My GG grandfather is Edward Brock. His son William Edward was born in Devonport in 1862 and I have always struggled to track the family down with a little more certainty. There are a few erroneous trees on Ancestry and elsewhere. I started looking into him back in 2017 and had a few helpful pointers here. I thought I would pick up on this ancestor again and try to find some more information.
Edward Brock died on 25th March 1870 aged 45. A newspaper report suggests he died at the Tavistock Inn but his death certificate states elsewhere in Devonport (Quarry Street?)... His wife Mary Jane Brock was an Innkeeper at the inn in the 1871 census.
They had married in 1861 when Edward was 25(I'm a bit concerned about this inaccuracy as the evidence suggests he is older). Interestingly, his deceased father William is listed as a farmer from the wonderfully named Broadwoodwidger in north Devon.
I never managed to find Edward in the 1861 census. I wonder what happened to him? He was to marry later that year to Mary Jane Every, a widow with 3 daughters.
In the 1851 census, I think the family were living in Stoke Damerel - parents William and Martha (both 52), Edward 23 a blacksmith and younger sisters Jane H and Sarah. Interestingly, the family other than the youngest are listed as being Cornish. Markham is listed as the place of birth but is most likely Marhamchurch. I couldn't find a Markham.
The 1841 census had a likely match in Broadwoodwidger. The ages look a bit off but given the list of names, it looks like there are 3 generations of Brocks all resident in the one place.
First name(s) Last name Sex Age Birth year Birth place
William Brock Male 35 1806 -
Martha Brock Female 35 1806 -
William Brock Male 15 1826 -
Thomas Brock Male 12 1829 -
Edward Brock Male 10 1831 -
John Brock Male 7 1834 -
Jane Brock Female 5 1836 -
Sarah Brock Female 3 1838 Devon, England
Ann Jewell Female 15 1826 Devon, England
William Brock Male 70 1771 -
Sarah Brock Female 70 1771 -
Similar names can be found in the Marhamchurch parish transcriptions for baptisms so I think I have the right family... Does this sound reasonable? There have been a number of different William Brocks appearing in family trees that don't seem to be a good match.
I'm struggling to track down Edward Brock in 1861 and his father William who died sometime between 1851 in Stoke Damerel and 1861 when his widow Martha is in the census back in Broadwoodwidger...
Thanks in advance for any answers anyone might come up with.
