Matthews/Williams/Harvey of St. Levan, Sennen

[lrlopez5]

Hello, I am a new member and trying to navigate this website!

My name is Linda R. Johnson Lopez.  I was born in and live in Los Angeles, California, USA.  During the 1980s, my sister and I started a family tree for our mother.  Our mother, Ruth Anna Elmer Johnson was born in 1907 in British Columbia, Canada.  Her paternal great grandparents were James Matthews (1807 St. Levan - 1884 Kingston, Ont. Canada) and Susannah Harris (1816 Illogan - 1880 Kingston, Ont. Canada).   

James Matthews was the eldest son.  His parents were James Matthews (1784-?) and Barbara Williams Harvey (1786-1825).  From what we have discovered, it appears that only James emigrated to Canada while some siblings may have remained in Cornwall and others emigrated to Australia.  Aside from family stories, we received information from St. Catherine's House, London, England.

James and his eldest son, John, were missing from the 1881 Canadian census.  The story was they went to Australia.

I am a member of Ancestry and MyHeritage websites.  

I notice some forum interest in this family.  Would someone please direct me to a page where I can familiarize myself with how to work on this site? 

Thank you!

Linda R. Lopez

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Linda and Welcome to the site.

I think in your case most conversations about your Matthews family should be found in the Parishes section which can be found by scrolling down towards the bottom of the Home Page. Unfortunately many threads became fragmented over the years with new queries about similar topics being opened in different sections.

The main Parish of interest for you should be St Levan, Sennen, Sancreed and St Buryan where Matthews and Harvey queries have been discussed in the past.

I do have James Matthews and Barbara Harvey in my database and have just added the marriage of their son James to Susannah Harris at Illogan. Unfortunately I can't help with the Harris side and the identity of Susannah's parents at the moment because there are at least three possible marriages that could be involved where a William Harris married someone named Elizabeth. The problem could no doubt be solved with a little work ………..

I also do not yet know the identity of James Matthews' father but there are other members of this forum with interests in the Matthews families of the Lands End area who may be able to help.

What I can tell you is that James Matthews appears to have married twice. First wife Barbara was buried at St Levan in 1825 and then in 1829 he married Ann Hitchens/Hutchens at Madron. I can also tell you that it was sons William (1814), Joseph (1819) and Christopher (1821) who came out to Australia. Daughter Barbara married John Newton at Crowan in 1833 and died in the Penzance Union Workhouse in 1858 but I have no further information as yet on the remaining sons John, Robert or Thomas.

Of the sons who came to Australia - William married Jane Ellis at St Just in Cornwall in 1836 and had six children before emigrating to Victoria about 1850. A further two children were born in Victoria and William died at a town called Moyston in 1891.
Joseph also died at Moyston in 1884 but I don't think he ever married. He may have emigrated with William and his family but I can't be sure of that.
And Christopher married Mary Wearn at Madron in 1847 and died near Moonta Bay in South Australia in 1908. I don't have any children listed for Christopher but, to be honest, I am not really sure whether I have ever checked.

If you want to read through some of the old threads then I would suggest you begin with St Levan and then perhaps check the other Parishes listed above. Any threads of interest should be easy enough to find once you click on the Parish name in the list.

If you want to add any queries then you can either add to an existing thread by clicking on the 'Reply' button at bottom right or you can create a new thread. If you are not sure where to place a new thread then simply go to the 'Help' section near the top of the Home page and post a query in 'Queries'. I can then move the query/thread to an appropriate place if need be.

If you are primarily interested in the Matthews family then the most appropriate section for you to post would be under 'St Levan' in the Parishes section.

And ask for help any time you need and we will do our best to help.

CT

[lrlopez5]

Thank you, CT, for your welcome, quick response and information provided. 

I will revisit and digest your information a little later as now and then I experience "chemo brain."  Yikes!

There is much to learn.  Does "create post" mean reply?

The Harveys of Maen.1.txt (26.53 KB)

The James and Susannah Harris Matthews family emigrated from Cornwall to Canada between 1834 and 1842.  The first three children were born in Broad Lane, Illogan, Cornwall.  The fourth child, Emily, was born in Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada. 

Mother and her siblings from BC Canada never met any of them as they were in Eastern Canada.  Mother's father, David John Elmer, lived with his grandparents James and Susannah after the early death of his mother, Eliza Matthews Elmer.  Grandfather Elmer was the eldest child when his mother, died from "child bed fever" at 32 years of age. 

To follow the Harris line will be difficult indeed.  The Matthews line is also difficult. Now I am interested in the Harvey line. 

See the attached paper about the "Harvey's of Maen."  It did not copy well from Ancestry.  I'm following the Harvey line from Barbara Williams Harvey's father, Christopher Harvey (1758-1825) back three more generations of Christopher Harvey's to John Harvey, Gentleman of Maen (1643-1710), and beyond.  Could we really be related to that family? 

