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Messages - peter13

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1
Northamptonshire Lookup Requests / Re: Peterborough land records
« on: Wednesday 22 July 15 19:57 BST (UK)  »
If the only location given is "County of Northampton" then the property could have been in Peterborough. The British Newspaper Archive has Stamford Mercurys which are excellent for property auction adverts for Peterborough and surrounding area.
I've found it surprisingly common around this time for someone to own a small property that is rented out whilst living in a property that they rent from someone else.
If the property was in Peterborough you could look at the land tax records at Northampton Archives. I think this is rather unusual but the records for the Soke of Peterborough go right through the 19th Century. I've looked at these for some villages in the area - I've never checked that they include the town (city if you prefer) of Peterborough, but they may do. They don't necessarily tell you everything you want to know, but could potentially be cross referenced with other records. 

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If that's the right one the report is on the Durham Mining Museum website. www.dmm.org.uk/ukreport/y1975-03.htm 

3
Are you sure it was Manvers? I'm just thinking there were so many closeley connected pits in that area.
Alternatively the pit disaster I remember from the news in the 70s was one at Markham - not nearby though - was your Dad by any chance in a rescue team that might have been brought in from another area?

4
Occupation Interests / Re: *COMPLETED* Pit Sinker? Coal Mining.
« on: Sunday 23 February 14 16:14 GMT (UK)  »
I have pit sinkers among my ancestors and there are some other things you might want to look at.

They may have been involved in associated industries. My pit sinking ancestors started off as lead miners, worked as colliery managers as well as pit sinkers, ran brickworks (they needed a lot of bricks for the shafts) and also sunk shafts for railway tunnels.
They sometimes formed new partnerships for new contracts. I found records of the dissolution of one of the partnerships in the London Gazette that you can search online. Sinking one pit could go on for a couple of years or more, especially if it was a deep pit and they had problems. I've managed to find one or two newspaper reports.
Also it might be worth checking engineers' associations. I found one of my ancestors in the records of The Chesterfield and Derbyshire Institute of Mining Civil and Mechanical Engineers (records at Chesterfield Library). No doubt other parts of the country had similar associations.

Regards,
Peter

5
Lincolnshire / Re: The Topham Family - Deeping St James, Lincoln
« on: Wednesday 25 April 07 22:02 BST (UK)  »
Hi,
Thanks Suzanne, all the information on the Allen family was new to me. Also I'd never seen that document. I just have a copy of the will (plus a couple of letters written to my Great Grandmother about her legacy from the lawyer.)
Thanks Geoff for finding that marriage. I have another candidate, which I had thought was possible. I've only seen it in Lincolnshire marriage indexes, I've not been to the original record but a John Topham married a Willoughby at Spalding in 1834. I cant seem to find my original notes at the moment which would tell me if I cross checked for her first name. One of John's wife's relatives mentioned in the will has Willoughby as a middle name, though I suppose that could just be coincidence.
Best wishes,
Peter


6
Lincolnshire / Re: The Topham Family - Deeping St James, Lincoln
« on: Tuesday 24 April 07 22:51 BST (UK)  »
Hi Suzanne,
Thank you for all that information on the Smiths.
I've been looking again at my copy of John Cragg Topham's will.
There seem to be three separate sets of Smiths!
There is your Thomas and Emma.
Then there is Emma Smith, otherwise called Harriet Emma Smith - "the niece of my late wife" and her brother Edward or Edwin Willoughby Smith. This is surely the Harriet Emma Smith shown living with John in the censuses from 1861 onwards.
Thirdly there is William Topham Smith, one of the executors and various of his family. I was interested enough in William to get a copy of his birth certificate some time ago - he was born 12/9/1850 in Deeping Fen the son of William Smith, farmer and Lucy, formerly Topham. I haven't managed to establish what relationship Lucy was to John. I'm not sure if I've ever looked for a baptism for her.
Do you know anything about Elizabeth the wife of William Allen and Mary Jane the wife of William Bryan, mentioned in the will?  I'm guessing that Elizabeth and Mary Jane are two of Bridget Dales' daughters?
It's fascinating to see how the will got altered over the years - the last codicils are just before he died. Various people seem to have gone in and out of favour!
I think I may have a few more bits and pieces of interest, but my research notes are always very disorganised.
Best wishes,
Peter

7
Lincolnshire / Re: The Topham Family - Deeping St James, Lincoln
« on: Monday 23 April 07 20:56 BST (UK)  »
Hi,
Thanks JohninAus for that likely marriage.
Suzanne,
Sorry I've never heard of any connection with Aintree.

The main thing I have to add about Robert (the one who died in 1860) is that he did leave a will which is of some interest. I haven't got a copy, but I took notes from it some years ago - I really should go back to Lincoln Archives and get a copy, as I looked at it when I was first starting out researching family history and wouldn't now be too confident of the accuracy of my note taking.
The will was made 11 September 1855 and he was living in the parish of St Lawrence Island, Jersey. By the time he made a codicil on 29 August 1859 however he was back living at London Rd., Spalding. The beneficiaries were his wife Mary, son John, daughter Bridget and the children of Bridget and his, by now deceased son Robert. Samuel isn't mentioned (perhaps he died without children by this time?). The curious thing is that the legacies suggest a reasonably wealthy man and seem to amount to much more than the £100 the estate was assessed at when proved at Lincoln on 11 September 1860. There is mention of £300 placed "without bond or acknowledgement in the hands of James Grant of Baston for the purpose of investment in my name" and also title deeds and documents in the care of this James Grant. 
I don't know if there is a connection, but in a letter of 1867 written to Robert W K Topham (one of the potential beneficiaries) there is mention of a case in chancery, with the prospect of a payout.
Do you (or anyone) know whether or not an estate could end up in chancery even after probate had been granted?

