Benjamin Armstrong born Mansfield Query

[Kay99]

Newspaper Report - Nottingham Review 24 Aug 1838

Death

At Mansfield, on this day week, Ann wife of Benjamin Armstrong Stone Mason age 80

[castlebob]

Thanks, Kay. It seems there were a lot of new buildings, using stone, being built in Nottingham in the 18th century, so perhaps folk from the N E of England and the Scottish border counties came south.

[jaywit]

If you look at FreeReg there were Armstrongs in Mansfield in the early 1700s.

[castlebob]

Many thanks. I've got a lot of info on the Armstrongs who were Calais merchants from Tweedale who moved to Corby Glen in the 16th C, plus some who were connected to Wysall Church & Rempstone in the 16th & 17th. There's a 14th C tomb of an Armstrong, too. Two held the manor of Thorpe in the county.

I'll take a look at the ones you've mentioned.

Cheers,

Bob

[Annie65115]

More baptisms for children of William and Sarah, all at Mansfield; William listed as labourer or stonesawyer for each, and address Chesterfield Road for each:

1826 11 12      Benjamin   
1829 03 08      William   
1834 07 04      John   
1837 08 03   1837 08 13      George   
1840 04 04   1840 04 12      Henry   (died 1848)
1842 02 19   1842 03 06      Emma   
1845 01 08      Joseph   (died 1845)
1846 07 22      Harriett   

There's also a burial for Ann, d of William and Sarah 7.3.1844,age 2

7.1.1857 - burial of Sarah Armstrong, of Chesterfield Road, wife of William (confirming trish's find)

Marriage:  1859 03 06   William   ARMSTRONG   Frances   JOW   

[Annie65115]

Going back another generation, baptisms to Benjamin and Ann Armstrong, all Mansfield

   1796 05 11      Mary   
   1797 10 23      Ann   
   1799 09 25      Hannah   (burial of Anna, age 6 months, in April 1800)
   1801 04 08      Anna   
   1803 08 08      William   

There was a burial on 6.2.1799 of 26 year old Mary, wife of Benjamin Armstrong - but none of the above had a mother named Mary.

I suspect there may have been 2 Benjamins, with 3 marriages between them, because of this.
Marriages, all at Mansfield:

Date of Marriage   Groom's First Name   Groom's Surname   Bride's First Name   Bride's Surname   Parish Name
1794 09 04   Benjamin   ARMSTRONG   Mary   PAILTHORPE   
1795 08 27   Benjamin   ARMSTRONG   Ann   WILCOCK   
(first baptisms to Benjamin and Ann start in 1796)
(Mary, wife of Benjamin, dies Feb 1799 age 26)
1799 08 29   Benjamin   ARMSTRONG   Ann   WORDSWORTH   

[Annie65115]

Two Benjamins of similar age:

Burials, Mansfield:

1839 11 08   Benjamin   ARMSTRONG   age 70   Union House   
1848 10 16   Benjamin   ARMSTRONG   age 78   Back Lane West   (he's shown in the 1841 census as an ag lab, age 65, born in county; annoyingly he doesn't seem to be living with any other Armstrongs)

One baptism listed near Mansfield:

1775 02 15   Benjamin      son of Thomas and Hannah ARMSTRONG    SUTTON IN ASHFIELD St Mary Magdalene   

Good luck with sorting these out!

[castlebob]

Many thanks, Annie.
Lots to consider here!
Cheers,
Bob

[Annie65115]

Well, Ann died in 1838 and was the wife of Benjamin, a stonemason.

Benjamin stonemason died 1839, given age 70 so yob 1769 (ish!) He died in the union house. But Ann, his wife, died at Chesterfield Road, which is where William and his family lived, so what with that and William also being a stonemason, it's a good bet that this Benjamin and Ann were William's parents.

But which couple were they? There are no baptisms to Benjamin and Mary, all the relevant baptisms have Ann as the mother's name.

So in summary it seems that ONE Benjamin married Ann Wilcock in 1795, and they were the parents of Mary, Ann and Hannah.

The OTHER Benjamin, having been widowed, married Ann Wordsworth in 1799.

Either couple could then be the parents of Anna (1801) and William (1803). Frustratingly no father's occupation is given on my cd for any of these children at baptism.

Ann's age was given as 80 when she died in 1838, and stonemason Benjamin was 70 the following year.  So her yob might have been around 1758, making her quite old in reproductive terms when she married Benjamin in either 1795 or 1799. Not too old to have children, but perfectly old enough to have been married previously - and I can't see a baptism for either Ann (Wilcock or Wordsworth) in Mansfield (although of course she may have come from elsewhere).

If you want to try to trace any of the children of either couple, just in case it offers any further clues, these are possible marriages at Mansfield:
1818 11 24   Thomas   COUSINS   Mary   ARMSTRONG   
1824 09 14   James   WILSON   Hannah   ARMSTRONG   

What I CAN'T see in Mansfield is a marriage or burial for Ann Armstrong b 1797, or a burial for Ann the wife of the ag lab Benjamin.