Hannah Asfer bp 1784 (ish)

[Barbaricbarb]

Hi there

I have a bit of a puzzle (or brick wall) that I'm wondering if anyone else has come across (or similar).
I have a Hannah Asfer marrying George Hall in Horsleydown in 1802. in the 1851 and 1861 censuses Hannah has her birthplace as Christchurch Surrey (which is Southwark).
I am finding difficulty in tracing a baptism for her (or anyone else with surname Asfer for that matter). I've tried different permutations, soundex, * to replace letters, any Hannahs born in that time period (& beyond) and area (& beyond), different genealogy sites (Ancestry, FindMyPast, the Genealogist and familysearch)- zilch. There's Ashfer in Cambridge area earlier than that but no Hannahs/Annas for the relevant period.
Has anyone else been trying to trace her or any of her possible Ancestral family at all? Or even come across the surname (or variants) in their own investigations? I'm just plain old stuck!

Many thanks in advance

Barbara

[Bookbox]

The name looks very unusual. Perhaps it was recorded wrongly when she married? She did not sign her own name, so any wrong spelling might have been overlooked.

The baptism register for Christ Church Southwark is digitised on Ancestry.

The problem with searching for baptisms in this parish is that the register for the 1780s is badly damaged. While many of the names are readable, many of the years are not, because they are written at the extreme edges of the pages.

Ancestry have indexed these names without entering a year. So if you enter a year when searching, you are effectively blocking many of the results.

Instead, you could try browsing the register from page to page, looking for a Hannah baptised at the 'right' period with a surname that might have been wrongly written down as Asfer when she married.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1624/
From the Browse panel on the right select
Borough: Southwark
Parish: Christchurch
Year: 1770-1789

As an anchor-point for this search, baptisms at the turn of the year 1783/1784 are on image 56 (of 90).

You may not find her, but at least you will know that you have covered that parish properly.

[jonwarrn]

Has become Hannah Maria in 1841 in Christ Church Southwark
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQKD-Y5S

In an unnamed almshouse in Church Street in 1851
which must be Edward's Almshouses, where she is in 1861
A drawing here from 1855
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1880-1113-5314

Death
Sep 1867 St Saviour 1d 7
Hall, Hannah Maria   
age 83   

Buried at Norwood Cemetery, 19 Sep 1867, age 84.

[Annette7]

Since her surname seems most odd and probably a corruption of something else I wondered about this baptism (bearing in mind second name of Maria):

Hannah Maria Affenden bp.20/3/1782 St. Olave, Southwark dau. of Margaret, illegitimate (born 19th February).

Certainly can find nothing further of this person.

Annette
 

[Barbaricbarb]

Thanks everyone

Taking your hints into consideration (nothing like a hive mind for a fresh perspective) and having another trawl and look, I think it's possible that her surname could also be Ashton (it could sound as little like Asfer in an accent)- there's a Hannah Maria baptised in 1786 in Horsleydown that I'm investigating now who could be a fit- I'll also keep Affenden in mind too- any lead is always helpful.

Barbara