Parowmas Harris/Maria Amos

[Harris in Essex]

Hi
I have long been searching the birth of my great grandfather Parowmas Harris, I have tracked him through the census records:
1871 aged 2 years living at Burstead Common Great Burstead.
1881 aged 12 living at Cottage Tye Common Billericay.
1891 census aged 22 yrs - living at Tye Common Billericay - single (Maria a guest at the house)
1891 married GRO 1891 Q4 Billericay 4a page 545
1896 living at Wiggins Lane Little Burstead - Christening record.
1901 aged 32 years living at Tye Common Billericay - occupation agricultural labourer - married.
1913 when son signed up for WW1 father's occupation given as farm labourer living at Tye Common Billericay.
1915 occupation Roadman.
1920 Electoral register living at Tye Common
1920 informant to death of brother Thomas
1923 died aged 53 years GRO 1923 Q4 Billericay 4a page 572. Broncho Pneumonia - after 6 days
Buried at Congregational Church Billericay

but try as I might I cannot find hs birth... different census have his place of birth as Wanstead Flats or Brentwood Essex.

He married Maria Amos and my mother remembers her well. She smoked a clay pipe and always wore black and a hat.  When she married my grandfather and left her clan she received a large dowry with which she bought the cottage at Tye Common and a plot of land in central Billericay and still had enough to support herself after Parowmas died!  After marriage her brother lived in a tent nearby in Wiggins Lane to make sure she was protected. In later live she refused to live with the family and put herself into Billericay Union Workhouse for which my grandfather and his brother had to pay a shilling a week!!

Parowmas's father is shown on his marriage certificate as Moses ( a cane maker) His father as Moses Harris ( Sieve maker) I have found Moses's marriage to Mary Ann Webb 23/02/1874 at St Johns Statford Essex.   Witnessed by Charles Henry Evans and Elizabeth Taylor.  Also his death 30/08/1878. Census records show him as c1832 born Cambs

Elizabeth 19/08/1859, their first born is registered as Webb/Harris at Little Baddow Essex

Thomas their 2nd c1867 is shown on census records as born Wanstead but although I can trace him to is death in 1920 (rag and bone merchant) I cannot find a birth for him.

Parowmas is their 3rd child.

Can anyone help please

[CitizenSmith]

Hi

Can't help directly with Parowmas - except to recommend that you also look for associations with travelling families called Gray and Shaw in this region of the country.

The Grays also used the 'Parowmas' forename - as Posthumous, Pyramus, Parmas and variants - so there's likely to be a family link here. (From experience, it's not a name you tend to find in many other Gypsy families.)

There were also a number of instances of Shaws marrying Harrises - particularly those who belonged to the Harris travelling fairground family in Cambs, Beds, Herts. (There's a book on the Harrises called 'The Story of Harris's Fun Fairs' by Ken Page - but I couldn't see a reference to Parowmas or Moses Harris in a quick scan through this.)

I also have references to the same Shaw family intermarrying with Webbs in the mid-19th century.

On Moses Harris: I have these Cambs references gathered from parish register transcripts held at the Society of Genealogists or directly at the Cambridgeshire RO which might give you a lead - particularly the first one:

Bapt 8 Nov 1829, Chippenham, Cambs
Moses Harris son of Aaron Harris and Mary, Labourer, abode Lidlington, Cambs

Bapt 24 March 1839, Horseheath, Cambs
Benjamin Harris son of Moses Harris and Sarah, Travelling workman of Litlington. The child was born at Horseheath

Bapt 6 April 1794, Litlington, Cambs
Moses Harris son of Aaron and Sarah Harris (no other information)

Bapt 19 Oct 1788, Melbourn, Cambs
Moses Harris son of John and Elizabeth Harris, travellers, paupers

Married 14 October 1816, Haddenham, Cambs
Moses Harris bach (signs X)
Sarah Buttris sp (signs X)
Both of this parish
Witnesses: John Buttris X, Ann Harriss X, Richd Amory

From the above and from other Harris references I have, Litlington and Oakington, Cambs, look like good places to focus on.

Best wishes

Sharon

[Harris in Essex]

 

Hi Citizensmith
and thank you very much for the information.