Genealogy is a detective case. 

Thank you again for your assistance.

Linda

[zibetha]

Hi, Linda and CT,

Something about the new information in this thread was nagging at my brain. I discovered that I already had James and Susannah in my tree. Earlier this year, I was able to work out a DNA match between me and a descendant of their granddaughter, Ann Landeryou McMahon. I show Ann as a daughter of Charlotte Ann Matthews and John Charles Trenowath Landeryou (my 3rd cousin 4 times removed.) I am connected to the Landeryou family on my great-grandfather Edward Harvey Jr's mother's side.

Small world!
Zib

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi again Linda

There is much to learn. Does "create post" mean reply?

No it doesn't but I will clarify things a bit for you. If you are reading an existing thread and wish to add something to that thread then you use the 'Reply' button at bottom right of the thread. That allows you to have direct input to that particular thread.

If you want to create a 'new post' or 'new thread' then it is slightly different. To do that you need to access the area/board where you want to add you thread. e.g. to add a new thread to the St Buryan forum then scroll down to the Parishes and then click on the forum titled 'St Buryan'.
This brings up a list (could be several pages) of threads already created for St Buryan.
Your next step is to actually 'create' your thread so you need to locate the 'Create Thread' button. At the top of the page is the 'Penwith Genealogy' Banner and below that will be space for advertising so ignore that. Under those two banners you will see the list of existing threads and at the top right of that section you will see a button titled 'Create Thread'.
Click on the 'Create Thread' button and a new page will be opened. Add a title for your thread in the space provided at top and then start creating your post/message in the space below the toolbars. When you have finished simply click on the 'Create Thread' button at lower right.

BTW - if you are replying or adding to an existing post you will see a 'Create Post' button at bottom right.

I hope that is clear enough but ask for clarification if not.

And now back to your last post. I have just had a very brief look at the link for the Harvey's of Maen and I need to add a not of caution. Whenever you find something like this be sure that you do not take all the information for granted. Where possible it is best to locate original sources and confirm the information is correct. As an example is the following:-

Another son of John
Harvey of Maen, called John, appears in the Marriage Registers of
Sennen Parish on two occasions: firstly, 'John Harvey of Sennen to
Alice Jone Mills 28 Dec. 1706' . . .

This is definitely NOT correct. The actual Parish Register entry reads 'John Harvey and Jone Mill Decr. 28th'

Whoever looked at the register for this quote has added a name from the entry above which is 'John Nicholls and Alice Bosustowe Decr 8th

Also be aware that no Parish registers survive for Sennen or St Levan prior to 1700. There are Wills dating back well before that time but not everyone left a Will and many that were written did not survive or might be damaged.
You may need to search for other documents such as deeds to help fill in some of the gaps.

CT

[lrlopez5]

Hi CT,

Ooops, so I created another thread. Also, James and Susannah Harris Matthews are MY (not my mother's) great great grandparents.

Now I see the Reply button on the bottom right. Thanks as I don't want to create more posts on the same subject.

I, too, have not found any records for John, Robert and Thomas Matthews. As for Christopher who married Mary Wearn(e), on Ancestry I found six children:
James Nicholas (1849-1939), Elizabeth Wearn (1851-1934), James (1853), Robert (1854-1941), Joseph (1856-1927), Barbara Jane (1859-1944).

I do try to be as accurate as possible so don't take things for granted as you noted. Thanks for the heads up on lack of records prior to 1700 for Sennen and St. Levan.

As for the Landeryou family. Many of them are buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Ont. Canada. I was there to see the graves of many of them including children.

Thanks for your sage advice, CT.
Linda

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Linda - it can get very confusing, just like trying to work out a new mobile phone!

Anyway, read away and anytime you have something to add or have a query just post it and you will get a response usually fairly quickly. As you will have noticed Zibetha is another member interested in Harveys so I am sure she will be keeping an eye out as well.

CT

[lrlopez5]

Barbara Williams Harvey is my third great grandmother.  Here is what I have found on the Harvey line:

Barbara Williams Harvey (Mar 1786 St. Levan - Feb 1825 St. Levan).  She married James Matthews (1784 St. Levan - ?).

Marriage:  Feb 1, 1806, St, Levan

Their children:  James Matthews my second great grandfather (1807 St. Levan - 1884 Kingston, Ont. Canada), Barbara (1809 - 1858), John Matthews (1813-?), William (1814-1891), Robert (1816-?), Joseph (1819-1884), Christopher Harvey Matthews (1821-1908), Thomas (1825-?)

Barbara Williams Harvey's parents were:  Christopher Harvey (1758 Sennen - 1825 ?), Honour Williams (1750 St. Just - 1813 ?). 

Marriage:  Jun 13, 1780 Sennen

Their children:  Christopher Harvey (1781-1861), John (1784-1791), Barbara Williams Harvey (1786-1825), Mary Harvey (1787-?), Honour (1785-?)

