|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Dec 1, 2015 6:28:29 GMT -5
I still have a lot of work to do on the Major family but it is time for an update given I believe I have now just identified another of the children of Timothy Major junior. Both Timothy and his wife in their respective Wills were helpful in naming sons-in-law even though they did not specifically name the daughters involved. The daughter I have now identified was the wife of son-in-law John James. I have long had in my database the 1677 Towednack marriage of James Ninnes and Elizabeth Major and to now I had not been able to identify either. The Wills of Timothy Major and his wife have helped solve that problem although a 1703 marriage at Lelant between William Leacher and Elizabeth Uren was causing some doubts. I had suspected that Elizabeth Uren may have been a widow when she married William Leacher and therefore that she may have been the daughter of Timothy. As it stands now I am quite happy that I have to look for a different William Leacher! So - James Ninnes and Elizabeth Major were married at Towednack 25th October 1677. There is then a baptism for a James son of James Ninis at Zennor 17th April 1681 followed by the burial of a James Nines at Towednack 27th June 1681. I would still like more proof but I am quietly confident that the burial is that of the husband of Elizabeth Major and furthermore I now suspect that the son baptised at Zennor in 1681 may be the same James Nines who witnessed the Will of Timothy Major! (The transcript shows the name as HINES but it is much more likely to have been Nines) The following marriage then gives us the link to the abovementioned Wills:- John James junr. married Elizabeth Ninnes, widow, 23rd November 1687 at St Ives John James was one of the sons-in-law named in both Wills. CT
|
|
|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Dec 9, 2015 5:10:50 GMT -5
Time for another Major update and with work on this family still ongoing I need to suggest that perhaps some remapping of the family might be in order. As an example - I constantly see references to William Major being 'born' in 1634 and other siblings being born in 1630 or 1636 but as a result of some work I have done today there can be little doubt that these 'facts'/estimates must be incorrect. We know from the Will of Timothy Major the elder that he had four sons. These sons were named in order as John, Stephen, William and Timothy and unless Timothy was named Executor then I would normally expect this to be a reflection of the actual birth order of the sons. We know that Timothy was not named executor because that task was allocated to his daughter Jane who at the time of the Will would have been at best about 2 years old! Talk of Timothy being the eldest son is pure conjecture based, I suspect, only on the fact that he was named for his father. As a guide to approximating ages I always find the 1641 Protestation Return useful. This was a document designed in an attempt to avert Civil War and was the result of a Bill passed in 1641 requiring 'those (males) over the age of 18 to sign the Protestation, an Oath of allegiance to King Charles I and the Church of England'. The names of anyone refusing to sign was also noted. Following is a list of men named Major (var.) signing the document in the area of interest:- John MAIOR - Towednack - Churchwarden This is probably the father of Thomas Major who married Cheston Rosewall at Towednack in 1682. John had to have been born before 1623 and as he was Churchwarden was probably at least in his mid-20s. William MAIOR - St Ives He also had to have been born before 1623 and I believe he will be the William Major always referred to as born 1634! I believe the Jone Major whose Will was proved in 1687 was his wife. Stephen MAGER - St Ives Another who had to have been born before 1623 which would mean that if Mary Paynter was his second wife then he would have been over 65 when the marriage occurred! Timothy MAIOR - St Ives As there is only one Timothy Major signing the Protestation Return I would suggest this is Timothy the elder. The conclusion therefore is that the younger Timothy must have been born after 1623. (There was the signiature of a John Major at Penzance also but a check of the early Madron/Penzance registers suggests his name was actually John Magor or Meager and that he was no connection) And one further very interesting item I found today in the early Bishops Transcripts for St Ives:- Grace daughter of Tymothy Mager was baptised 19th September 1613 Grace daughter of Tymothy Mager was buried 2nd October 1613 The surviving BTs for St Ives cover the years 1607, 1613, 1615, 1619, 1623, 1625, 1636 and 1638 after which there is a long gap to the 1660s. It is only in 1613 that I found any record of the Major family so the other known children would have been baptised sometime during the missing years. I have one further thought to offer - whilst there may have been other children who did not survive we do now know that Timothy Major had a daughter named Grace. The younger Timothy also named a daughter Grace although potentially she was the fourth daughter. However, it is possible that this was the name of the elder Timothy's wife. CT
|
|
ddrury5840
Noweth
looking for any leads for timothy major (or maior) born before 1600.
