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Hi Missjano

I am part of the Penfold/ Smith family ... and I have been searching for my Romany people for a while..

I did find a Job Smith , Gypsy b Kent, living with other Smiths on Piltdown Commons, Sussex...his age is off but he seems to be the only Job Smith around.

1881
RG11/1055 fol 39 pg 15

Do you have his family in the 1871 census...Job would only be 5 at the time! If you do have them then, maybe he is with them under a different name !

I will look further

regards
Deb

I am now thinking that Job Smith born in 1865  may be my Great Great Grandfather John Smith born in 1869, for whom I have all the census records, and that maybe Job and John were the same person. Both their parents were Josiah & Alice Smith. Thanks everyone!!

I am not related - but I had a few minutes this morning to look at your question - heres notes on what I found

The marriage of William Silvester & Rebecca Jackson was in 1852 from the IGI - William age is 22 and Rebeccas is 18

from this I found a likely Rebecca Jackson in the 1851 census at Draycott, Bourton on Dunsmore - next door but 1 was Thomas Sylvester and his family with son William who is also the right age.  Rebecca is with her grandmother Elizabeth Warren aged 76 born Glous Gifford, and staying with them is visitor John Stokes aged 11 born Coventry.

A likely baptism for Rebecca daughter of Elizabeth Jackson 15th January 1837 Bourton on Dunsmore.

from Free BMD a marriage for Jesse Stokes June qtr 1839  Coventry with one of the possible brides Elizabeth Jackson

from the 1861 census you found Elizabeth w/o Jesse Stokes was born about 1811 at Draycott - there is a baptism 12th Jan 1812 Draycott of Elizabeth d/o John & Elizabeth Jackson,  I suspect that John died sometime before 1822 when there is  a marriage in  Bourton on Dunsmore of William Warren to Elizabeth Jackson.

Therefore yes the Thomas Silvester with Jesse & Elizabeth Stokes in 1861 is very likely the son of William & Rebecca.  To prove it further it would be ideal to find the death of John Jackson in Bourton and check that Elizabeth was a widow at her marriage to William Warren in 1822,  but as I am working mainly from the IGI I don't have this info.  If you bought the marriage certificate for William & Rebecca it should give their fathers (or lack of them in Rebeccas case).

I hope all this makes sense   

Debbie

Thanks Debbie.

I have most of this information. My problems is Rebecca Jackson in the 1841 census. Is she the one that lived with Jessie & Elizabeth Stokes or the one who lived next door to Thomas Sylvester. There are 2 of them. Also I checked the marraige register between William Warren and Elizabeth Jackson. She was a spinster, not a widower.
But I somehow do believe the Thomas parents were William and Rebecca Silvester who married in 1852, I found them in parish records as well. It's just working out who was who!!

Can anyone help with this one.
According to the Family Search.org their was a Job Smith born 1865 in PLAXTOL, KENT.
His parents were Josiah & Alice Smith.
Although, I have most of the details on Josiah & Alice Smith and all there children, and their children etc. I cannot find a reference anywhere else for Job Smith.

The whole family were travellers, and resided between Kent/Surrey over the years, along with their little clans of Penfolds/Gardners/Smiths/Lanes.

Hi all.

The alleyway you used to walk down was more than likely Fieldgate Lane. Its actually only a path now unlike its name suggests. This would have came out in to Miles Road.
I'll have to ask my hubbie for the actual name of the pub which stood by Sibthorpe Road, his mates who he plays darts with, often talk about old Mitcham as quite a few of them have deep roots in Mitcham. I know they refer to it as the original blood tub! There is a tiny part of Sibthorpe Road left, just an alleyway now, its the part where Woolworths would have been on the corner of. This is now just offices & the other corner the same, but until recently was the job centre. The rest of what was Sibthorpe Rd would cut across the car park at the back of here, cross Holborn Way & end up being the road in the middle of the 'red flats' that now stand there.

The Rocky you remember is so called because of Rock Terrace Rec, which is the park at the front of the flats at Phipps Bridge. There used to be Bath Rd, Queens Rd etc here along with New Close which is still there.

Hopefully the attachment will come through of a pic of Half Acre Row houses for you to see.

Best of luck with the research!

MODERATOR COMMENT: Image Resized

Hi doorwoman

I remember the Bath Tavern Pub there years ago at Phipps Bridge, but was knocked down, and the photos are great. 
Chellin2 and my husband share a Great Great Grandfather from Mitcham, Josiah Smith, which we found through Roots Com.
My children went to school in Church Road, Mitcham and my husband has lived there all his life. His nan was 3 months old when she lived in Sibthorpe Road in 1901 and then lived near the Bath Tavern. My husband lived near Lavender Fields for many years in Lavender Ave, and went to school in Western Road.

Thanks again for all the info, it has been a great insight to how they lived, and seems to be more real now we have seen pictures.

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That's right, George Gardener is on the 1881 census with Lemintina, and with my great grand mother Mary Anne Penfold.

Mary Ann Penfold being the daughter of Henry Penfold and Elizabeth Gardner (who was the sister of George and Noah my g.g. grandfather) 

well at least that bits clear and simple for a change    Providing, of course, we have the right one 

Wonder why they all had the same names in those days. The son had fathers, daughters had mothers, sisters had aunts etc etc etc