Author Topic: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead  (Read 9574 times)

Offline geniecolgan

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DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« on: Sunday 28 January 07 06:26 GMT (UK) »
I'm trying to establish my 3rd great grandmother's maiden name. My 2nd great grandfather was Joseph Durrant b. c.1826 in Hemel Hempstead to John Durrant & Sarah.
IGI has a marriage of a John Durrant to a Sarah Norris in 1807 and I'm wondering if this is the Sarah Norris b. 1786 in Watford? Was she Joseph's mother?
Joseph became a Tallow Chandler and married Jane Whiting in 1851, in London.
Can anyone throw any light on the subject?
All help welcomed.
Thanks.
jc

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Offline Rick

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #1 on: Monday 29 January 07 14:47 GMT (UK) »
Hi JC

Joseph's baptismal record may well give his mother's maiden name.  Hemel Parish Record films are stored at HALS (See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,24217.0.html) and are also available for hire to view at any LDS Family History Centry worldwide.

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp

The marriage that you found on the IGI may well relate to your John and Sarah as Watford is very close to Hemel Hempstead, but it may be dangerous to assume that it is.  See Right Name, Wrong Body and The Dangers of Internet Genealogy by Chris Reynolds.

http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/keytopics.htm

Rick :)
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Offline geniecolgan

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #2 on: Monday 29 January 07 16:11 GMT (UK) »
Hi Rick, 
      I have read Chris Reynolds article - "The dangers of Internet Genealogy", it makes interesting reading. That is why I'm making no assumption but posting here so that someone may confirm or deny my postulation. I am somewhat limited to "Internet Genealogy" given my location, Canada and an inability to travel. However I shall, weather permitting, hy myself off to the local Family Search centre and check if they have Joseph's baptism.
Many thanks.
Jeanette
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Offline CasB

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #3 on: Monday 19 May 08 14:57 BST (UK) »
Hello Geniecolgan,
I wonder if you've had any luck with your search yet? Sarah Norris and John Durrant are, apparently, in our line that we are currently researching, though Sarah has been recorded by other family members as being a 'Morris' - which may well be as a result of a mispelling or flawed oral history. Our interest is in one of their sons, Jonathan.
However, we don't appear to have a Joseph listed . We've sourced someone's transcriptions of the Hemel Hempstead baptisms, and can see no Joseph in that list either. Would love to know what you managed to dig up.


Offline geniecolgan

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #4 on: Monday 19 May 08 16:14 BST (UK) »
Hello CasB,

I've not had any luck with the marriage of John and Sarah Norris/Morris.

My line comes down from Joseph who was my gt. gt. grandfather.

I believe that Jonathan was Joe's elder brother, he was a witness to Joseph's marriage in 1851. At that time, Jonathan and his family were living in Paddington. I have them on the 1851 census. His wife was Sarah and they had three children, Henry 9, John 4 and Sarah 1.

I can't find Jonathan after that but I suspect he may have gone to Australia. There is a Durrant tree on RootsWeb but it doesn't quite fit with my research unless Jon's wife Sarah had died. They have Jon's wife as Caroline Archer ???

I have Joseph on the 1841- 1891 census and I have his marriage cert.
I do not have a christening for him. The only ref. I could find was on IGI and it is a submitted entry, therefore questionable.

We must chat some more. I'd like to know what you have on Jonathan and his ancestors.

Genie  :)

P.S. I've just noticed that this is your first post. Welcome to RootsChat  ;D

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Offline CasB

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #5 on: Monday 14 July 08 02:55 BST (UK) »
Just an update since I last wrote - we've been slowly trawling through the information online and have now ordered a couple of marriage certificates relating to Jonathan (the Durrant that came to Australia on the Coromandel).

My own belief (which I hope to be confirmed or otherwise by the certificates) is that Caroline was Jonathan's 2nd wife, and that Jonathan is the same Jonathan you mention as listed in the 1851 census with wife Sarah, and children Henry, John (Jonathan) & Sarah. (He was listed as a bricklayer, as was Jonathan on the ship to Australia listing).  It seems likely that something happened - perhaps death - in 1851 to wife Sarah & the eldest child, and that Jonathan remarried  quite quickly (we are looking at a possible marriage to a Caroline Archer in 1852).  I have found two death records listed that might be contenders, but have also found a Henry Durrant aged 19 at 1861 census  living as the son of a woman who is not named Durrant, so perhaps Henry was taken in by extended family? That's purely speculation but, whatever - he did not come to Australia, just Jonathan & Caroline, and the 2 other children.

What's so interesting is that all our Australian relatives have presumed that they've resulted from the Jonathan/Caroline line. I strongly believe that this is not so - that the young Jonathan on the boat, along with his sister Sarah Elizabeth, was a product of Jonathan & Sarah.

Once we've ascertained Jonathan's (2?) marriage details, I can then move on to his parentage, and perhaps we'll turn up something about your Joseph.

Offline geniecolgan

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #6 on: Monday 14 July 08 15:29 BST (UK) »
Hi CasB,

I am very pleased to hear from you again.

I concur with your beliefs. It has long been my theory that Jonathan's wife Sarah died, that Caroline Archer was his 2nd wife and that our Australian relatives stem from the issue of Jon and Sarah.
 
I have a further theory...... that Henry was not Jonathan's son but his nephew, the son of Jonathan's eldest brother William b 1808.
 
That Wm and his wife were dead and Jonathan and Sarah had taken him in.
Note: that on the 1851 census Sarah's age is 26 and Henry's is 9. If Henry was her son, she would have given birth to him at <15> years old, a bit young I think.
 
Also, there is a submitted record on FamilySearch giving a birth of Henry to Wm and Louisa Bacon 25th Jun 1841 and a birth record for Henry on FreeBMD (Sep, 1841, H.H., 6, page illegible).

So when Sarah died and Jon remarried, then decided to leave for Australia, Henry was passed over to yet another relative so that he would grow up near the family.

On the question of Jonathan and Joseph's mother's maiden name, I have found another source that gives John Durrant marrying Sarah NORRIS 4th Aug 1807 in H.H. See this link:-

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,311449.msg1747784.html#msg1747784

I am sending you a Personal Message. I look forward to hearing more from you.

Genie
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Offline geniecolgan

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Re: DURRANT of Hemel Hempstead
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 28 August 08 18:06 BST (UK) »
Update:

I have just received from HALS a copy of the marriage of John Durrant to Sarah Norris, Hemel Hempstead 1807 ;D

It is entry no. 549,
John Durrant, Bachelor and Sarah Norris of the same parish Spinster.
Married in church by Banns, 4th Aug 1807.
Signed by: John and Sarah in the Presence of James and Mary Durrant.

I'm now satisfied that my John married Sarah Norris and not Morris ;D ;D ;D
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Offline nordon

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Re: Sarah Norris
« Reply #8 on: Friday 02 January 09 21:36 GMT (UK) »
Norris Connection

We may have interests in Watford & Hemel Hempsted. If the Sarah born in 1786 is the one who married John Durrant and is a sister of Charles Norris and George Norris of Watford. Then there would be a relationship;however, as my cousin George Norris in Nanaimo says:

Obviously they are talking about our Sarah Norris b. 1786 in Watford, daughter of John Norris and Sarah Ayers and I have no events recorded for her other then birth. However, is it the same Sarah who married Durrant? Me thinks it would be difficult to prove this other then by "reasonable assumption".


Moderator Comment: split off from another topic and merged here