Completed My Visit to Cambridgeshire County Record Office - will do simple Look-ups

[bedfordshire boy]

I think you might be right, possibly Nelson? I got all excited for nothing!

[wdurham]

My personal feeling is that John was in prison. I have checked a couple already! Especially as a Mary Watson aka Tolladay  (who could have been his younger sister = name and age are right) was in Chesterton Gaol in 1841. Unfortunately, John wasn't - unless he was going under an assumed name?

Rebecca had millions of relatives in Downham, and there are Watsons all over Cherry Hinton and the rest of Cambridgeshire. I can't believe no-one would have taken them in if they were distressed, unless there was some kind of calumny attached.

Still, have sent for Francis and Rebecca's death certs which may give further information.

[Keith Sherwood]

Right, Wdurham,
Time to cut in on the dynamic dialogue you have been having with Bedfordshire Boy.  I managed to wriggle myself away from the Xmas shopping (hooray!) in Cambridge today, and shot off to Shire Hall for some respite for an hour.  And although I may not have solved all the mystery surrounding the WATSON family, I think I've at least shed some more light on the matter...
Looking first in the transcribed Cherry Hinton registers 1538-1912:
Marriage on 06-05-1806: John WATSON (x) and Elizabeth COOPER (x) b.o.t.p.  Witnesses: Mary Linsey and the (ubiquitous) Samuel Mortlock, who must have been a church worthy as he's still acting as a witness for your next WATSON marriage in 1829.
Subsequent baptism: 27-07-1806: John WATSON, son of John and Elizabeth

Then, Marriage on 02-03-1829: John WATSON (x) and Rebecca HARRISON (x) b.o.t.p. Witnesses Charles Cornel and Sam Mortlock
Subsequent baptisms: 10-01-1830: James WATSON son of John (lab) and Rebecca.
08-04-1832: William WATSON s. of John and Rebecca
08-03-1835: Hannah WATSON d. of John and Rebecca.

There was definitely NO 1837 baptism for the family, the only other WATSON one was on 12-01-1834 for Alice WATSON d. of James (lab) and Susan.
BUT, the very last baptism in the book for WATSON was:
31-01-1858: William WATSON, an adult of John and Rebecca of St Andrew The Less, Cambridge, Lab.

Here are some significant WATSON burials at Cherry Hinton:
20-03-1831: John WATSON 54
21-03-1833: William WATSON aged 14 months
08-09-1834: Elizabeth WATSON 57
24-08-1841: George Lyes (?) (this question mark was in the transcription) WATSON of St Andrew The Less, Cambridge, 7 weeks
20-05-1846: Rebecca WATSON of St Andrews The Less, Cambridge, 35

Do you know when the family might have gone to Chesterton Workhouse?  (I looked in the Parish Chest for Cherry Hinton, but couldn't find anything).  And if this second William was indeed born in 1837, you are really unlucky that they didn't start National Registration until Sept. quarter 1837!
Perhaps the baptismal entry for him indicates that he had just become 21 years of age - "an adult" - on 31-01-1858.  I'd like to have an educated guess that he might have been born on 31-01-1837, or very close to that date.
There's more on the WATSON's in the Cherry Hinton registers, which you might already have.  I'll have a break now and possibly PM you with those details if you want them.
Interesting that, even though St Andrew The Less is just down the road from the Chesterton Workhouse, Rebecca WATSON was buried back in Cherry Hinton.
Keith
p.s. I looked between 1835 and 1840 amongst the baptisms of St Andrew The Less for William before I realised that we needed his BIRTH, and that I already had a baptism for him at Cherry Hinton!  Perhaps I should have stuck to the Xmas shopping...

[wdurham]

Keith -

Thankyou VERY, VERY much for all of that!

So William was baptised as an adult in 1858 - that was a good guess on David's part! Hence no appearance in the parish registers - but just falling short of 1837 birth registration. I HAVE checked the first two quarters of registration for him, with no luck. I also looked for Francis - 3 mths old in the workhouse in 1841 and died 1842. Can't find his birth in the GRO index, but did find his death and have sent for the certificate to find out what I can from it. Have also sent for Rebecca's death cert to see who registered her death and precisely where she died.