Posts: 10
|
Post by ddrury5840 on Jan 8, 2016 15:08:59 GMT -5
Dear CT,
I am writing a book about Major families in the U.S. and would like with your permission to include the information in your December posts. Let me know if this would be O.K. with you. Naturally this would be with full credit and sourcing.
Don Drury
|
|
|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Jan 8, 2016 22:14:10 GMT -5
Hi Don - I don't see any problem with that as there is nothing in those posts that might breach any copyrights. Regards, CT
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Jul 30, 2018 7:08:00 GMT -5
Hello Cornish Terrier, Thank you for you great research clues. I am very interested in your reply above about a different order of birth for the sons of Timothy Maior, the Elder. I placed the sons in this order long ago after I found the will records of the two Timothy's so you are right about the reason I used this birth order. It is a puzzle to me why Timothy Maior's daughter, according the will, was a "minor" was made executor. I reread the the Elder's will and was able to read a portion I couldn't before: "praying my children to be comforted with this is my Last will and testament without any trouble and if anie of them [go] against the others for anie of my goods & chattles [?] they will answer for thier Sinne before Alllmightie God." I have read many wills, but I've never read this type of statement before, so I think it may mean that he knew there would be a great family uproar at the reading of the will, yet he appears to be trying to protect his family!
In the name of God Amin, this sixth dae of November in the year of our Lord God One Thousand Six hundred ffifte four I Timothy Maior of the Borow of St. Ives, County of Cornwall, yeoman allthough sick of bodie yet of good perfect and sound memory prayse be Almightie God therefore do make and ordaine this my Last will and Testament [?] and praying my children to be comforted with this is my Last will and testament without any trouble and if anie of them [go] against the others for anie of my goods & chattles [?] they will answer for thier Sinne before Alllmightie God. And this Continues my Last will and testament in manner & forme following. First I commend my soule to Allmightie God my creator & to his sonne Jesus Christ my Savior and to the holie ghost my sanctifier. & [?] most humbley beseeching the most holie blessed Trinitie to have mercie on my Soule and to pardone & forgive All my sinnes and offenses for and after this miserable life ordeal[?] eternall Life with the blessed Family in Heaven and that by the truth and the passion of our Savior Jesus Christ according to his mercifull sacrifice in my behalf. And I will my bodie to be decentlie buried according to Christian manner. Item I give and bequeath to my sonne John Maior one shilling
Item I give and bequeath unto Stephen Maior one Shilling.
Item I give and bequeath unto Timothy Maior my sonne one baye mare colt about three years old and one ? fallow on now pastoring? in Treloyhan (a villiage in St. Ives, a mile east from the town ['the habitation in the grove'; Welsh tre llwyn], the villiage is now corruptly called 'Trelyon,' 'Trelion,' and even 'Treline.'" (John Hobson Mathews, A History of Parishes of St. Ives Lelant, Towednack and Zennor, pg 416.] one ? with all boards half boards timber record of timber whatsoever belonging same.
