Wisborough Green - Garton Family

[jbee]

Hi,

I am researching the family of Ann Garton  who married John Beeching at Wisborough Green 29 Oct 1778. Ann would seem to be the daughter of Josiah Garton and Sarah Goodwin who married 17 Nov 1747 also Wisborough Green.  Her father Josiah was a butcher and I believe died about 1781. I have no idea who his parents were but the best current prospects are John Garton and Elizabeth Hammond of Billingshurst.  Her mother Sarah is also a bit of a mystery. There is a marriage recorded in the Sussex Marriage Index, 10 May 1781, between Sarah Garton widow and Richard Puttock widower. I also have notes of a monumental inscription in the Wisborough Green Church Yard which is for Sarah Garton wife of Josiah Garton who "departed this life 18th July 1769 age 55 years". I am not aware of another Sarah and Josiah Garton in Wisborough Green, so have always thought this MI was for Sarah Goodwin. The marriage record to Richard Puttock puts a big question mark in that theory unless there was another Sarah Garton. Can anyone help me sort this out?

Thanks, all thoughts welcome,
Jack Beeching

[swebby]

Hi Jack,

I am tempted to agree with you that Josiah is the son of John & Elizabeth baptised 21 Sep 1723 in Billingshurst.
There is a mention of a Josiah Garton in the 1785 Land Tax records occupying lands of Mr Eastman called Flitchings. I cannot see any other Josiah Gartons baptised around that time so it might suggest that he is still alive.
The SFHG burial records for Wisborough Green seem to have a big hole between 1670 and 1783 which is the key area for your investigations.

The Goodwin family are a bit of a mystery indeed.

Regards
Sean

Edit:
It looks as though Josiah married Mary Elliott 17 Nov 1747 Wisborough Green before Sarah, Mary dying in 1748.

[jbee]

Hi Swebby,

Thanks for looking at this. Josiah was indeed married to Mary Elliot as well. They had a daughter Mary Garton who married John Mann in 1776. Josiah had two other children with Sarah; Sarah who married Edward Napper in 1773, and Josiah who married Zilpha Cox in 1779. It could be the younger Josiah who is in the 1785 land tax records.

Jack

[swebby]

There is another Sarah marrying a Garton in the right time frame.

Sarah Boxall m John Garton 20 Jun 1765 Wisborough Green.

[swebby]

Out of interest can I ask when the second Josiah was born? Struggling to find him.

[swebby]

Here is a possible for your Sarah Goodwin. Looking at the MI, it struck me that she was a good bit older than Josiah when he married her. He was also a widow and I figured that she could also be a widow as well.
Looking at the SMI there is a Sarah Stenning marrying Nicholas Goodwin in Wisborough Green 14 Jul 1740. Could Nicholas have died at some point in the next 9 years? Is there a Sarah Stenning born about 1714? The SFHG database is on a go slow at the moment so cannot answer that for you yet!

[jbee]

Try about 1757. Although from this extract below he may have been baptized away from Wisborough Green.

Extract from the Sussex Marriage Index:
Place: Archdeaconry of Chichester Marriage Licence,  Date: 24 May 1779:
Subject: Zilpha COX, sp 25 Steyning (4 wks)
Spouse: Joseph GARTON, bach 21 butcher Westborough Gn (4 wks)
Extra Information: SRS 35

 

[jbee]

Sarah Stenning / Goodwin is a possibility. There is a Stenning connection in the Garton family of Ifield. William Garton of Ifield married Susanna Stenning in 1662/63. Among their children was a Josiah born 1666, so a connection there as well.

[swebby]

Well the theory looks good.

Sarah Stenning bap 22 Jun 1714 to John and Mary at Wisborough Green. I cannot tell whether Nicholas Goodwin has died because of the aforementioned hole in the records of SFHG.