So it's clear that William b.1837 and Francis b.1841 were not baptised in the local area as children. I can't find either of their births in the GRO index either - though with William he probably just missed it. Francis should be there, though.  Could be two reasons for no baptism - (a) they weren't there - perhaps with her parents in Downham? or (b) if Rebecca was already in the workhouse (which opened 1836), then she may have simply not bothered.

So I still can't formally link my 1851 John, William, James and (H)Anna with my 1841 Rebecca, James, Hannah and William.    

But never mind - I am SURE they are mine.....

John Watson aged 54 who died in 1831 looks like John 1806's father, who was baptised 1777 and - as you have confirmed - married Elizabeth Cooper in 1806.  The date of John Jnr's subsequent birth is conjures up some interesting thoughts....

Keith, thanks so much - if you turn up anything else I'd be glad to have it.

[Keith Sherwood]

Wdurham.
And I'M pretty sure they're the same family in both the 1841 and 1851 Census...!
Actually, there wasn't an enormous amount more to give you, so I might as well let you have in here on this thread...
So, in the 1538-1912 Cherry Hinton registers the earliest WATSON marriage was 1564; first burial 1567; first baptism 1592.

There's a cluster of 3 baptisms, one of which must be John Watson who married in 1806, and his two sisters.  No appropriate marriage beforehand, though - perhaps in a nearby parish.  These were:
01-10-1772: Mary WATSON d. of William and Elizabeth
03-09-1775: Sarah WATSON d. of William and Elizabeth
02-11-1777: John WATSON s. of William and Elizabeth.

There's a couple more baptisms around this time, but perhaps to William's relative (brother?) James, i.e.:
03-10-1762: Elizabeth WATSON d. of James and Elizabeth
03-09-1765: Hannah WATSON d. of James and Elizabeth.

The most recent WATSON baptism before that was in 1695, and in fact there were no WATSON marriages in Cherry Hinton between 1705 and 1806. (Sometimes negative info is useful...)
Burials not already mentioned:
01-05-1782: Mary WATSON daughter of William and Elizabeth
10-06-1785: William WATSON by the parish
14-03-1805: Elizabeth WATSON widow
Looks like neither parent got to see their son John married in 1806...

And I did look for a baptism for Francis in the St Andrew the Less registers around 1841, but could find no trace; perhaps people in the workhouse didn't get quite the same opportunity - I really don't know what the situation was like in those days.  Hopefully the certificates you sent for will shed even more light!
Keith

[wdurham]

Thankyou very much (again!) for these - I had William and Elizabeth and their three children from the IGI- great to have it properly confirmed from the registers! I can give them a tick now instead of a question mark. I never quite trust the IGI....

But no marriage prior to the baptisms - drat.  I couldn't find them in the IGI either - not in Cherry Hinton, anyway. They must have come from another parish - there are Watsons all over the place in Cambs, and a positive nest of them in Stow cum Quy.

On the other hand, William might have come from somewhere quite different - my grandfather James Stephen Watson (John 1806 is my 3xgreat grandfather) always said he was a "gentleman" by heritage and came from an old Scottish family. He will be turning in his grave about all those Ag Labs in his tree, especially poor Rebecca and the workhouse.....!

[Keith Sherwood]

Wdurham,
Searching for him in Scotland might be a tricky one, and expensive, possibly!  I wonder whether anyone has Boyd's marriages for Cambs, and could look up a circa 1770 marriage for a William WATSON tying the knot with an Elizabeth Someoneorother...? (Preferably somewhere near Cherry Hinton or Cambridge)
Keith

[Rosalie Ryan]

Hello Keith 
When time permits would love a lookup on:

Joseph Stacey marriage to Sarah Fordham in Whittlesea
date 5 Jan 1841.  Would love to know Sarah's details etc.

Her parents I suspect were Robert Fordham and an Elizabeth
children:  Sarah 1822 Whittlesea, Rebecca 1830, William 1832
                and another Rebecca 1834?

I am also trying to establish another dau Mary who would have
been older than the sibs above.  Family folklore have it that
Joseph Stacey m Mary Johnson (widow)1854 Newborough. 
Mary being the sister to his first wife???  It was a marriage of convenience to immigrate to Australia with their amalgamated family.

Much obliged
Rosalie Ryan 
NSW AUSTRALIA

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Rosalie,
I'm not sure whether I'll manage to get there before Christmas, but STACEY and FORDHAM are in the pending tray now...!
Very best wishes,
Keith