Orchard Family, Somerset, England

[anne armstrong]

I have Orchards in my family line - from Ashbury in Berkshire.  Just recently, I have discovered that, although this ancestor (Abraham Orchard) settled in this village from the early nineteenth century, he was from a travelling/ gypsy family.  His brother, Edward, chose to continue travelling throughout Somerset, Devon and Dorset, according to Census records. I have been having great difficulty in tracing back from Abraham; even though I think that I have the names of his parents, I haven't been able to find their origins - no doubt because of their "here one day, gone tomorrow" lifestyle.  Your Orchards may not fall into this category; but it may explain why you are finding it hard to track them down. So you may need to consider looking in a wide area for references.

[susie89]

I too have Orchards in my family who may be related to yours, I have Thomas Orchard 1690-1759 Married to Joan Blackford 1690-1765, their son Thomas Orchard 1710-1782 married to Mary Sully 1719-1790 and their daughter Jane Orchard 1748-1826 who married Robert Simoms 1747-1795, they were from Luxborough and Jane ended up in Crowcombe.

Susie 

[anne armstrong]

Thanks for your reply.  I'll go through all my refs to Orchards and see if I can find a link.   Anne

[smconnors]

I'm descended from the New Brunswick, Canada Orchard family. I'm trying to trace BACK. Also does anyone know WHO came with Robert Orchard to Canada, how and when did they get there ?  I'm descended from  Robert's son John and  Mary Caroline Bennison.   Their daughter Iva Myrtle Orchard was my Great Grandmother.  She married Orland Stanley Dykeman.  Photo is of my GGM and my GM.

[ggrocott]

I too have an Orchard on the family tree - Elizabeth Nelson Orchard born 1862, Poole, Dorset, daughter of Joseph Markham Orchard.  Information from marriage certificate.  If anyone has any other information about this lady - particularly the identity of her mother I would be delighted to hear from them.

Thank you, in advance, for any help you can give me.

[Kamante]

About ten years ago I was trying to figure out the parentage of Robert Orchard, buried 1824 in Luxborough. I made the following notes at that time: "Luxborough (Somerset, England) parish records show a burial on December 12, 1824 of Robert Orchard, aged 91. If this is for "our" Robert, then he was born about 1733. The burial information is from a copy of the original handwritten baptismal register. What was the source of the age of 91? Did the minister have a baptismal record? Did the survivors tell the minister? Why was a man who married and baptized his children in Dunster and paid taxes for almost 20 years in Dunster buried in Luxborough? There was a Robert baptized in Withycombe in 1743 to Francis and Joan Orchard. There was also a Robert baptized in Luxborough in 1722 to Thomas and Joan (Blackford) Orchard. There is no "fact" that would tie either of the 1722 or 1743 Robert's to the Robert who married Mary Baker except the circumstantial evidence that 1743 is exactly 21 years before the 1764 marriage and Withycombe is a little closer to Dunster than to Luxborough." I have some more information on Robert, but my "bottom line" is that I and other researchers were not able to identify Robert's parents with any certainty. Bill A.

[hollings13]

I'm descended from the New Brunswick, Canada Orchard family. I'm trying to trace BACK. Also does anyone know WHO came with Robert Orchard to Canada, how and when did they get there ?  I'm descended from  Robert's son John and  Mary Caroline Bennison.   Their daughter Iva Myrtle Orchard was my Great Grandmother.  She married Orland Stanley Dykeman.  Photo is of my GGM and my GM.

Robert Orchard was my 4 x Great Uncle and I too am trying to trace back from him.  I know he arrived in Canada in 1829 but how he got there and who with I am still working on.  I have my dates for him and his family from when they arrived in Canada from an excerpt of E. Stone Wiggins book "History of Queens County" If I find anything I will let you know.