The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 7)

[Ruskie]

It's all fitting together very nicely! 

This is from Wiki:

"In 1628 John Bunyan was born to Thomas Bunyan and Margaret Bentley at Bunyan's End, in the parish of Elstow, Bedfordshire, England. Bunyan's End was located approximately halfway between the hamlet of Harrowden (one mile southeast of Bedford) and Elstow's High Street.

He is recorded in the Elstow parish register as having been baptised John Bunyan, on 30th November 1628".

Avm - How on earth did put two and two together and find Mrs S in Nottingham? 

[deb usa]

wooohooooo  

[avm228]

Avm - How on earth did put two and two together and find Mrs S in Nottingham? 

Proceeding on the premise that Mrs S was a descendant of Bunyan and that this fact might be mentioned in any death notice, I searched the British Library 19th Century Newspapers database for "John Bunyan", narrowing the search to the "People" category so as to eliminate the many references to ships called "John Bunyan" and biographies of the great man.  

I started out in the 1840s but no sign - moved to the 1850s where there were several announcements of the death of his last male descendant, Robert Bunyan, in Lincoln (27 Nov 1855, if you're interested) - and finally dear old Mrs Sanigear.

[Ruskie]

Is it Carole who is obsessed with Mrs S? She'll be over the moon!!!!!

Amazing detective work avm and Deb!

[Ruskie]

Avm - How on earth did put two and two together and find Mrs S in Nottingham? 

I search the British Library 19th Century Newspapers database for "John Bunyan", narrowing the search to the "People" category so as to eliminate the many references to ships called "John Bunyan" and biographies of the great man.  

I started out in the 1840s but no sign - moved to the 1850s where there were several announcements of the death of his last male descendant, Robert Bunyan, in Lincoln (27 Nov 1855, if you're interested) - and finally dear old Mrs Sanigear.

I'm still amazed.  You're so clever!

[deb usa]

Good Grief ...how did Nat get Skirricker/Skillicker from Sanigear? ...maybe Sanigear was heard as SaniKER

deb

well done . avm !!!!!!
here's a few GOLD STARS for your forehead!!!  


**********

deb

[Siamese Girl]

Wow!!! That's amazing!!!!!

That really looks like her!

I've spent hours and hours (probably days and days) trying to work out what real name Skirricker could be.  repeating it over and over again but I never thought of Sanigear.

I'm not sure how she fits into the Bunyan family. As I've read that there weren't any descendants with that name - at least not that far down the line  You'd think someone would have really researched the family and got them all sorted out.

Carole

[Ruskie]

Maybe it was like Chinese whispers - the person who told Nat the surname got it slightly wrong and then perhaps Nat also misheard it ... etc ...

[avm228]

well done . avm !!!!!!
here's a few GOLD STARS for your forehead!!!  

Thanks, Deb, but as always a team effort to put the pieces together

Carole - I also thought we'd come to the conclusion that there weren't any descendants with the Bunyan name by the 1840s.

However, this was one of the (many) newspaper announcements of the death of Robert Bunyan:

Derby Mercury, 5 Dec 1855

[Deaths]

At his residence in the Cathedral Close, Lincoln, on Tuesday 27th, ult., Robert Bunyan, Esq., at the advanced age of 80. Mr Bunyan was the last male descendant of the immortal author of the "Pilgrim's Progress" and was the lineal descendant from the eldest son of John Bunyan. For many years Mr Bunyan filled the offices of county and city coroner, which some years since he resigned. Up to a very late period of his life he was an exceedingly active and stirring man, was passionately fond of agriculture, and had amassed considerable wealth.