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Dear Nightmare

Sorry it has been so long.  You have provided a lot of info to digest.  Searching through some Cambridge Family History Society fiche for Gamlingay I have located the records you have mentioned previously for John & Mary Gray (christenings for Robert, Paty and John Gray).  All records indicate John was a bricklayer.

However, I have also found a death record for a "Robart Gray", son of Mary and John Gray (bricklayer) (I presume the "Robart" is actually "Robert") with a burial date of 26 Nov 1776.  Kind of suggests that maybe this is not the family link for the Robert Gray that married Mary Leighton.  Back to the drawing board!

Also, the fiche records note that Paty Gray was born sometime during 1774.  As such, I wonder if whilst Robert and Paty were christened on the same day but were born on different dates.

You probably have this info, but just in case I have also found a burial entry on 19 Nov 1793 for Ellin Gray, dau of Zackeriah (bricklayer) and Barbory.  I suspect that this may well be the Elling Gray (dau of Zacharias and Barbara) christened 15 Jan 1792.

Finally, I have found a burial record for 26 Nov 1782 for an Elizabeth Gray, wife of John (bricklayer).  Any idea where she fits in??

Grayaust

Dear Carole and Rick

Thanks very much for the very, very speedy help!  I have the death cert - death by accidental shooting (death cert signed off by the coroner in Bury St Edmunds).  Have not been able to find any details of coroner's inquest or any newspaper references and was hoping the Suffolk Sudden Death index could perhaps help give (any) additional insights.

Kind regards

Grayaust

This is a post that I promised An65 a long time ago…

I am also a descendent (6th generation I think if I have counted right) of Robert Gray and Mary Leighton.  My ancestor was their son Henry (born 1806) who married Mary King on 29/7/1831 in Mildenhall, Suffolk.  Mary was the daughter of George and Ann King and was born circa 1812.  Witnesses to the wedding were William Gray and Sarah King.

They had the following children:

Sarah/Sally Gray - Christened: 29/4/1832, Mildenhall, Suffolk
Leighton Gray - Christened: 1/6/1834, Mildenhall, Suffolk (baptism together with Susan Gray, daughter of William and Ann Gray)
Drusilla Gray - DOB: 22/08/1836, Christened: 13/12/1836, Math Wes Chaple, Mildenhall, Suffolk
Felix Gray – DOB: 3/05/1839, West Row, Mildenhall, Suffolk
Shadrach Gray – DOB: 21/03/1842, West Row, Mildenhall, Suffolk

Mary Gray died 15/02/1845 aged 33 at West Row, Mildenhall, Suffolk

Henry Gray and his 5 children immigrated to South Australia and arrived in April 1851 on board the “Osceola”.  The family eventually settled in and around the Giles Corner/Riverton district in South Australia and were strongly involved in the local Methodist church and local district council.  They originally leased then purchased land and were to the best of my knowledge reasonably successful farmers.

Henry eventually remarried and died in South Australia in 1891.  The brief details of the 5 children are as follows:

Sarah Gray – died unmarried in 1856
Leighton Gray – died unmarried in 1867
Drusilla Gray married John Forster and they had 8 children and settled in Edenhope, Victoria, Australia.
Felix Gray married Jane Nottle and they had 7 children.  The children married into various local farming families. 
Shadrach Gray married Jane Glanville and they had 3 children.

Most of the families remained in the agricultural sector - some until this day.

As well as Henry Gray and William Gray spending some time in Mildenhall, Suffolk, my research has identified the following Mildenhall Grays:

Sarah Grey/Gray – married to Richard Rolfe 1/11/1832 and gave birth to a son (Richard Edward Rolfe) on 2/12/1832.  Birth records of this child indicate Sarah to be the daughter of Robert and Mary Grey/Gray.  Records of another family tree suggest this Sarah Grey/Gray was born in 1816 in Dallington, Cambridgeshire.  Could she be a sister of Henry and William Gray?

Robert Gray – married to Susan Webb 5/11/1824.

Mary Gray – married to Matthew Stebbing 18/5/1826.

Mary Gray (daughter of Robert Gray) – burial 9/9/1802 (possible daughter of Robert and Mary Gray born in 1800??)

I have also uncovered death certificates that I think belong to Robert Gray and Mary Gray (Leighton).  Robert Gray – died West Row, Mildenhall 30/1/1843 aged 68 (DOB: 1775) – accidentally shot.  Mary Gray (wife of Robert Gray) – died West Row, Mildenhall 5/5/1849 aged 71 (DOB 1777/1778) – general debility.

There also seem to be a lot of King people around Mildenhall at this time.  However, I am yet to link then directly to either Mary or Ann King or to conclusively find George and Ann King (1841 census has a George and Ann King in Lackford, Mildenhall aged 70 and 65 respectively).  Given Sarah Gray was a witnesses at the wedding of Henry Gray to Mary King, it may well be she is a sister to Mary and Ann.  This would need to be confirmed.

Nightmare – given your lineage through William Gray are Australian like myself?  I have previously swapped emails with a couple of Australia based William Gray decendants??

Finally, based on names, dates and places it is reasonable to conclude my Henry Gray is the son of Robert Gray and Mary Leighton.  However, at this stage I have seen no primary source factual information to really confirm this link (ie not IGI).  Can anyone help me here???

Firstly, thanks very much for the quick reply and the additional information.  It is very interesting and most helpful.

As I mentioned, I am pretty sure I descend from Henry Gray (son of Robert Gray and Mary Leighton).  Henry married a Mary King and seems to have settled in Mildenhall Suffolk - children of Henry and Mary were christened at the Mildenhall Wesleyan Chapel.  It would seem that Mary dies in 1845 and Henry and his children emigrated to South Australia.  By any chance can you provide me with the source of info for linking Robert Gray/Mary Leighton as being the parents of Henry Gray?

It also seems that Robert and Mary had another child (William) c 1813.  He married an Ann King and he (and his wife and children) emigrated to New South Wales (via Tasmania) in 1858.

At this stage, I have no idea of the other 2 children of Robert and Mary that you have mentioned (Robert and Mary).

Whilst tracking Grays in Mildenhall I have come across a death certificate for Charles Gray - a Tinker - (12 Sept 1847) age 84 years - which gives a YOB cir 1863 - is this possibly the Charles Gray you refer to?