Item, I give and bequeath unto Jane my Granddaughter by Timothy Maior one young soro? of three years old and one ? ? phallow and all the rest of my goods, and Chattles not formerly given or bequeathed moveable or unmoveable with in doors or without doors I give and bequeath unto the said Jane Maior whom I made my whole and sole executrix of my last will and testament. And ? and appoint Ffrancis Robinson and Richard Lirse of St. Ives gent. overseers of this my last will and testament revoking all former wills wherefore over heretofore by me made and [?]In witnes wherein I the said Timothy Maior have hereunto published my hand and put to my seal over the testament [?]above written Timothy Major...Subscribers Francis Robinson, Timothy Majors signe Jane Timothyes Seyne? (sign)
[This was written 4 years later, after the death of Timothy Maior. Please note that Timothy the Elder died in 1656, but the son didn't go before the court until 2 years later.]:
The eight daie of [?] November one Thousand six hundred ffifty eight [?]came forth[?] of Adminstration to Timothy Maior the ffather and guardiian Lawfullie assigned to Jane Maior a minor [?]a grandchild and sole executrix named in the last will and testament of Timothy Maior late of the Burow of St. Ives in the County of Cornwall [?] Julie the 5th 1658
Jane, daughter of Timothy Jr. was born was christened on April 7, 1654 in St Ives so was still nursing from her mother’s breast when the grandfather's will was written. Thus, “Timothy Maior (the younger) the ffather and guardian Lawfullie assigned to Jane Maior a minor“ controlled the estate. Although this seems incredibly unfair, in the 17th Century the law favored males over females and only the oldest son inherited. The law also required that if the oldest son was deceased, the first born son of the oldest son would receive the inheritance. If there was only a daughter of the oldest son, she received the legacy (http://www.inquisitionspostmortem.ac.uk/contexts/the-law-of-inheritance/). This is possibly the reason why the younger sons of Tymothe Maior, the Elder were frozen out of the bequest; the will guaranteed that that if Timothy Maior the Younger died, the goods and chattles were secured for his posterity through his daughter, Jane. Since The Elder had lived through three Civil Wars, perhaps he was very concerned about having 4 sons being called up to service. Who knows what could happen with Oliver Cromwell, a non-royal, leading the country (1653-1658). However another reason may be that he was a doting grandfather who showered the baby with gifts and didn't give a hoot about the law.
Jane lived and appears to have never married. She is the executor of both her mother and father's wills (1706 and 1705), so she was over the age of 50 when she died. Of interest in the Timothy Jr. will is that there is a Richard Major who signed his will in 1705 and the James Nines you mused about. Also of interest in Jane Thomas Major's will (wife of Timothy Jr.) is that it is signed by John James, Anne James and Alex James.
I would like to have your opinion about my reasoning, because when I read your discovery of Grace born in 1613 the daughter of Timothy the Elder, all the sudden I have no idea. There could be numerous children between Grace and Timothy Jr.
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Jul 30, 2018 10:35:22 GMT -5
Also, dear Cornish Terrier, Thank for your incredible work in trying to untangle the Major line. I didn't know about the 1641 Protestation Return. That is very interesting.
John Hobson Matthews, "A history of the parishes of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack and Zennor : in the county of Cornwall" A HISTORY OF the parishes of ST, IVES... Title: A rate made 7 Maye 1620 : for the king’s [Charles I rules 1600-1649] Maties seruice [service]. In this tax record some of the streets of St. Ives are named: “streete Anpoll,” “Westren streete,” “streete Angarowe,” “street towards ARE.” Then the account mentions people taxed on the“The Iland.” In St Ives this peninsula has the innovative name of “The Island” which boasts of a 15th century chapel called St. Nicholas. Seventeen families lived there.
The last area recorded for the obligatory “rate” was called,“The Lande.” There were 34 families, including the Maior family who apparently lived outside the city streets. The St. Ives subsidy included 140 familes. Only two people payed the highest tax rate of 10d and four people, which included Timothye Maior were taxed 9d. The average for the community was 3d. The “d” is shorthand for pence and according to the National Archives 9 pence would be worth about 5 English pounds today. According to the National Archives, “In the middle of the seventeenth century, the period of price and population rises ended and the country entered a period of stability in both, that was to last until the mid-eighteenth century. “ Thus, taxation was low. Still the Maior family was considered well off in their small community. The Maior’s land was in Treloyhan a villiage a mile east from St. Ives and is mentioned in Tymothe Maior’s will. Page: 180 Year: 1620 Timothye Maior 9d.