Barbara's paternal grandparents were:  *Christopher Harvey (17 Jan 1708 Sennen - 2 Aug 1780 ?) and Julian Andrew(s) (1730 St Just - 1813 Sennen)

Marriage:  Nov 14, 1751 Sennen

Their children:  Honour (1755 - ?), Christopher (1758-1825), Mary (1759 - ?), Barbara (1762 - ?), John (1764 - ?)

Barbara's paternal great grandparents were:  Christopher Harvey (1675 Sennen - 1748 Madron) and Honour (Honnar?) Roberts (1684 St Levan - 11 Mar 1757 Sennen)

Marriage:  15 Jun 1706 Sennen

Their children:  Honour (1706-1790), Christopher (1708-1780), John (1711-1749), Elizabeth (1713-1784), Ann (1715-?), Barbara (1718-1749), Mary (1720),  William (1729-1759), Thomas (?-?)  

*Is this the correct Christopher Harvey?  Many have the same names through the generations.  Is someone able to verify the information?  Can anyone add or correct any information?  

Thank you.  lrlopez5

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Linda - the direct line looks to be okay to me although I have to say that I have not updated my information for a long time. The one thing I can see that you could add is another child named Christopher for Christopher Harvey and Honour Roberts.

As I said - I have not updated this information for a long time which means I have not verified the names and dates from the original records as yet. However, you have Christopher Harvey baptized 1708 and buried 1780 but this is not quite correct. I do not have the time right now to check all the details (after all it is just gone 7am!!) but here are the entries for the two sons named Christopher. All dates will be presented 'as they appear' in the original Parish Register so as this is before 1752 the Julian Calendar was in use. That means the year started on March 25th and ended on March 24th.

1707 - Christopher son to Christopher Harvey January 10 (baptism) (in today's calendar this would be January 10th 1708)
1707 - Christopher son to Christopher Harvey February 13 (burial)

1708 - Christopher son to Christopher Harvey January 17 (baptism) - this is the Christopher who lived until 1780.

CT

[lrlopez5]

Thank you, CT, for your response and information provided. 

Listed below is additional information however source material is scarce so I could be wrong in areas.

Barbara Williams Harvey's paternal third great grandparents were:  John Harvey, Gentleman of Maen (1643 Maen, Sennen - 14 May 1710 Sennen) and Alice Davies (1652 Maen, Sennen - 1702 or 1707? St. Buryan), daughter of Christopher Davies and Alice Unknown.

Married:  28 Jun 1673, St. Buryan

Their children were:  William (1674-1699), Christopher (1675-1748), John (1676-1764), Onesipherous (1677-1732), James (1678-1706), Grace (1680-1712), Thomas (1682-1706), Katherine (1684-1758), Elizabeth (1686-1714)

Her fourth paternal great grandparents were:  Thomas Harvey of Maen (1596 Maen, Sennen - 4 May 1665 Sennen) and Alice James (1621 Maen, Sennen - about 1665), daughter of (possibly) Thomas James and Ann Underhill.

Married:  1642, Cornwall

Their children were:  John Harvey of Maen (1643 Maen, Sennen - 14 May 1710 Sennen), Joan (1645 Sennen - about 1710).

I'm really enjoying the website.  Is there an option or place to upload my raw DNA?  There is much information and helpful members!

Thank you for any comments and/or corrections.

Linda

[lrlopez5]

Ooops again!  The generations are wrong in my last Post.  They should be the second and third great grandparents for Barbara Williams Harvey. 

Sorry to anyone for the inconvenience.

[Cornish Terrier]

Is there an option or place to upload my raw DNA? There is much information and helpful members!

No, this is purely a discussion forum really. We do have discussions based on DNA testing here but you need to go to places like FTDNA, Ancestry and the like to actually have your data tested and analyzed.

CT

[spikeharwood]

Hi Linda - you can upload your raw DNA to FTDNA but if you tested with Ancestry and in the last couple of years you will only get 200 or so of your close matches. You also would have to pay maybe US$20 to unlock some of their tools. You would be better off having a second test at FTDNA. They are having a special now. One of the advantages with FTDNA is that you can upgrade your kit to the mtDNA level (mother's line.)
GenesisGEDmatch allows testers to upload their raw data and compare that against other uploads regardless of the testing company. That have some useful tools also.

[lrlopez5]

Thanks CT.

And thank you Spike for the FTDNA suggestion. 

One can become a DNA junkie!  I started with National Geographic, then 23AndMe and Ancestry.  Also shared my DNA on GEDmatch and DNA Tribes!  I'll consider your suggestion for a new test with FTDNA.

Linda

[spikeharwood]

LOL, you're hardcore then.
I had a match with a Mary Lopez on Ancestry today. Cornish line most likely.
Coincidence probably.