Saunders in Norfolk

[dilmah]

I am collecting information on Saunders family members in Norfolk and have over 6000 on my database.  Happy to exchange information and to receive any snippets to add to it.  Still a long way to go but I am continually adding to it, any help gratefully received!
 

Hi Brian

I know this was a very old post, but I thought I'd try my luck!
I have  two lines of  Saunders ancestors from Norfolk, one originating in Scotland according to the family story. I was in touch with you several years ago about my 4G grandfather John Saunders b.c.1780, for whom you were able to provide his marriages to Susannah Gath in 1804 in Southburgh and then Susannah Thompson in 1812 in Cranworth. Thank you!
 In the 1841 census he was living in E. Bradenham with his son, and it states he was 60 years old and born in county, but I haven't been able to find a birth for him in the area. All the baptisms of John Saunders I have found west of Norwich seem to correlate with different marriages and census records, not my family.  I therefore believe he may have been born in Scotland, as the family story from my grandmother's cousin's memoirs goes like this "I know for a fact that three or four generations before the turn of the century the Saunders family left the Scottish lowlands to seek farming land in Norfolk", by which I'm fairly sure she means the turn of the 20th century. Four generations back from 1900 would be my elusive John Saunders above.
 Over the course of my research I have compiled a spreadsheet of Saunders/Sanders and variants in Scotland pre1825, which I am happy to share or do look-ups from. But I'm still no closer to finding a birth/baptism for him, or any kind of reference to his being from Scotland. The closest I have found is a maid living with a member of the Saunders family in Kings Lynn in 1841, being recorded as being from Scotland, Ireland or Overseas, and I have found no link from that branch to my John. Very tenuous!!!

I was about to embark on a similar database for Norfolk/ Suffolk Saunders when I remembered that you had already done one and thought it best to try to contact you again first, rather than reinvent the wheel!

If you, or anyone else here on Rootschat, has any information regarding this Saunders branch, or the Saunders of SW Norfolk, I would love to hear from you.
With grateful thanks,
an English girl in NZ

[dilmah]

Of course I am more than happy to share all the information I have found so far, if you don't already have it, and with anyone else interested.

[Brian]

[/quote]
All the baptisms of John Saunders I have found west of Norwich seem to correlate with different marriages and census records, not my family.  I therefore believe he may have been born in Scotland, as the family story from my grandmother's cousin's memoirs goes like this "I know for a fact that three or four generations before the turn of the century the Saunders family left the Scottish lowlands to seek farming land in Norfolk"
[/quote]

The only Norfolk baptism that could have possibly been him was at Wiggenhall (18 Oct 1780) so I can't really add anything to the Norfolk side.  FindMyPast has about half a dozen births that could be him including in Midlothian and I would suggest that is the best site to have a look at to try and track him down - perhaps with family names to help?

[dilmah]

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll try Find My Past.