Title: Overseers of the Poor [responsible for gathering money for the destitute). Page: 528 Dates: 1634 and 1638 1634 Thomas Stevens, Christopher Cocke, John Hechins, and Timothy Maior. 1638 John Rich, Peter Goodale, Thomas Lynton, and Timothy Maior.
Title: Cornwall Subsidy Charles II Page: 164 Date: 1664 Steph : & Timo Mayor in bon. [These are the sons of Tymothe Maior, the Elder] [In bon or In bonis means they were taxed for goods and properties in their possession. Mayor, Maior and Major are common spellings for this family in the 17th century.]
Title: St Ives William Pearse elected Mayor, November 1668. Page: 248 Date: 1669 [During the reign of Charles II (1660-1685), Timothy Major, the Younger was paid from the borough accounts in 1669]: “P [paid] Timothy Major by order of the Aldermen for money hee p [paid] M Prigg for wine about the Sacrament £1 18s. 3d. ffor fixing the Towne Armes against the Coronation day 4s. 6d -- p [paid] for bringing the Great Guns from the Iland (in the middle ages fortified walls were erected for defense on what is still called ‘The Island’ in St. Ives) to the castle the Coronation day with damages of ropes and expenses to ringers and musketeers with expenses the next day putting the Guns into the castle £2 10s 0d.”
Title: BOROUGH ACCOUNTS, 1639— 1687 Page: 246 Date: 1666 pd Stephen Major for goeing to St Culloms [St. Columb is about 37 miles northeast of St. Ives] with prest men 2 - horses and 1 boy 12s. od.
Page:246 Date: 1686 p* Ephraim Major for 2 horses to goe to Lanceston to carry the wittnesses agt: Teage & others 14s.
Title: Rosewall records Page: 448 Date: 1681 1681. Married Thomas Major and Chesten Rosewall.
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Jul 30, 2018 14:53:57 GMT -5
It is apparent that the only Maior/Major/Mayor/Mager family comes from Tymothy Maior, the Elder and his wife, whose name is yet to be discovered. All children and grandchildren from St Ives descend from this couple. When I began my research I had to guess on the birth dates of Tymothy Maior, the Elder and his four sons. The death dates, I can prove by will and burial records. Currently I have listed them in the order they appear in the will of Timothy Maior, the Elder:
Tymothy Maior the Elder: 1600- 1656 John Major: 1632-1668 Stephen Major: 1633-1700 William Major: 1631-1663 Timothy Major, the younger: 1630-1705
Obviously Timothy Maior the Elder and wife were born before 1600, based on a daughter, Grace, born in 1613! Good work Cornish Terrier! The only other clue I have is when his sons married and started having children.
John buried a daughter, Chesten in 1657 and son named John in 1658.
Stephen is more elusive. He first shows up in 1641 Protestation Return as mentioned by Cornish Terrier. Stephen has lease in 1662 “Assigned from Stephen Major my Brother by an assignment bearing the date of fourth day of December in the yeare of our Lord One thousand Six hundred Sixty and two," according to Timothy Major, Younger in is will. In 1664: Steph : & Timo Mayor in bon. [sons of Timothy Maior, the eldest] (Matthews, 204); and in 1666: BOROUGH ACCOUNTS: pd Stephen Major for goeing to St Culloms [St. Columb is about 37 miles northeast of St. Ives] with prest men 2 - horses and 1 boy 12s. od (Matthews, 246). On June 28,1682 Sarah Major, daughter of Stephen Maior (son of Timothy Maior, the elder) married Lawrence Cubert in Towednack (mentioned in his will). Stephen also had a son, Richard married in 1696.
William’s first recorded sons were twins: William and Timothy, born on May 28, 1652
Timothy, the younger’s first child was Jane, born April 7, 1654 (she was 7 months old when she was made the executrix of her grandfather’s will.) I don’t know what to think of him not showing up in the 1641 Protestation Return, because he definitely was given a sizeable inheritance from his father. The Cornish Terrier is right about not making him the executrix, even though he ended up getting that assignment some time later until his minor child came of age.
