Scuffhams from Fishtoft

[Icicle]

Hi. I am venturing into a new County here - usually I'm lurking on Yorkshire or Northumberland 

Does anyone out there have Scuffhams (or Scuffam/Scupham/Scoffham) from Fishtoft in their trees?

I have James William Scuffham who died in Yorkshire in 1903. He married Sarah Ann Fillingham in Holbeach in 1880. He was born in Fishtoft in 1855. I know quite a lot about him,  his wife and family. It is his parents and grandparents that I'm interested in.

It looks like his parents were John Scuffham (b.1809?) and Ann Squires and his grandfather may have also been John. But there are either a lot of John Scuffhams in Fishtoft  or one John who married several times    I'm getting very confused. I was just wondering if anyone had managed to untangle the various Johns or could give me a shove in the right direction  Thanks.

[Isobelruss]

1861 census has only 2 James Scuffhams in Lincs and only 1 in Fishtoft

John Scufham 52 farm labourer b Fishtoft
Ann 51 wife b Holbeach
Rebecka 18 dau out of employ b Fishtoft
James 5 son scholar b ditto
Martha 3 gr dau b ditto

Sea End Fishtoft
RG9 2333/102/9

[Isobelruss]

1851 Looks like they may have had another James who possibly died

John Scufham 43 Farm labourer b Fishtoft
Ann 43 wife b Holbeach
Ann 11 dau b Fishtoft
Mary 10 dau b ditto
Rebecka 8 dau b ditto
James 2 son b ditto

HO107 2098/205/11
Fishtoft

[Isobelruss]

1841
Fishtoft,Fishtoft

John Scufham 30 ag lab
Mary 30
John 6
Ann 4
Sarah 2
Mary 9mths
James 40 ag lab
all born in county
HO107 607/2/5/2

Looks like John may have married again between 1841/1851

[Isobelruss]

Theres a christening 13 August 1809 Fishtoft parents John Scuffham and Elizabeth

[Icicle]

Many thanks for the info, it is much appreciated.

The James aged 5 in 1861 I'm sure is 'my' guy. I didn't know about the other one though.

So it looks like one John and 2 wives. Its a great start  -  I'm looking forward to digging around in a new area 

Thanks again.

[Redroger]

A later Scuffham was Tom Arridge Scuffham b12.1.1899, who I knew personally, and who died in the 1970s. He had 2 children with his first wife, and remarried after her death. He was employed at Boston Locomotive department as a train driver. Another Scuffham was a retired police officer, who when I knew him was employed as the ceremonial mace bearer to the Mayor of Boston. This was in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

[Icicle]

Hi Redroger

I wonder if they are related to my guys?

This is a new branch of the family for me. I'm pretty sure that all the Yorkshire Scuffhams are related to each other but I don't know how unusual a name it is in Lincolnshire.

I've already run into a mystery with John and Ann/Mary.

I found a marriage on 14 May 1834 in Holbeach between John Skufham and Ann Squires. In 1835 their eldest son is christened John Squires Scuffham. Followed by Ann, Sarah, Mary, Rebecca, Martha, James and James William. This ties in with the various children in the census.

In the 1851 and 61 Ann is shown as John's wife and her birthplace is given as Holbeach. So who is the mysterious Mary in the 1841 census?

Does it mean john had 3 wives: Ann, Mary and Ann or is there a mistake in the 1841 census? Anyone got any ideas? 

[Redroger]

As Fishtoft is next door to Boston, I would think it possible.After checking the ONS site surnames of England and Wales and finding there were only 97 Scuffhams in England and Wales in 2002, and in the light of other information suggesting if there are less than 30 deaths on the deaths index between 1838 and 1844 then it is probable the bearers of the name come from a single ancestor, and knowing that my own surnames with 500+ instances in the same index qualfies I think it extremely likely. A further possible connection is that I know during the 1960s the daughter of Tom Scuffham migrated to Yorkshire with her husband in search of work. Was she returning to her family roots?