Luxborough

[EEK]

Could a Somerset local Rootschat member please give me an idea of the size of Luxborough. My gt x 3 grandfather came from this village, and I can see him in the 41,51 and 61 censuses with Luxborough clearly entered as his birth place.  He died aged 84 in London and his death cert. makes his birth year 1779. My problem is that a contact on Genes Reunited also has this person in their tree with the birth date I found for my ancestor, but his tree bears no resemblance to mine, as his ancestors all stayed in Somerset for generations, and mine moved to London in the 1800s and stayed there. I can only find one person with that name in the IGI and Luxborough transcripts for that year. Is it feasible that there were 2 men with the same name, born in the same year?  The GR member has implied I must be wrong.
Eileen

[Mags23]

Hi, I'm not from the area, but visited last year and thought the village was very small, but suppose that records would cover surrounding farms etc.

If you've double checked your findings perhaps the other person is in the wrong but doesn't want to admit it, I've come across a few people like that.  All you can do is check the original records or ask someone to check for you.

Good luck.

[charlotteCH]

Eileen, If you go to GENUKI and look under Somerset you may find info on Luxborough... it's a good site with reliable info.
Many of those 18th C villages were tiny by our standards.

Good luck
charlotte

[JAP]

Hello Eileen,

It is certainly feasible that there were two men of the same name born in the same place in the same year (I take it from your other posts that the name is John WEBBER - not an uncommon name in Somerset it seems!).
I have found such a situation myself - two men of the same name (common first name but very rare surname) born in 1797 in a small village in Fife.

It seems that you are (very sensibly) working backwards from the known to the unknown.
You say this is based on your John's birthplace of Luxborough in censuses
- you mention 1841 but it would not be - and was not - stated there; 1851 (given as Luxborough Somerset); and 1861 (? I haven't located this entry).
And that it is also based on his age in various censuses  - 60 in 1841, 71 in 1851, and ? in 1861 (I haven't located this), and his age (84) at his death in 18?? (is this death on FreeBMD?).

From the above you have presumably decided that the following IGI baptism is your John:
John WEBBER, bap 9 June 1779, Luxborough, parents John & Martha
http://www.wsom.org.uk/Registers/LuxBap17771789.htm

I guess when we get back to early records, we usually have scarce or no proof that these are our ancestors.

This might well be your John.  But then again it might not be.  Your John might not have been baptized at all.  Or he might have been baptized in a church the records of which have not survived or have not been indexed.

Now to the GR person.
Exactly how did he/she work backwards to a position of also claiming the 1779 John?
What census records does he/she have?
Does he/she have a death age for his/her John?
Has he/she proof that the John WEBBER b ca 1791 in Luxborough (from censuses) who stayed in Somerset cannot be his/hers?

I would be pressing those questions.

Regards,

JAP

[EEK]

Thank you all for your help and interest. JAP you're right. The 41 census didn't give his birth place. The 61 entry I found using Ancestry. It was under just his surname, Webber, as both sides of the page were missing. He was there with a granddaughter I didn't know he had: daughter of my gt gt grandfather, also John Webber. It gave the correct age and Luxborough. He was in a new location and I was able to find his death and order his death cert. I know it to be correct as his occupation as cheesemonger was on the death cert. It led me to a new line of enquiry, as wondering why he, at the age of 81 was looking after a child of 9, I looked again for her young brothers, and found 2 of them at boarding school. This led me to suppose that their parents had died between 1851 and 1861. I've been unlucky at getting the right death certs. for my gt gt grandparents, and have a couple of wrong ones so far!
Back to GR - I'm a bit loathe to add John and Martha to my tree because of the uncertainty. On the Parish Register Transcriptions website, which I found on here, under Luxborough baptisms, there is only one John Webber in 1779. As the other Rootschatterers have said how small the village is, I'd be surprised if there were 2, but it is a very common surname in Somerset. I am absolutely sure that there is no mistake so far in this line of my family tree, as I have connected all the lines with certificates and family knowledge. The only query is whether I can go any further. Once again, thanks for your interest.- I would love to go and visit Luxborough.
Eileen

[wurzel]

Could a Somerset local Rootschat member please give me an idea of the size of Luxborough. My gt x 3 grandfather came from this village, and I can see him in the 41,51 and 61 censuses with Luxborough clearly entered as his birth place.  He died aged 84 in London and his death cert. makes his birth year 1779. My problem is that a contact on Genes Reunited also has this person in their tree with the birth date I found for my ancestor, but his tree bears no resemblance to mine, as his ancestors all stayed in Somerset for generations, and mine moved to London in the 1800s and stayed there. I can only find one person with that name in the IGI and Luxborough transcripts for that year. Is it feasible that there were 2 men with the same name, born in the same year?  The GR member has implied I must be wrong.
Eileen

I come from the next village.

Luxborough is actually made up of three parts, Churchtown, Pooltown and Kingsbridge.

They are all quite small but add up to what I would say is "normal" Exmoor village size.

Were and still are lots of Webbers around.

I will see if I can make sense of anything.

[Pabsalom]

Could a Somerset local Rootschat member please give me an idea of the size of Luxborough. My gt x 3 grandfather came from this village, and I can see him in the 41,51 and 61 censuses with Luxborough clearly entered as his birth place.  He died aged 84 in London and his death cert. makes his birth year 1779. My problem is that a contact on Genes Reunited also has this person in their tree with the birth date I found for my ancestor, but his tree bears no resemblance to mine, as his ancestors all stayed in Somerset for generations, and mine moved to London in the 1800s and stayed there. I can only find one person with that name in the IGI and Luxborough transcripts for that year. Is it feasible that there were 2 men with the same name, born in the same year?  The GR member has implied I must be wrong.
Eileen

Luxborough is as I believe you have been told, quite a small village.  HOWEVER, there are loads and loads of Webbers in the area and people back then didn't travel far - especially this area owing to the lie of the land and hills etc.  I would not be at all surprised if there were two or even 3 or 4 born in the same year with the same name.  I am recently moved to the area but live near there and know at least 3 Webbers myself and two or three businesses with that name.  I could visit the churchyard if you wish me to explore anything for you.  I am afraid I am not much into this so cant help a great deal more than that.  . 

[EEK]

Thank you so much for your reply. My ggg grandfather John Webber went off to London and all his children were born there. The name is not quite so common there, - but common enough! The Genes Reunited contact has since recanted his information. He had no census details of his ancestor and there were several other possiblities. I think I've got the right John Webber, his mother, father and siblings from the Somerset transcriptions. Now I'm having trouble with the name in London - especially as John was a very popular name at that time. Where's a Jonah or Nemo when you need it?
Regards
Eileen