So below is some new guesses to the ages of Timothy Maior and wife and their children taking into consideration the birth of Grace and the Protestation Return:
Timothy Maior and wife born 1590 - age 23 when Grace was born in 1613.
John born 1618? Age 39 when he buried children in 1657 and 1658 Stephen born 1620 age 62 when his daughter, Sarah married in 1682 (It's possible that Stephen and his daughter both married about age 30.) William born 1622 age 30 at the birth of his twins in 1652 Timothy born 1624 age 30 at the birth of Jane, the youngest executrix in history or if Timothy is the oldest child, perhaps 36 years old?
I would like some feedback on this please. Thank you! And Thanks Scottish Terrier! Jill Major
|
|
|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Jul 31, 2018 5:17:37 GMT -5
Hi Jill - based on the known information I think I have probably already aired my views and opinions on the early major family in earlier posts. All I can do for the moment is to perhaps offer a few suggestions. Firstly, as information is fairly scarce for St Ives prior to the 1650s and there are large gaps between records there can be no absolute certainty with any reconstruction of families of the period. All available facts need to be collected and then it is really up to the individual to interpret those facts. The use of Wills, Leases, Protestation Returns and Hearth Tax records can help with the reconstruction families but combining those records with the scattered BMDs still leaves plenty of room for interpretation. The most important thing about the facts you gather is that you gather then accurately because one error is likely to have a domino effect. For example:- Three points to make with this quote from your last post:- 1. This is a date of BAPTISM not birth 2. Just because two children are baptized on the same day it does not mean they were twins. I've seen records for up to TEN children of one family being baptized together!!! Children (even just two) baptized on the same day might have been born several years apart. 3. This is the big point!! - the image of the St Ives Parish Register for 1652 is quite poor and it appears the bottom of the page where the Major baptism is written is damaged and only partially readable. However there is a Transcript available which shows that on May 28th 1652 only ONE child was baptized to William Maior …….. and that child was Tymothy! In reconstructing this family and trying to assign 'approximate' birthdates you also need to be constantly remembering the gaps in the records. You seem to have it in mind that Grace was the first child of Timothy the elder but he may actually have had several children before Grace. Prior to 1613 the only surviving Bishops Transcript is for 1607 so there is a six-year gap in which three or four children may have been born! And then there is your latest attempt at birthdates for the sons of Timothy the elder:- Remembering that Grace was baptized in 1613 you now show a gap of 17 years to Timothy the younger ….. and with another three sons afterwards! And even after mentioning the 1641 Protestation Returns you seem to have forgotten them when deciding on these dates. Remember that to sign the Protestation Returns the man had to be 18 years old!! My own 'flexible' allocation of possible birthdates for the known children of Timothy was based on the Protestation Returns and at the moment all I show is that John, Stephen and William must all have been born before 1623 if it was they who signed the Protestation Returns. Timothy is the only one who might have been born after 1622/3 as he did not sign. So remember - gather the available facts, ensure the information is copied accurately and then work on possible scenarios taking into account all information that is available. What you decide on from there will be your own interpretation of the information you have so make sure you make that clear. Nothing can be perfectly accurate and everyone is likely to interpret the same information differently. CT
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Aug 1, 2018 3:27:28 GMT -5
Thank you for taking the time to coach me along. Good catch on me calling William and Timothy twins. I have also seen church records where the entire family was baptized the same day. Musing about this sentence in your earlier post:
John MAIOR - Towednack - Churchwarden This is probably the father of Thomas Major who married Cheston Rosewall at Towednack in 1682. John had to have been born before 1623 and as he was Churchwarden was probably at least in his mid-20s.
So you are saying that John Maior from Towednack is not the same as John Maior in the will record of Timothy the Elder. Thus, John from St. Ives may also be born after 1623?