Moving on to Robert (1805-44) the relevant dates for the family are -
Robert Topham - I think you have these earlier in the thread - he is described in his will and a directory as a farmer. Note the family appear twice on the 1841 census - in Deeping Fen with Robert's father, as noted earlier, but in Algarkirk as well!
married Elizabeth Burbidge (spinster of Deeping Fen)
Children
John Robert bp 10/7/1838 Spalding
William King bp 6/12/1840 Algarkirk bu 1/5/1843 Algarkirk
Charles bp 26/2/1843 Algarkirk bu 17/3/1843 Algarkirk
Robert William King bp 22/9/1844 Algarkirk
More about the two children who lived:
John Robert Topham
married 25/10/1864 Market Deeping to Louisa Perkins spinster of Market Deeping
They had 3 children Elizabeth Ann b.11/8/1865, John Robert b.29/10/1867 and James Topham b. circa 1869. I think that by the time James was born the surname had been changed from Topham to Haynes in accordance with the will of James Haynes.
Both parents died young.
Louisa died in an accident 19/2/1870, and John Robert was buried 24/8/1871 (Market Deeping). They lived at Wensor Castle Farm in Deeping Fen. 
Robert William King Topham
married 25/9/1865 at the Congregational Chapel, Peterborough to Isabella West (according to oral family history - he married the cook and ran away to America).
They had the following children - William James (b.11/6/1866 Sugartown, New York State), Albert (b 3/1/1869 Market Deeping), Lizzie (b.28/12/1870 bp29/1/1871), John Robert (b.4/12/1872 bp. 25/12/1872) George Henry (b.11/10/1874 bp.6/11/1874)(this is the child blind from birth refered to in John Cragg Topham's will), Arthur Edward (b.25/10/1876), Sarah Ann (b.29/5/1878), Amy (b.6/9/1879). Robert (b.2/7/1881), Matthew (b.11/3/1883), Isabella(b.6/6/1884), Herbert (b.13/11/1885), Annie (b.27/9/1887). The preceding birthdates were taken from a family bible. All the children except the first two were born at Deeping St James. Isabella died 28/10/1889 at Deeping St James. Robert then remarried to Susanna Elizabeth Toynton 26/12/1890 at Deeping St James. They had 3 children - Harold, Lily and Percy Toynton (b.2/4/1893). Susanna died 16/5/1895 at Deeping St James. Robert died 17/5/1910 at Helpston buried 21/5/1910 at Deeping St James. 
OK so this post seems to have dragged on a bit - is there a length limit on these things? Maybe I should have done these dates as an attachment.
Anyway - hope this is of some interest.
By the way, going back to Bridget - her son Charles emigrated to the USA in 1850 and had family there. I have a little more on this if you want.
Peter

8
Lincolnshire / Re: The Topham Family - Deeping St James, Lincoln
« on: Sunday 22 April 07 18:32 BST (UK)  »
Hi Geoff E,
Thanks very much.
It certainly does look like Thosthrop. I've looked at this entry a few times and never been sure what it said. I did think it might be Northorp (near Bourne), but now I follow your spelling I think you must have it. I've certainly not found any other good candidates for this Robert's baptism. There seem to have been a few Tophams around the Saleby area in the 1700s - I think I'd like to research them a bit more. It'd be really nice to find a record of Robert's first marriage particularly.
Is this intriguing fellow in your family tree as well?
Many thanks,
Peter

9
Lincolnshire / Re: The Topham Family - Deeping St James, Lincoln
« on: Sunday 22 April 07 14:45 BST (UK)  »
Hi Suzanne,
I've just come across this thread about the Tophams of Deeping and I think I can add a little to it.
The Robert Topham born in 1805 married Elizabeth Burbidge 18 January 1837 at Market Deeping. They had 4 children, 2 of whom lived to adulthood (John Robert Topham and Robert William King Topham). The family manage to appear twice on the 1841 census, once with Robert's Dad in Deeping Fen and once at Algarkirk (where I think they were actually living). Robert died at Algarkirk (died 24 August 1844, buried there 27 August). Elizabeth died in 1848. 
The two surviving children were brought up by their Great Uncle and Aunt James and Elizabeth Haynes at Wensor Castle Farm in Deeping Fen.
John Robert Topham changed his name to John Robert Topham Haynes following his uncle's death (as a condition of the will). His children were James Topham Haynes, Elizabeth Ann Haynes and John Topham Haynes and appear in the will of John Cragg Topham.
Robert William King Topham had 16 children, one of whom was my Great Grandmother Lizzie. Some of these children were also beneficiaries of the will of John Cragg Topham.
I have dates for most of these people if you wish, but it will make a very long message!
I've been searching for ages for old Robert's first marriage and for his baptism. I've noticed that baptism in Saleby in 1770 but I don't know if that's definitely him?
Hope this is helpful,
Peter 

 

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