LEECH Family - my brick wall - any help welcomed !

[annes]

   I have come to a complete brick wall with my research for this family - I can only positively go back to 1859! - and would welcome any help or comments.

My GGF is Walter George Leech b.17.9.1867 in Grundisburgh.  I have his siblings and parents - John Leech and Mary Ann Long - and this is as far as I can confidently trace them back.

John Leech and Mary Ann Long married in 1859 and their first child was also born in 1859 in Grundisburgh.  They appear on the 1861 and 71 censuses, John stating he was born in Swilland and Mary Ann in Debenham.  I cannot find either of their births/baptisms.

I have the marriage cert for John and Mary Ann - their fathers are stated as James Leech (thatcher) and John Long (deceased).

On the 1851 census for Suffolk, the only John Leech of the right age (also born in Swilland) is living at home with his family and his father is William!  I cannot find Mary Ann at all.

There is a Leech family living in Grundisburgh in 1851 of which a James Leech (thatcher) is the head and the right age range but I cannot prove that this is John's dad.  This family had their childen baptised at the baptist chapel in Grundisburgh but John is not listed as one of their children on the baptist records.

The fact that John and Mary Ann married in a register office in 1859 and had all their children baptised in Grundisburgh church in one fell swoop, when their oldest child was 16, makes me wonder if they were baptists and then had a change of faith around 1876 when their children were baptised?

This is all I have to go on and am going round in circles  .

If anyone has any thoughts on where I can look next I'd be really grateful.

Thanks for looking

Anne 


 

[Clincher]

Hi, You say that
"There is a Leech family living in Grundisburgh in 1851 of which a James Leech (thatcher) is the head and the right age range but I cannot prove that this is John's dad....."

What were the names of the children in this family?

[annes]

Hi Clincher,

1851 census Grundisburgh:

James Leech (thatcher) 52, Mary (wife) 49

Children: Francis 22, James 17, Emma 13, Ann 9, Joseph 7,

Also living with them: Benjamin Mallet 93 father in law

Other definite children of James and Mary that I know of who did not appear on 1851 census:
Mary b ~1822, Betsy b ~1824, Lydia b ~1830, Maria b ~1836

James Leech and Mary Mallet married in 1823

Regards
Anne

[Clincher]

I've just been speculating about the possibilities which may include a late baptism and/or out of wedlock birth. So I searched the IGI for a Walter George LONG and found such a baptism in Suffolk - Thorpe Morieux in 1876 the same year that the other children were baptised in a batch in Grundisburgh 20+ miles away. Maybe that is sheer coincidence but because Walter George may be a relatively unusual name a look-up in Thorpe Morieux may be worthwhile.
I assume you can't find him in GRO births at all
There is an entry in IGI for Walter George LEECH but there is no source given

[annes]

Hi again!

I'm not sure whether I've missed your point  (more than likely!) or perhaps I wasn't very clear myself in the original post.

Walter George Leech was baptised in Grundisburgh on 16 May 1875 along with his siblings Emma, Margaret, William, Rose and John.

I have Walter's birth cert and have also found his burial in 1940 from the original register, so I feel quite confident about his parentage etc.

It's Walter's father John that I am having trouble with.  I take your point about the birth being out of wedlock and I did try and look for baptisms of a John Mallet (his "possible" mother's maiden name) but had no luck there either.

To make life more difficult - isn't it always? - John's age fluctuates on the two censuses on which I can find him and is different again from the age given on his marriage cert.

On his marriage cert in 1859 he says he is 30 (b 1829)
In 1861 he says he is 38 (b 1823)
In 1871 he says he is 46 (b 1825)

Unfortunately these are all pre-1837.

Thanks for your help and if you think of anything else, please reply 

Kind regards
Anne

[PB_Bear]

Not that it helps much (ultimately) but are you sure that is a '30' and not a poor '36' on the marriage cert?.

Just that it would tie the age in very nicely with both census.

PB

[Clincher]

Sorry I misunderstood you. Pretend I said nowt

[avm228]

There are Leech/Leach households in 1841 Grundisburgh as follows:

William Leach 50 Thatcher
John Leach 15
Louisa do. 12
Joseph do. 10
Unice do. 5
Lucy Ramsay 40 Ind.

James Leach 40 Thatcher
Mary do. 40
Mary do. 19
Francis do. 14
Lydia do. 11
James do. 7
Miria do. 5
Emma do. 2
Benjamin Mallett 75 ag lab

In Swilland there is the following family:

William Leach 45 Thatcher
Bathsheba do. 45
John do. 20 ag lab
James do. 15 ag lab
Henry do. 14
Alfred do. 12
Mary do. 11

There are various other John Leech/Leech entries for other villages in Suffolk but they're all aged under 10 or over 20. No other obvious James either. Could John (15, in Grundisburgh) be a son of James but apprenticed to William? And they've all moved from Swilland to Grundisburgh?

The only Mary Ann Long who's over 10 and under 30 in Suffolk in 1841 is a 25 yr old in Wrentham, but she's with a 30 yr old Joshua Long and is probably his wife.

Sorry not to be of more help!

Anna

[annes]

Hi Clincher, PB and Anna, thanks for all your input.

PB - the copy of the marriage certificate I have is handwritten but definitely says 30, however the orignal entry it was copied from might have said 36 - I never thought of that!

Anna - thanks for the census info, I have seen this previously and at first I did think that the John of Swilland was "the one".  However on the 1851 census which shows more detail he is 26 (exactly the right age) of Swilland (where my John was born) but he is living at home as a son of William and therein lies the problem.  On John's marriage certificate he says his father is James 

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and if you get any more inspiration - please get back to me !

Kind regards

Anne