Leeds Parish Records - early Xmas present

[KathyM]

There are some non-conformist registers on fiche ar Leeds.......I will jave a nosey next week !

Another thought - Boston - there is a 'Boston Spa' north of Leeds.....it might be worth a look !  Because it just says 'Boston' - I have a feeling it could be local....or I think they would have qualified it by saying Lincs.  or USA....don't you ?

Boston Spa was quite a rural area...maybe Martha was in service somewhere ?

[Neko]

that's great! a look at those records will answer some questions-even if there's nothing there.
I didn't know that there was a Boston Spa. I have a book called A Genealogical Atlas of England and Wales-no idea why it's called a genealogical atlas. some bright light took and copied an old, worn map, circa 1850, and put it in book form with a fairly complete index. it's been one of my wiser expenditures in my genealogical research. I use it alot. anyway, it doesn't mention Boston Spa. it does make sense that they should have qualified it. sometimes I run into records where the clerk assumed everyone knew what they meant....hopefully this is not the case.

we don't know much about their life in England. only that Christopher Mason, Jr., was a teacher and had a medical problem-what that was slips my memory at this time, but I think it was something like scholiosis (sp?). we have a missel of Martha Smith's that she gave to her daughter Martha Mason, with dates and places written in brown ink-not of births but of the time Martha Smith recieved the Missel and the time she gave the Missel to her daughter. we also have a family record book-the Victorian period type, where names and data are entered. it's impossible for me to tell what denomination the Missel is, and beyond that, we know nothing of their life in Yorks. the Missel has "Martha Smith Book Morely March 15 1796" then beneath that, "Mart B J M" but under and running up into the M is an S. the J might be a T. I've no idea what the initials stand for. on a different page is "Martha Mason Book Armley Near Leeds 1813". they appear to be written in the same hand. the frontispiece and I suspect the cover page of the book is missing, but the first page extant says "The Psalms of David Immitated in the language of the New Testament and applied in the Christian State and Worship by L. Watts D. D." doesn't seem to give any clue, and it may be a Christian text, without preference to faith.
unfortunately, that's all I have. nothing was left regarding the Moffitts, and only a little regarding the Mason's.
I hope some of this is of help. sometimes another person's perspective helps bring the obvious (or obscure) to light.

[KathyM]

I will keep looking for you !

But - if Martha's brother William Jnr. was in Mass. in 1850 .....isn't it possible that Martha had been living there too before marrying in 1840 back in England ?

I've found before that there was quite a bit of travel backwards and forwards - more than we would have expected......I have people on the passenger lists, who seem to go to New York 3/4 times !

Its might be worth trying to find Robert Chadwick on census' etc ? ...see what happened to his wife.....and where they were all born.....at least then we can discount this if necessary !

Also - remember, the Boston, on the marriage cert. if her address - not place of birth !  Also, they married by licence - very posh - or very hurried !

[KathyM]

Hi again !

 I've just searched LDS 1881 census and found this :  RG11/  4584/30

  Robert Chadwich  69 
  Martha Chadwich  72

  He is a vicar and she is listed as born in Bramham ...... which is right next to Boston Spa !!

  So I think it may be back to the drawing board !  What do you think ?  I think this fits with the mariage I found !   and Martha is still a mystery !

 

[Neko]

you've got me. Robert and Martha are a mystery to me as well.
we've dug through MA records-I even joined NEHGS, (YEEOUCH! but they are expensive for what they give) not just for them, I have gobs of MA ancestors, and not all related to the same side of the family. no record. not of Martha's marriage or her children. so the family's statement that the kids were born in MA is all wrong. MA records are pretty complete. an individual may slip through the cracks, but not a whole family. so where were they born, I wonder. need to go back and check the censi I looked up. don't recall them saying anything other than MA, though. I'll get back to you on that.
yes, I've been amazed with the traveling back and forth across the pond in the early years. I have a great grandfather who did the trip to Holland at age 82! and did it several times during his time as a US citizen. don't have his immigrant record, that's before Ellis Island and I don't know where or exactly when he originally came to the US. I'm also amazed with how people moved around as much as they did in the 1600's and 1700's.
I only just heard about marriage by license last month. it was a big thing. only the wealthy...and, as you said, those in a hurry...
I have Wm Moffitt's first child b. 4 Feb 1839. I don't have the marriage date. Wm Mason's first child b. bef 4 Sep 1798 (chr, date) the marriage was 1 May 1796. that's not much help. we don't know how close either birth was to the marriage.
I'll go check the census again, maybe I'll find something I overlooked...

[Neko]

a bit of a suprise. in 1850 William isn't with the family. he died 1888. the family, Martha and their first 3 children are in Hinsdale, Berkshire, MA. and the children are listed as born in MA. but no record exists for them. he  is with them in 1860. his name is too common to single him out in 1850. I looked and looked for Sarah Jane Allen nee Moffitt in 1860, as I have before, and she eludes me yet...I don't look at every census record as the name is too common, but I haven't found her under either her maiden name or married name in any of the counties I know they lived in. one census after another has the kids born in MA. I had the same problem with Martha's brother, but apparently I'm the only one in the group of people I know are researching him that looked at the MA census, and it has several children born in England. I'd like to know about Martha and Wm Moffitt-can you check the 1841 census for them? I don't find either family in MA in 1840.

[Anita Fox]

I don't remember if we have been in touch before but I have a family tree for the Cripps and Fox of Rothwell

[xpq194z]

Hello Kathy
 Could you please look up Agnes Musgrave up .
 christening 28th april 1833 st peter leeds
  thank you
             mike

[KathyM]

Sorry Mike.....my original post was January 2005.....since then we have moved to North Yorkshire so I cannot get easy access to the Leeds archives.

regards
Kathy