Wrong baptism all along.

[richarde1979]

Tobias Obay     Burial     24 Feb 1726/7     St Dunstan and All Saints
Sarah Obay    Burial    8 Mar 1726/7    St Dunstan and All Saints
Jane Obay     Burial     5 Apr 1727     St Dunstan and All Saints, 

When you factor in the Julian/Gregorian factor, there we have it then, 3 burials (including Jane herself) within 5 weeks which would have been recorded on the 1727/8 Royal Bounty accounts. Matches the info we have.

[coombs]

So two of them were children, and the other was Jane. So there was one more child of Tobias and Jane still unaccounted for. Am I right?

I felt a shiver when I saw that St Thomas Hospital record. Samuel Obay of Virginia Row, BG. That is just a couple of streets away from Giants Yard where Samuel Jnr lived in 1784.

What are your thoughts on Susan Durham.

[richarde1979]

I think those are probably the three burials the account refers to. That does suggest the missing child was a son 'Tobias' rather than Samuel, so a bit dissapointing. That said I wouldn't want to be too hasty in abandoning Tobias and Jane as candidates, they do spell their name similar to Samuels branch, and are having children at the right time, and we know at least one of their children has a baptism that cannot be found. The problem is the Royal Bounty account covers the whole period no exact dates are given. I think the point I am getting at is Samuel could have been born 1720, Tobias 1725, and when she got the 12 shillings it might have been after Tobias had died in Feb 1726/7. So Sarah, Samuel, Elizabeth still alive = 3 children. Without exact dates, we cannot be 100% on this, so can't write them off yet.

Virginia Row as you say, very near where Samuel Auber and Elizabeth were living, its just above the Old Nichol on the Shoreditch border. All the poorer weavers were at that time concentrated in that area. (This also suggests they were not linked to the Boblec branch who were very wealthy by that time). Samuel sr would, if still alive, be 64, so I think it may be him. You'd expect him to be living not far from his son.

[richarde1979]

I found this excerpt about the Bolbec Aubers, not really relevent to ours, but interesting because it no doubt shows the way the name was pronounced to English ears:

"Mr Obey, we give you now an Egg Shell of Honey, but if you refuse to comply with the demands of yesterday, we'll give you a Gallon of Thorns to your final Life's End"

This was a poison pen letter/threat sent to Peter Auber, Silk Manufacturer of Spital Square, the great grandson of Jean Auber and Susanne La Moisse, who came over from Bolbec in 1687, during the Spitalfields Weavers Riots of October 1763. He was a particular target of their attentions as he was opposed to improving the weavers rights and conditions.

[coombs]

We now know that Samuel was probably alive in 1784. We now need to try and find a burial after 1784.

If Samuel was another child, then we are missing baptisms of Tobias and Samuel. It could be they recieved the money after Tobias Jnr died.

[richarde1979]

Re Susan Durham, that Cripplegate baptism could be her, but just as equally might not. Since the fleet weddings don't have witnesses names etc to try and link her up to a particular family, I think it will be a difficult to near impossible job to positively identify her. She may not even have been born and baptised in London.

[coombs]

Could be the same with Elizabeth Newman. She may not have been born in London. That would make it very difficult to identify her.

There is the small chance Susan's parents left a will.

[richarde1979]

Hi Ben

I had sub to the Genealogist, with the Canterbury Court Wills etc included but it run out last week, so have to leave that side to you for time being, though yes definently a route worth looking into I'd say.

[coombs]

Now we need to see if we can find out more on Mary Obey and when she died in 1747. I think it could well be he married irregularly in 1743 when Mary was banged up. I looked on the Old Bailey site but found nothing. Maybe she was tried at another London court.

I wonder how long Samuel Obey was in the St Thomas Hospital for? I am sure it is Samuel born about 1720. Susanna Auber died in 1815 aged 94 and was of Bethnal Green. That is the burial I found at Spitalfields, Christ Church. I am sure it is Susannah the wife of Samuel as it fits and I cannot find another Auber/Obey man with a wife of the name Susannah just Samuel born about 1720.