The 1861 gives Moses c1789 as born Litlington Cambs with his wife Sarah from Cambs living in Great Burstead Essex.   So your marriage record could be them.

I had previously followed the Gamlingay line and bought the marriage certificate of Moses Harris to Ester Shaw before  buying the very book you refer to.  This proved not to be the same Moses c1832 as his father's name is shown as William Harris sieve maker. Whereas the marriage certificate of Moses Harris to Mary Ann Webb c1833 gives his father as Moses Harris sieve maker. Mary's father is shown as Thomas Webb umbrella maker.

For interest Parowmas Harris c1869 sister Elizabeth Harris 1859 first married a Frederick Trout chimney sweep and then Arthur Humphries.  Elizabeth's first born was Emily Trout who married into the Taylor family (descendants of the Hartlake Bridge Hadlow disaster) and they too have a Pyramus born Kensington 1856.  I have found three others, one a cousin Parowmas Byford also of Billericay Essex. The other Parowmas Hitching of Ongar Essex and Parowmas Webb c1876 born Woolpit Suffolk of travelling family of Hadlow Kent mother Ann Webb (haven't made a connection yet but think there probably is one!)

These travelling families are so difficult to unpick!!  but again thnk you.

[Harris in Essex]

Hi Sharon

I have today found a death certificate I bought some time ago as I thought it must be linked to my Harris family somehow but have never been able to make the link.

It is for Parrimas Harris died 12/10/1877 aged 10  months aat Springfield Chelmsford Essex. He is shown as son of Benjamin Harris a hawker. It gives Benjamin's address as Low Laton Cambs. Parrimas was buried at Springfield on 15/10/1877 which gives his abode simply as Springfield.  Again I can't find a birth registration in Dec 1876 or January 1877.

Jacqueline

[boswell37]

Emily Trout married her second cousin, Thomas Taylor, whose grandmother, Elizabeth Webb, was witness at Mary Ann's wedding. There is a photograph of her doing the rounds (sorry I have a copy but I do not have copyright) and the Pyramus born Kensington was her son.

The two Moseseses that you mention (1832/3) were uncle and nephew but if you go back a few more generations the surname changes.

(Moderator Comment:  References to a living person removed at that person's request.)


Dawn

[Harris in Essex]

Hi Dawn

It has taken me an age to unpick my maternal Grandfather's side of the family. I have Emily Trout married to Thomas Taylor on 07/11/1897.

I have as you say Thomas's grandparents as Plato Taylor 1824 - 1904 and Elizabeth (Betsey) Webb bapt 30/4/1826  but have been unable to make the connection between Elizabeth Webb and  Emily's grandmother Mary Ann Webb c1833. Are you saying they are sister's?

There are photographs of Emily's mother - Elizabeth Trout (nee Harris) in a couple of Billericay books. If you want to see a scan contact me on j

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Kind regards
Jacqueline

[cathayb]

just signing in for updates as i have an interest in these aswell cathayb.hi jacquline,i didnt realise you were harris in essex!i am so slow!!!!happy new year anyaway sorry its a bit late!!!

[boswell37]

There is plenty of evidence, HARRIS in Essex, such as the two brothers, Moses and Emmanuel Harris, marrying two sisters, Mary Ann and Lydia Webb; and Elizabeth (Bet) was witness for both.

All three have Thomas Webb as their father at marriage and 'umbrella mender' is not far removed from 'chair mender' his regular occupation. Lydia and Bet plus a fourth sister, Emma, all had Thomas, chair mender or similar, at their baptisms.

I agree that the more common names, such as Taylor and Webb, require a lot more negative checks and to a large extent these have been done in this case.

Thomas Webb, their father, was a companion of Cornelius Smith, father of Gipsy Rodney smith the evangelist.

[horsesmad]

I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I AM THE GGG GRANDAUGHTER OF PLATO AND BETSY, I NEVER KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT BETSY, ONLY FROM HER MARRIAGE CERT HER FATHER WAS THOMAS WEBB, SO YOUR POST HAS BEEN OF A GREAT HELP TO ME,  YOU ALSO SAID YOU HAVE A PIC OF BETSY BUT NOT THE COPY RIGHT, DO YOU NO HOW I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET HOLD OF THE PIC?
MANY THANKS
PAULA.