Thomas, Williams, Grenfield and Donithorne's etc

[lennieaj]

Hi

After a while doing other sides of the family I'm back on the Cornish trail!

Not sure if this should be with St. Ives or other parishes but the original families appear to be frm there.

I have two x7 ggrandfathers: one Richard THOMAS and one Peter THOMAS. I believe the former was born in 1689 to William and possibly Rebecca DONITHORNE. Richard married Christian WILLIAMS in 1711 and she could be the daughter of either Jaspar WILLIAMS and Honor WHITE born 1685 or daughter of Thomas WILLIAMS and Catherine NOALL born 1688 both in St. Ives.

Peter THOMAS is the father of Peter THOMAS (TRITHWELL/TROTHWELL) born in1723 St. Ives but I can't find any trace of a baptism for the elder Peter in the BMD records I've checked. He definitely isn't in the St. Ives records. I believe however he married Margery GRENFIELD (V) in 1722 and she died after giving birth to Peter in 1723. Margery was the daughter of Bevill GRENFIELD/GRENVILL (V).

I can't find any more details of the family in St Ives. Can anyone give me any ideas of areas that Rebecka DONITHORNE, Bevill GRENFIELD, Jasper WILLIAMS and the senior Peter THOMAS could come from. Also any ideas of how to differentiate bewteen the two Christians and where the TRITHWELL/TROTHWELL comes into the equation.

Cheers
Lennie

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Lennie - Looks like it has been quite a while since you were here so I hope you have had some good successes with your non-Cornish research.

Peter Thomas - the marriage to Margery Grenfield took place at Lelant 2nd February 1722 so it may be that Lelant is where you should be looking for a baptism.
Records for Lelant prior to 1716 are scant but there are some baptisms going back to 1668. They are not always easy to read but the images are available in the FamilySearch collection of Cornwall Parish Registers.

As far as I can tell the family of Bevill Grenfield/Grenfell had been at St Ives for many years. I believe he was probably a son of Matthew and Christian Grenfield but as I have found no baptism for him he may have been born before 1651. The earliest Parish Register for St Ives has baptisms beginning in 1650/1 and there are three children in those early years baptised to Matthew.

Rebecka Donithorne's family appears also to have been at St Ives prior to 1651 and there is another Rebecka Donithorne who married Peirce Grenfield (brother to Bevill) at St Ives in 1688.

Jasper and Thomas Williams could both be from either St Ives or Lelant so you may have similar dilemmas as above with the available records.

Differentiating between the two Christian Williams may or may not be difficult. You will need to first check for a burial that might eliminate one or the other but failing that you would need to see if the second Christian also married. If both married then work through the children for each family to see if any tell-tale names appear.

Also check for Wills that might offer more information.

CT

[johntanner]

Lenniaj

Bevill Grenfield was a son of the John Grenfield of St Ives whose will was proved 1708. "I give unto my son Bevill and to Elizabeth and Margery daughters of the said Bevill ....."

Bevill was an ancestor of mine, and some years ago I did my best to sort out his antecedents. If you have not seen it I will email you a copy of what I wrote then. Before the 1708 John it gets a little tenuous, but it is clear that they go back to the St Just Grenfells.

John

[Cornish Terrier]

Many thanks for that correction John.
I was concerned that I had no baptism for Bevill and therefore no link to parents so my comment regarding Matthew and Christian was based on family I knew were in the area.
When I posted my last it also crossed my mind that Beville would have been over 40 if born before 1651 so there were small alarm bells beginning to ring.

CT

[lennieaj]

I have looked thru' the available scans for Lelant but have found no Jasper or Thomas WILLIAMS that fit. There is a Jasper in Gulval but of the same age as Christian so that can't be him.

No luck with Christian either. One married Richard THOMAS, the other Richard HENDLEY/HENDEY. There are several deaths that might fit Christian THOMAS but as no ages given it's difficult to tell which one is which. I can't find a death for Christain HENDEY or any children so far. In the THOMAS family other than Richard and Christain the only other name that links to a previous generation is Honor. She may be a daughter named after Jasper's wife Honor WHITE. I will keep on searching.

Thanks for the info on Bevill and the DONITHORNES tho' I've not had much luck with the latter yet.

However going thru' the Lelant scans I came across a Peter TRETHWELL born 1696 which would fit the father of my Peter THOMAS (TRITHWELL) b. 1723 but still not sure of the combined surnames.

Lennie