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Aug 1, 2018 3:43:33 GMT -5
I am also going to start checking Maior/Major wills that appear before 1670 in other parts of Cornwall. The Major/Maiors came from somewhere and they apparently came with some money. Do you have pre Timothy the Elder records of other Maiors? I found this one:
"A Cornish parish: being an account of St. Austell, town, church, district and people"
In the "Counte bok«" of Stratton we have an entry as far back as 153a concerning the relief of the poor... in 1541 John maior received "for a trusse of rushes agenst Mr. Arundell ys dafter was marryed iiijd. " ; in '25, ' * for mendyng of the priestcTs chamber " 2s. was paid ;
|
|
|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Aug 1, 2018 8:24:42 GMT -5
Not at all - I am saying that the 1641 Protestation Returns show that in 1641 there was a John Major who was Churchwarden at Towednack. The only surviving Bishops Transcripts either side of 1641 are for 1635 and 1664 in which years there are no entries for the Major family and nor was John Major a Churchwarden. There are also no Major entries in any earlier Towednack records that I have. I currently show this John Major in my database as the son of Timothy. John was buried at St Ives in 1683 and left a Will in which he named Richard Trudgeon as a son-in-law, an unnamed daughter and a grandson named John. Son Thomas Major was the residual legatee and executor and I think he was probably the man who married Cheston Rosewall at Towednack in 1682. The interesting thing about John is that I have four children for him but no baptisms. A daughter named Cheston was buried at St Ives in 1657 and son John in 1658 and then there is the unnamed daughter from his Will who is obviously Margery Major who married Richard Trudgeon at St Ives in 1677. Finally there is son Thomas who was the executor of his Will. Now this indicates two possibilities - 1. that all children were born/baptised before 1652 when the earliest surviving register begins or 2. that they were born/baptised elsewhere. That gives a potential link to John Major the Churchwarden at Towednack in 1641. John Major never mentioned his wife in his Will so I suspect she will be the 'Margery wife of John Major' buried at St Ives in 1670. That then provides the link to the marriage of Thomas Major and Cheston Rosewall at Towednack in 1682 given their first two children were named Margery and John. I don't have any records prior to Timothy Major but what appears to be the earliest baptism for the family in Cornwall in the OPC database is that of a John son of Pascoe Mager at St Erth in 1583. CT
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Aug 3, 2018 12:04:51 GMT -5
Very good sleuthing tying John Major to Towednack. I am writing a 400 year history of my husband's Major line, ending with his grandfather and grandmother's stories. Although it is intended for my posterity, there will be sufficient copies in libraries to make sure it can be found for generations. Like you, I want it to be as correct as possible given missing records. In September I will taking my third trip to England, spending 3 weeks there. My first week I will be staying in Trengenna Castle in St. Ives. Can you recommend any places to research where they may be records that are not on the internet? Thank you for your amazing help with untangling this Major line in the 17th century. I need to give approximate dates for this first known generation. I know you disagree with people who put "about." What is the professional way to enter a date where there is no proof? From our conversations I am thinking the following: Timothy Major, the Elder 1590 age 23 when Grace was born and died. John born 1618 age 39 earliest record of when he buried children in 1657 and 1658 Stephen born 1620 age 62 earliest records of when his daughter, Sarah married. Possible if daughter and father were married in their 30's. William born 1622 age 30 earliest record of baptism of sons William and Timothy in 1652 Timothy born 1624 age 30 at the birth of Jane, perhaps the youngest executrix in history (maybe as young as 7 months when she became an executrix – never married and I can track her to at least 51 years old because she is the executrix of the wills of her parents) These dates would take into consideration Grace's baptism/death records and the 1641 Protestation Returns. It also may solve the mystery of this statement in the Elder's will: I "...do make and ordaine this my Last will and Testament [?] and praying my children to be comforted with this is my Last will and testament without any trouble and if anie of them [go] against the others for anie of my goods & chattles [?] they will answer for thier Sinne before Alllmightie God." I have read many wills and never read that statement. The will was recorded in Wootton in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, because the ecclesiastical court system was abolished during the civil war. It was quite the journey from St Ives, so the will was very important, yet extremely strange. You can view the will on line: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRG-TCBD-L. Again, thank you for your help. Jill
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Aug 3, 2018 12:09:45 GMT -5
One more questions: In the Will of John Major, 1883 he gives his son-in-law, Richard Trudgeon, one shilling, daughter two shillings, grandchild named John two shillings and Grace Lenten ten shillings. Any idea who Grace Lenten is? She must have been very important.
