Hi again,
About Jo's question re Sarah - thank you.
I guess I may have got an initial "potential bum steer" from 4 or 5 other Ancestry members, who list James Hills and Martha Ann Emery as Sarah's parents ? Now I admit to being a little confused.
Part of my reasoning is based on the parents names on Sarah's marriage certificate are 100% correct. Also I presumed the Hills family moved away from Gravesend some time after the birth of James Junior in 1816, mainly as I was unable to locate a matching death record of James Snr anywhere in Kent. Also, I find it more than a coincidence that Edward Coy was noted as residing in the Hills old family hometown of Gravesend, at the time of his marriage to Sarah quite a fair way away at Stoke in Middlesex on the other side of the Thames.
So Rosie, I thank you too for raising the point of my possibly incorrect presumption of James Snr passing away Hadstock. I have done a thorough search on FreeReg for every James Hills death record, in Kent & Essex & Middlesex & London City, between 1823 and 1880, including the death of James Hills buried at St Mary's Sth Benfleet in 1843 aged 47. By a process of diligent elimination, I have found no other death record which even comes anywhere close to my noted record that our James Hills Snr, was born in 1788 at Chatham, and probably died in Hadstock Essex aged 52.
With all due respect Rosie, I do realize Hadstock is some 45 miles from Sth Benfleet, however to me it appears obvious my Hills family obviously travelled quite soe distances, eg. over the Thames from relatively rural old time areas to London's suburbs, most likely for work or family reasons. Obviously, I will gladly consider any other logical and accurate record you can provide, regarding the place and time of death of James Hills Snr.
Again, I thank all you Rootschat members, for your past and present input into my family research.
Best Regards
Mixo Sydenham
Ellinbank Vic Australia