Thomas COUCH and the COUCH family - Langtee area Devon

[JaneyCanuck]

You're welcome, Marion! Me, I only have access to what's on line, but if anyone has better access to parish records they may be able to help.

Jan -- that's very true, it isn't always how it looks on google maps. So that means ... my partner's great-grandfather who lived in a little village in Nottinghamshire, as I discovered last week, could actually have been playmates with my great-grandmother who lived in the next village over, maybe not really 5 miles apart at all! And three generations later, after various emigrations and movements around Canada and even the US, here we are living in the same house.

[Duodecem]

Freereg have 3 births to John and Margaret Couch all baptised in Langtree-James(presumably the father of Thomas) in 1750, John in 1754 and Thomas in 1755. Sadly there are no earlier records.
In 1878 there was a Reginald whose father was a police constable so it looks as though some of the family stayed in Devon.

[Dave Jones]

Not sure anymore why I did it (think it was an unrelated Couch project) but some time ago I started to research James Couch, miller from Langtree who moved to Lincolnshire. In case it helps:

James Couch was a miller in Claythorpe, Lincolnshire.

He was the son of James Couch, miller of Langtree, Devon, who died on 28th March 1841, and Dorothy who died at Langtree in early 1846 aged 95.

James Couch married Sarah Cook at Goulceby, Lincolnshire on 21st April 1827

His infant daughter Jane died on 3rd April 1838
Louth      Death   June 1838   Jane Couch

1841 Census
Belleau
James Couch      50      N
Sarah Couch      40      Y
Mary Couch      10      Y
John Couch        8      Y   
Elizabeth Couch     5      Y
James Couch        1      Y

His eldest daughter Mary Ann married at Belleau on 28th December 1846, Henry Laister of Bawtry, Yorkshire

1851 Census
Claythorpe
James Couch      Head   62 Miller   Ruckland, Devon
Sarah Couch      Wife   51      Canningsby, Lincolnshire
John Couch      Son   18      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Elizabeth Couch   Dau   15      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
James Couch      Son   10      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Betsy A Couch   G Dau     5m      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire

Son John Couch aged 26, of Great Northern Railway, Kings Cross married on 7th November 1859 at All Saints, Islington, London, Emma Kezia Laister aged 31 daughter of Thomas Laister farmer of Masboro, Yorkshire. (Per FreeBMD Emma Kezia Leister)

1861 Census
Claythorpe
Sarah Couch      Head W 58    Miller   Conningsby, Lincolnshire
James Couch      Son   20    Miller   Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Elizabeth Couch   Dau   25      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Betsy Couch      G Dau   10      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Thomas Couch   G Son     3      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
William Laister   G Son     6      Ranskill, Nottinghamshire

His son Thomas James died 27th November 1863

1871 Census
Aby with Greenfield, Lincolnshire
George Crow      Head   34 Woodman      Aby, Lincolnshire
Elizabeth Crow   Wife   35         Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Fred Crow      Son     3         Aby, Lincolnshire
Sam Crow      Son     2         Aby, Lincolnshire
Joseph Couch      Step S   13 Millers Bo      Claythorpe, Lincolnshire
Sarah Couch      Mo Law 70 Annuitant      Coningsby, Lincolnshire


James died on 18th October 1855 aged 68.
His widow, Sarah, died on 18th January 1873
Burials at Belleau St John The Baptist
   21st October 1855   James Couch aged 68
3rd February 1873   Sarah Couch aged 72
Louth      Death   Dec 1855   James Couch
Louth      Death   Mar 1873   Sarah Couch aged 72

Burials at Belleau St John The Baptist
   
   6th August 1869   James Couch aged 29
   13th May 1866      John Couch aged 33
   30th Jan 1883      John George Couch aged 2 months
   

Free BMD
Louth      Birth   June 1840   James Couch
Louth      Marr   Dec 1846   Mary Ann Couch & Henry Laister
Louth      Birth   Dec 1850   Betsy Couch
Louth      Birth   Jun 1853   Thomas Couch
Louth      Birth   Sep 1857   Joseph Couch
Louth      Marr   Mar 1864   Elizabeth Couch & George Crow
Louth      Death   Sep 1869   James Couch aged 29


