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Was the letter written to one of his cousins in Australia?

Very interesting information, David.

Yes the letter was written to his step cousin Frank in Australia, the son of step-brother John & Mary Stonebanks.

It is amongst numerous family letters I have inherited - letters from Eliza Topham (nee Lugsdin 1850), James & Mary Ann Topham (1854, 1874, 1876), Joseph Lugsdin (1897, 1898 x 2, 1905) and numerous grandchildren of Ladds & Priscilla Lugsdin in Canada, plus numerous grandchildren of Robert Thorns Lugsdin in England, as well as letters from relatives and residents of Colmworth, Sharnbrook & Riseley.

Cheers,

Graham

Dates of birth I have from family letters and papers are:

Charlotte Priscilla 16/8/1832
William Ladds 4/10/1833
George 4/1835 d 1837
Mary Worth 10/1836
James 4/1838
George 12/1839
John
Jabez (Jay) 1/1843
Joseph & Benjamin 6/1844
Charles 1846
Martha Jane 6/1847
Frederick 4/1848 or 9
Caroline Elizabeth 30/1/1850

Ladds William Lugsdin (b 28 August 1808), stepbrother of James, John and Eliza Lugsdin, married Priscilla Worth Swannell of Radwell, Moore End, Bedfordshire, England on 6 July 1831.

After marriage they carried on the business of the farm and mill on the land previously occupied by his father, James . He subsequently moved to Cambridgeshire where for several years he was on Sir Isaac Newton's Estate at Croxton, Cambridgeshire, where most of Ladds and Priscilla's children were born.

Ladds, his wife and their boys and girls emigrated to Canada on 2 July 1852. They were 7 weeks and 3 days coming across the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel.

On a hot Sunday morning, 31 August 1852, they landed at Toronto, at that time a city of only 30,000 inhabitants.

Photo here - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=fl_86969856975#!/photo.php?pid=2119386&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=7098538377&id=726876975

It appears as though Ann was living with her uncle, James Lugsdin, in Brighton, as there’s a marriage on 20 May 1828 at St Michael Bassishaw, City of London, between James Lugsdin widower of St Nicholas Brighthelmstone, Sussex, & Martha Lidgould spinster. Can’t trace his first marriage, yet.

1841 census
Hove Sussex
James Lugsden 70 Ind; Martha Lugsden 61. Neither b in Sussex

1851 census
Stoke Newington Middlesex
James Lugsden head widower 80 gentleman b Bedford

I think the 1852 marriage to Margaret Nix was this James, and the 1853 will that Graham has mentioned was him.

Graham has told me that the 1853 will mentioned no children, but that various nephews and nieces were named, including Ann Excell. I'm still working my way through these, but Mary Battams and Sophia are named

David

David are you thinking James was married three times? -
m1 - unknown, possibly Esther Bailey 1807
m2 - Martha Lidgould 1828
m3 - Margaret Nix 1852

So to recap William (m Mary Sumpter) baptised 25/7/1736 & James (m Mary Dobey) baptised 4/8/1734 were brothers & I assume are the sons of William Lugsden & Ann Peppercorn.

Is he the William, son of William Lugsdin baptised at Little Staughton 12/3/1697 ?

John

I am of the belief that William and James are sons of William baptised 13 Mar 1697.

In the Will dated 12 Jan 1767 of William Lougsdin of the parish of Little Staughton, he bequeaths to his son James Lougsdin all his freehold estate at Wilden and to his son William two freehold estates in Little Staughton as well as to his daughters Mary, Ann and Elanor Wells £180, plus to his sister Elanor Peppercorn £10. Signed in the prescence of Dorothy Barnard, Jacob Patridge and Thomas Smith.

So who was his first wife & when did she die ?

Little Staughton has a burial on 19/07/1724 of Dorothy, wife of Wm Logsden, after the marriage of William Logsden, labourer to Dorothy Fann on 30 Sept 1723. William, labourer & Dorothy also baptised a son named William (of course) on 19 July 1724 - what became of him.

Well we know that William who married Ann Peppercorn was a farmer, while William who married Dorothy was just a labourer; AND if William & Dorothy had son William - & assume he survived - then why would William & Ann have their child named William. So I suspect these are not the same Williams.  What do you think ?

John

Interesting in the last para of John's post that the burial of Dorothy and the baptism of William occurred on the same day, she presumably dying in labour.

Graham

Graham;  When did Robert Lugsdin & wife Sarah die. As I have them on 1861 census as farmer in Little Staughton, Robert 54 & Sarah 57. (OK I have now updated Ancestry with the correct name). Also I have death index for Robert Lugsdin in Sept 1861 & Sarah Lugsden in Dec 1866 age 62, both in St Neots RD. In 1861 son William age 14 was apprenticed as tailor in Eaton Socon.

Your story (well to me) suggested that William was apprenticed after father Robert had died & he was a young boy rather than a growing lad.

Cheers John     

Hi John, I do not have death dates for either Robert or Sarah.

Re William - the letter from his son in 1929 said " William was taken from a solicitor's office and apprenticed to a tailor as a boy", so presumably he didn't know his father's age at the time.

Cheers,

Graham