|
|
|
Post by Cornish Terrier on Aug 3, 2018 16:43:02 GMT -5
I don't know if there is any 'right' way to record the age or possible birth year of a person for whom no birth/baptisms survive but I do know that if you say (e.g.) born 1624 then no matter how you try to explain it afterwards there will be people out there who take that as the gospel truth! I sometimes allocate potential birth years in my database when I have something to use as a guide but even then I am very wary because there are so many variables that might be taken into account. For example, a couple might have children over a period of say about 27 or even 30 years and an older child might not marry and have his own children until after the youngest has done so. That could throw a lot of things 'out of whack'. I work on the theory that a girl might marry as young as age 16 (or, very, very rarely, perhaps 15) and the maximum age she is likely to be when her last child is born is 48. I have seen plenty of examples of women at that age having children and perhaps only a couple at 49. So a woman might potentially bear children over a period of 32 years!! And I have seen plenty of examples of families with more than 21 children as well. In fact only last night I noticed a woman in the 1911 Census stating she was the mother of 18 children. Back to your question - in the early 1600s we can very roughly estimate approximate births for males by whether or not they signed the Protestation Return. There were dissenters but I think the majority of males in West Cornwall of the age of 18 and over did sign. When trying to reconstruct a family of that period based on a Will I generally begin by displaying the births of the male children as 'before 1623' and 'after 1623' to show they were either over or under age 18 in 1641. If you have a date of marriage and/or perhaps a date of baptism for at least one of the parents (especially the mother) then the time-period the children could have been born in can be narrowed down and ages therefore become a little more accurate. The wording used in Wills can sometimes help - for example the time 'minor' or 'at age 21' infers that the child is under 21 when the Will was written. The order children are mentioned in Wills often, but not always, shows their order of birth. (Sometimes children will be named in reverse order and many Wills show the sons and daughters separately - i.e. all the sons bequests and then all the daughters bequests or vice versa.) Again, it is up to the individual to decide how to display their information and not everyone will agree. But if you set yourself some guidelines to work by and add some sort of explanation when you 'guestimate' a year of birth then it should help. (Same applies to deaths and marriages where no documented information is available.) Things became much easier during the 19th Century of course. Even where birth/baptism dates cannot be found there is usually the Census to refer to. No idea at all. She may have been a relative or even a servant or possibly someone who helped the family in a time of need. She might even have been simply a friend. CT
|
|
|
Post by jmajor on Aug 16, 2018 23:06:06 GMT -5
Portcullis Search Engine has original pages of Protestant Returns 1641/42. I received this note from a member of the St. Ives Archives:
... In general terms, on the firstpage click on Advanced Search and then select the Protestation Returns from the Record Category. On the first page, select the 'Cornwall A'records by clicking on the Ref No and then on the next page click on theRef No again. On the next page, scroll down through the records until you see the list of Cornwall A parishes. At the end of this list, you'll see 'Cornwall B'. Click on it and then again click on the Ref No on the next page and now you'll be able to scroll down again and this time you'll see the Cornwall B parishes. Click on St Ives and then on the following page, near the bottom, click on the URL which will take you to a page where you can click on St Ives and you will then (finally) see the original image. Note, there are several pages for St Ives.
It was exciting to see the actual records. I found Steven Mager He wrote an M. William Magor or Major aslo wrote an M. timothie majior did not leave a mark of any kind. I also checked Towednack. It was only one page and I did not find John Mager. When you have time will you look at and see if you can see something I do not.
Best Wishes, Jill
|
|