Children
Mary Ann Couch   c1831
John Couch      c 1833
Elizabeth Couch   c 1836
Jane Couch               3rd April 1838
James Couch      1840

   JOHN COUCH
Son John Couch aged 26, of Great Northern Railway, Kings Cross married on 7th November 1859 at All Saints, Islington, London, Emma Kezia Laister aged 31 daughter of Thomas Laister farmer of Masboro, Yorkshire. (Per FreeBMD Emma Kezia Leister)

Birth of Emily Kate Couch reg Islington Sept 1860

Marriage of Emma Kezia Couch & Edwin John Laister or Thomas Lambert reg Rotherham, Yorks Jun 1867.

[Petevincent]

Hi there'  I have just joined the site, I found Marion P who is a distant cousin on it!  I've been researching Thomas Couch of Langtree born 1798 for a few years now.  He is my Great-great Grandfather.  I have a copy of his will, and much information post 1829.  Also, some regarding his wifes Sarah (Tuxworth) family etc.  My concern with his connection to James and Dorothy is:  The name Dorothy does not continue through the family.  James and Thomas does continue throughout the 1800s & 1900s.  As does Sarahs parental names Jonathan and Elizabeth.  There may have been children named Dorothy who died in infancy which was most common at the time, I can find no evidence of this! indeed infant deaths were still occurring into the 1920s with the Couch family.  I do not doubt the family connection to James and Dorothy, also the probability of Thomas of Crowle and James of Claythorpe being brothers is very likely.  There are too many coincidences for them not to be related.  My problem is 'why doesn't Dorothy's name occur?  Also, once in Lincolnshire I can find only James and Thomas with a link to Langtree/Buckland Brewer.  So I find the possibility of their father James coming to Lincolnshire unlikely.  Any help or correction to my notes here would be appreciated.  I have been briefly to Langtree, Tealby and Crowle as my father 'Fred (93)' still lives there, still to visit Goulceby, which will be soon.  I hope to enjoy and discover new contacts and information on 'Rootschat' and will gladly answer any queries and divulge what information I have which is abundant! ....... Regards

[Petevincent]

Dave, Just a query, where did you find out that James 1750 was miller, as I had him as a agricultural worker?

[Duodecem]

"My problem is 'why doesn't Dorothy's name occur?"
Not all family names seem to get repeated through the generations. In general I've found a tendency for sons to have names from the father's family and daughters to have names from the mother's, though there's no hard and fast rule. The commoner names- James, John, Mary, Elizabeth seem to be repeated more often through the generations (probably why they are common-duh!), whereas more unusual names like Dorothy were probably either in or out of fashion and may have seemed outlandish by the next generation.

[Petevincent]

I appreciate you reply concerning Dorothy.  I still find it hard to believe, somewhere it wasn't repeated as a 2nd christian name even.  As fashionable, these were agricultural folk, poor, work meant survival, open sewers were still common in Devon in the 18th & 19th centuries.  I don't think fashion played a part in the choosing of names.  I not 100% sure James (1750) is the father of James & Thomas, as another James born 1791 at Langtree, also Joseph (1793), William (1794) these could be cousins of course.  It is quite tough researching pre 1841, as the evidence is brief to say the least!  The Couch name is extremely common in Devon and Cornwall, and the christian name Thomas, James, John, William and Elizabeth ( Betsy ) even more so.  Thanks for the reply its a great subject and we learn more everyday.

[Schooner]

Hi
Is this a connection to you?

Newspaper Announcement

Wedding at Belleau on 28 December 1846

Mary Ann eldest daughter of J Couch, Miller and Baker of Claythorpe to Henry Laister of Bawtry.

Regards
Schooner

[JaneyCanuck]

Indeed -- I referred on the previous page to James Couch, apparently a brother of Thomas, in Lincolnshire, and on this page Dave Jones posted the 1841 household showing Mary c1831, daughter of James, and the GRO reference to that marriage.