DAVIS, Isaac - transported for horse stealing

[wjcooper16]

Hello,

I am looking for the birth records of an Isaac Davis (alias Samuel Fix).  According to his convict records he was born abt 1808 in Chapmanslade, Westbury, Wiltshire. Mother: Sarah, stepfather: ? Fix.  He was convicted of Horse Stealing in Somerset, April 1827 and transported aboard the 'Bengal Merchant' to Van Diemans Land (Tasmania) in 1828.

I have already checked on ancestry.com and familysearch.org, but have been unsuccessful in locating him.  I would appreciate any suggestions for my next move.

Question: Would it be likely that a person born in Chapmanslade (Wiltshire) would later tell family/friends that they came from Frome (Somerset) given that the two places are in close proximity? 
The reason I ask is that I have an ancestor named Isaac Davis who was said to be born in Frome, but all efforts to locate him have been in vain and this convict Isaac Davis from Chapmanslade is our best possible candidate.  Trying to establish a link.

wjcooper16

[Captain2]

Hello there,

The area between the villages, Corsley, Chapmanslade,  Warminster & Bishopstrow (Wiltshire) and Frome (Somerset) is very small, probably no more than 10 miles.  The village of Chapmanslade lies on the Wiltshire/Somerset border, so yes, in answer to your question, it could be feasible that someone born in the village of Chapmanslade could state they were from the nearest town, maybe Frome (Somerset).

I  found the burial for James Fix aged 41 in Chapmanslade, Wiltshire  on 5th January 1827,  so a Fix family were definately in Chapmanslade at that time.  Looking at James as a possible step-father, I came across this family, which may be a strong possiblity for your Fix family as the village of Corsley is very close to the village of Chapmanslade in fact, you can walk between the two villages quite easily!

James and Sarah Fix - Corsley, Wiltshire
Children ( all baptised Corsley, Wiltshire)
Robert Fix 4 July 1810
Benjamin Fix 19 June 1808
Samuel Fix 15 Feb 1807
(baptised Bishopstrow, Wiltshire)
Anne 28 Oct 1804

There is a marriage between Sarah Steven and James Fix 12 June 1804, Bishopstrow, Wiltshire, which would tie in with the birth of their first child in Bishopstrow, Anne .

Hoping this is the right family,

Kind regards

Angie

[Captain2]

There is a burial for Benjamin Fix (aged 40) 7 July 1840 in Corsley, Wilts.  Possible marriage for Anne Fix to James Heywar, 16 May 1837 in North Bradley, Wilts ( this is still local to where the family lives) . At the moment I am unable to find anything further for Robert Fix.
Sarah Fix in the 1841  (aged 60) is a female servant in Sutton Veny, Wilts
( again in close proximity to Chapmanslade)  and by 1851 Sarah (aged 71) is at the 'Common', Warminster, Wilts (pauper) with her birth place listed as Bishopstrow, Wilts ( where she married James Fix).

[wjcooper16]

Hi Captain2,

Thankyou for your reply, it has been most helpful.  I had suspected that the answer to my question about the proximity of Chapmanslade to Frome would be yes, but felt I needed a local to confirm, so your answer has given me hope that I am on the right track.

The additional information you have given me is great, as I have not been able to find much more than a mention of a Sarah (servant) in the 1841 cenus.

I'm grateful for the family information but not sure if it can be the right one as Isaac is supposed to have been born abt 1808, and Fix was listed as his stepfather.  If the information contained in the crime records is even close he would have been born while Sarah was actually married to Fix. 

There is of coarse the Samuel Fix born in 1807 but this was listed as an alias on the crime records and not the given name.  Either I'm on the wrong track, or his real name was Samuel Fix and his alias was Isaac Davis, which he went on to use as his given name here in Australia.

I will keep chipping away to see what turns up.   Thanks for your help.

Regards  Wendy.

[Captain2]

Hi Wendy,

From the Archives Records of Tasmania - (available through the National Archives)
Family Name - Fix
Given Name - Samuel
See Surname - Davis
See Given Name - Isaac
Date of Arrival -10 August 1828
Ship Name - Bengal Merchant
Date of Departure - 25 March 1828
Port of Departure - Plymouth

From that info, I would say that your Isaac Davis is indeed Samuel Fix.
I would guess from that, that James Fix was obviously his father, and for whatever reason this was transcribed as step-father in the criminal records. Perhaps Isaac (Samuel) wanted to dissassociate himself from his family after his conviction  by changing his name and leaving behind his past life? That ofcourse if just speculation...

Hope this helps with your research, and if you require any more 'local' knowledge, please let me know...

Kind Regards

Angie

[wjcooper16]

Hi Angie,

It certainly helps that someone else speculates and thinks the same way as I do given the information........just needed to hear someone else say it, before I pencil the information into my tree.

I have all the Tassie info, and if you are ever looking for any convict information the website: foundersandsurvivors has brought alot of the convict records from the govenment site together in one document for each convict.  That was where I orginally found mention of his mother, stepfather, and place of birth.  It also provides direct links to the digitised copies of the original documents.

Many thanks.

Wendy

[Captain2]

The first time I have come across the site ( haven't needed it yet!) and yes, it is fascinating, I was drawn in for hours!  I had a look at the records for Isaac ( Samuel) and as I drove through Chapmanslade yesterday I could visualise a young man of 20, brown haired and blue-eyed working as a ploughman living in the village with his family; being transported to Tasmania must have been a hard blow both for him and his family, especially his mother Sarah having lost her husband in the same year. 

Thank you for posting Wendy. I have had an interesting and extremely informative time looking  for the information, especially as I live on the 'doorstep' !

Kind Regards

Angie