Hello kind rootchatters. I thought I'd run this by you to see if you think I'm on the right track ... or not.
You'll probably need a paper and pencil to put this all in some kind of order
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The IGI has this marriage:
Thomas Whitfield = Elizabeth Clemmet 16 Jul 1801 West Acklam, Yorkshire.
(The couple did not marry in Elizabeth's parish of Kelloe/Middleham).
I have Ann Whitfield b 20 Jul 1805, chr 11 Aug 1805 Chester Le Street, Durham. The entry says that she is the first daughter of Thomas Whitfield, of Lumley, native of Morton and Elizabeth Clemmit native of Kelloe. Now this couple had several other children and I've had a look at their births too, and several of them say that Thomas Whitfield was a native of Marton/Martin in Yorkshire. Looking at Genuki, confusingly, there are several Marton's in Yorkshire.
I wondered if there was a child born prior to Ann in 1805, then I discovered that Ralph, born in 1809, was the couple's third son. All children that I knew of were born in Durham and I could not find any earlier children for the couple there, so I checked Yorkshire, where they married.
On the IGI I found a Thomas Whitfield chr 5 Jun 1803, Stainton in Cleveland, father Thomas, mother Elizabeth. I believe that Stainton in Cleveland is only a couple of miles from West Acklam where they married, so this looks promising.
There is a christening for Thomas Whitfield (senior) in Marton in Cleveland on 19 Sept 1779, father Ralph, mother Ann. (IGI) (Further searches reveal that she may be Ann Redman and she and Ralph married in 1777 in Marton).
A submitted record on the IGI shows only the year of 1751 for the birth of a Ralph Whitfield in Marton in Cleveland. However I found a burial (on familyhistoryonline) for a Ralph Whitfield, age 85, Marton St Cuthbert, confirming a birth year of 1751. These dates and places seem to fit in quite well and also the father's name Ralph used for Thomas's third son.
Now this is where it all gets a bit more hazy...
The submitted record gives Ralph's father as Matthew, no mother named. I found an IGI family group record which says that Matthew Whitfield was chr 1 Mar 1709 in Marton in Cleveland, father (also) Matthew, mother Elizabeth Eden.
An IGI extracted record, confirmed by George Bell's Indexes, gives a marriage date of 8 May 1698 in Auckland St Helen for Matthew Whitfield and Elizabeth Eden. I found a couple more possible children born to Matthew Whitfield and Elizabeth Eden -: Robert 1701, and John 1704.
Also this: Elizabeth Eden chr 28 Oct 1675 Auckland St Helen, father Robert .....
Questions and thoughts:
Slight niggle - I haven't found any other Matthews in my confirmed line - seems unusual that one of those sons wasn't called Matthew too
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Who is the wife of Matthew b 1709, and mother of Ralph?
What is the full date of birth of Ralph b 1751 in Marton in Cleveland?
Can anyone please help with confirmation of any of the events that took place in Marton?
Can anyone find another son born prior to 1809 to Thomas Whitfield and Elizabeth Clemmet (various spellings of her surname) either in Durham or Yorkshire?
If anyone got to the end of that, you deserve a medal. If you managed to understand it, you deserve another .... and if you can help, you'll get yet another!
Just wondering what your opinions are on these findings? There really IS no proof, but what kind of proof can there be once you get into these years? Guess I'm hoping for some reassurance too. Am I on the right track? If this was your family would you put it aside or pencil it in? All contributions most welcome.
Thanks to you all for getting this far!
