Felix Boswell

[jackie2745]

I am looking for any information about Felix and Mary Boswell.  The only thing I know about them is that Felix was born prob around 1805, he was a tinner and brazier.  his wife Mary, was born in 1809 in Beverley, Yorkshire, and on the 1871 census she was a widow and living with her daughter Jane Poole in Leftwich, Northwich Cheshire.  Jane was a travelling musician, born 1848 in Shepfield, yorkshire.  She got married to John Poole in 1866 at Barnton Church.

I have searched for this family on various census and came up with absolutely nothing.  Neither can I find Felix's death.
Any help would be appreciated

 

[MarMnkly]

Hello Jackie 
may not be the correct Felix, but there is a death listed on freebmd for a Felix Boswell in the December quarter of 1854 in the Manchester district?

Margaret 

[jackie2745]

thank you Margaret, I will check that out.

[Richard Knott]

No wonder you couldn't find them:

1851  HO107/2161
Eagle St, Sutton, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Phoenix Boswell, 49, chair bottomer, b Upton, Notts
Sarah B, 42, wife, b Beverly, Yorks
Meshach B, 13, son,assists in chair bottoming, b Wolverhampton, Staffs
Elizabeth B, 10, dau, b Sheffield
Pheasant (!) B, 8, dau, b Sheffield - could his be Thirza? It certainly says 'Pheasant'.
Mordecai B, 6, b Sheffield
Jane B, 11m, dau, b Sheffield

At the moment the only Meshach I can find in 1841 who fits the above is a Meshach Constable.

The IGI has Phoenix' birth in 1805 (in Headon which is next to Upton)


Richard

[jackie2745]

I am a little confused Richard.  Do you mean that Pheonix  should be written as Felix?, if so then this is the wrong wife too. 
Janes father was definitely Felix (in the marriage register) and her mother was Mary (according to the 1871 census).

[Richard Knott]

The 1851 entry has an Elizabeth Boswell of about the right age born in Sheffield; her mother born in 1842 in Beverley; and a father called Phoenix rather than Felix. Given the inaccuracy of censuses, it seemed a pretty good fit. It may not be the same person (the 1851 Phoenix appears to have died in Nantwitch in 1868) but it is worth exploring.

What evidence do you have that the father is Felix? If it is just one entry on a certificate, it could easily have been misheard.

Richard

[Richard Knott]

In 1861 they have changed their name to Wainwright (or it is an enumerator error)!

Sylvester Lane, Sheffield
Phoenix Wainwright, 55, chairbottomer, b Upton, Notts
Sarah W, 46, wife, c-b, b Beverly, Yorks
Elizabeth W, 20, dau, c-b, b Skipsey, Yorks
Mordecai W, 18, son, c-b, b Banbry, Cheshire
Jane W, 10, dau, b Sheffield, Yorks
Nathaniel W, son, 8, b Wakefield, Yorks  (birth Nathaniel Boswell Jun 1853 Wakefield)

Richard

[Sasha]

I'm kind of hesitating to post this because I think it will possibly confuse things further, but I do feel that it might well be relevant, so am going to throw it into the mix.

I have a baptism for a Mordecai Boswell, son of Felix and Trinity Boswell, baptised 26th March 1843 at Bunbury in Cheshire.

Also have the following baptisms to the same couple:

Emmanuel, son of Felix and Trinity Boswell, 3rd Feb 1830, Clarborough Notts
Phoenix, son of Phoenix and Traynet Boswell, 16th Nov 1831, Newark Notts (Phoenix travelling brazier)
Cornelius, son of Felix and Trinity Boswell, 16th Apr 1834, Brayton Yorks

Cornelius and Phoenix turn up on the 1851 census at the Bridge Street lodging house in Gainsborough:

Cornelius Boswell lodger unm 15 vagrant (tinman and grinder) born Rochdale Lancs
Phoenix Boswell lodger unm 21 vagrant (tinman and grinder) born Newark Notts

There is also a marriage in 1860 at Runcorn Cheshire for Meshach Boswell to Kaomi Boswell.

Re. the Wainwright surname - wasn't there a Mordecai Boswell who was a musician and either cousin or brother to Elijah who used Wainwright as a surname?

[Richard Knott]

All very interesting! It all fits well if Felix/Phoenix had children with Trinity from c1830 to c1843 and with Sarah/Mary from c1850 onwards.

Before we find ourselves heading down a very long wrong turning, can Jackie tell us exactly what is known about Felix (Phoenix)/Mary and where from?

The Boswells seem to be a huge family of gypsies. The good news is that they often have unusual (OT) first names, and a lot of research has been done on them, including 'The genealogy of the Romany Boswells'. I believe that polygamy was OK for a Romany, but that may have died out by the 19th century. As they often lived in caravans/tents, they weren't always recorded in censuses, so you are probably lucky to have as many entries as you do.

There is at least one other Felix/Phoenix (b 1831 Horkstow, Lincs; on 1841 as Phenix Barwell) who changes between Felix and Phoenix regularly, so I don't think we need to worry about that issue.

Richard