can't see that anywhere.
The document says:
George Busby of this Parish and Mary Tack of (blank) Parish were married in this church by Licence this seventh day of Jan:ry in the year One Thousand seven Hundred and Ninety five by me Thos. Biker Vicar.
This marriage was solemnised between us George Busby X his mark, Mary Tack X her mark
In the presence of Thos. Gelson & Ricd Yates
Thomas Gelson was the Churchwarden, so it may be worth looking further into who Richard Yates was.
The Licence may be available from Northamptonshire Archives - I enquired about one recently from 1785 and was able to obtain a copy for £11.
Also bear in mind that Culworth is close to the borders with Oxfordshire, Warwickshire & Buckinghamshire
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The 1795 marriage record says George & Mary married by licence - have you tried obtaining a copy to see if that offers any clues?
That's interesting, I didn't even know that existed. But from what I have read on the document there is no indication that they married by licence. I can't see that anywhere.
The document says:
George Busby of this Parish and Mary Tack of (blank) Parish were married in this church by Licence this seventh day of Jan:ry in the year One Thousand seven Hundred and Ninety five by me Thos. Biker Vicar.
This marriage was solemnised between us George Busby X his mark, Mary Tack X her mark
In the presence of Thos. Gelson & Ricd Yates
Thomas Gelson was the Churchwarden, so it may be worth looking further into who Richard Yates was.
The Licence may be available from Northamptonshire Archives - I enquired about one recently from 1785 and was able to obtain a copy for £11.
Also bear in mind that Culworth is close to the borders with Oxfordshire, Warwickshire & Buckinghamshire
I hadn't spotted that, thanks for clarifying it. I'll get in touch with the Archives people ASAP. When you requested yours, did it come with further information such as the parents, or father?
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The licence should include details of a bondsman, which in my case was also the groom's father.
It also stated that the groom was a bachelor who was marrying with the consent of his parents, and that the bride was a spinster marrying with the consent of her mother, indicating that they were both under 21 and the bride's father was deceased.
These extra pieces of information enabled me to find the correct baptisms for both of them.
The George Busby buried in 1823 was born c1758 so he may have been a widower when he married Mary in 1795, and if so this would hopefully be stated on the licence.
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The licence should include details of a bondsman, which in my case was also the groom's father.
It also stated that the groom was a bachelor who was marrying with the consent of his parents, and that the bride was a spinster marrying with the consent of her mother, indicating that they were both under 21 and the bride's father was deceased.
These extra pieces of information enabled me to find the correct baptisms for both of them.
The George Busby buried in 1823 was born c1758 so he may have been a widower when he married Mary in 1795, and if so this would hopefully be stated on the licence.
Again, that's super helpful, thanks. How do you know he was born circa 1758? I cannot find a reference to age at death on Ancestry.
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The details are on the National Burial Index, which isn't on Ancestry.
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I think this may be where the story of the marriage to an Indian originates from:
http://www.batbox.org/Chapter-3.pdf
There's a lot of it, but glancing through there is reference to being an Indian interpreter, selling Indians, and a 10-year-old Indian boy named Thomas Bushby. I saw nothing to suggest that any of the Bushby's returned to England.
The Bushby's in Virginia seem to have obtained land and some status, whereas the children of your George Busby were humble Agricultural Labourers (the marriage licence will probably tell you George's occupation). I therefore suspect that there is no connection between the two families, other than having the same surname. However, if the marriage licence shows George to be a widower then this could be where the story of the death of a wife and child comes from.
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I think this may be where the story of the marriage to an Indian originates from:
http://www.batbox.org/Chapter-3.pdf
There's a lot of it, but glancing through there is reference to being an Indian interpreter, selling Indians, and a 10-year-old Indian boy named Thomas Bushby. I saw nothing to suggest that any of the Bushby's returned to England.
The Bushby's in Virginia seem to have obtained land and some status, whereas the children of your George Busby were humble Agricultural Labourers (the marriage licence will probably tell you George's occupation). I therefore suspect that there is no connection between the two families, other than having the same surname. However, if the marriage licence shows George to be a widower then this could be where the story of the death of a wife and child comes from.
So, I've acquired the marriage bond.
I can tell you that it does not indicate whether he is a widower or a bachelor, but it does give three witnesses: John Aspinwall, Sarah Aspinwall and Thomas Jessop. Also, it says they paid £100 for the license, but does not say why.
It appears John was born in 1778 in Chipping Warden, and Sarah was his sister, born in 1777 in Chipping Warden. I can find no other references to a John or Sarah Aspinwall in the area in that time. They are more in Mary Tack's age range, so could have known her, but they were only 17 and 18 at the time of the marriage so could they have been viable witnesses?
The other witness, Thomas Jessop, appears to be Thomas Jessop of Culworth, born on 2 October 1751. He married an Eleanor Gibbs (1756-1835) on 30 March 1779 in Potterspury, and died in February 1839 in Culworth, aged 87 years old. He is roughly in George's age range.
This establishes that George must have been in Culworth for some time before marrying Mary Tack in order to get to know Jessop or the Aspinwalls. But it does not give any indication of where exactly he was between his birth in c1758, and his marriage in 1795. Also, it does not give any indication of parentage. So, the mystery continues.
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I can tell you that it does not indicate whether he is a widower or a bachelor, but it does give three witnesses: John Aspinwall, Sarah Aspinwall and Thomas Jessop. Also, it says they paid £100 for the license, but does not say why.
It appears John was born in 1778 in Chipping Warden, and Sarah was his sister, born in 1777 in Chipping Warden. I can find no other references to a John or Sarah Aspinwall in the area in that time. They are more in Mary Tack's age range, so could have known her, but they were only 17 and 18 at the time of the marriage so could they have been viable witnesses?
John & Sarah Aspinwall's father was James Aspinwall, who was the Curate of Chipping Warden at that time.
The Clergy Database shows that he was later the vicar of Kempston, Bedfordshire, and a Sar. Aspinwall is recorded as marrying Abr. Stapleton there on 19 Sep 1798. John Aspinwall of Kempston married Susannah Aspinwall by Licence at Eydon, Northamptonshire, on 2 May 1807.
A Licence would normally stipulate a Bondsman rather than a witness, so I'm a little uncertain as to what you mean. The £100 is also the bond, not what they have paid for the licence. Does it say about half way down "The Condition of this obligation....." ?